Just west across the Puget Sound from Seattle, on the Kitsap Peninsula, nestled beside the shores of Liberty Bay, is the quaint town of Poulsbo, lovingly referred to as "Little Norway."

In the late 1880's the area was settled by several immigrant families who had traveled over from Norway. The location reminded them of the mountains and fjords back home. One of the families were from Paulsbo, Norway. For many years, Norwegian was the only language that was spoken in the region. As the village grew, the townspeople submitted there request for a post office. The Post Master misspelled the name, and it's been called Poulsbo ever since.

The port of Poulsbo was the site of one of the largest codfish processing plants in the Northwest and also a leading producer of Lutefisk. Today, you can still taste this Scandanavian tradition the 3rd Saturday of October at the First Lutheran Church's Annual Lutefisk Dinner.

The Mosquito Fleet (referred to in my earlier post) sailed from Seattle to Poulsbo for over 60 years. Today, Liberty Bay is currently host to three very popular marinas. Each Summer, on July 3rd, a barge is brought into the harbor loaded with festive fireworks. Sailboats and yachts from all over the region anchor in the bay to watch the display.

Perhaps the most popular attraction in Poulsbo is the old downtown Front Street area, dressed to a "T" in Scandanavian decor, overflowing with local shops, curios, artisan displays, bakeries, and restaurants. The Bayside Broiler has great views of the harbor as you partake of a delicious meal, and JJ's has awesome clam chowder!

If you find your travel plans taking you through Seattle, it's just a short ferry ride across to Poulsbo, the "Little Norway" of the Pacific Northwest.

Rich Jacobson, Your Poulsbo WA Real Estate Agent