Dungeness, Washington

Dungeness
—  Unincorporated community  —
Dungeness Spit at Dusk
Dungeness Location within the state of Washington
Coordinates: 48°08′48″N 123°07′18″W / 48.14667°N 123.12167°W / 48.14667; -123.12167Coordinates: 48°08′48″N 123°07′18″W / 48.14667°N 123.12167°W / 48.14667; -123.12167
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Clallam
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
– Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes
FIPS code
GNIS feature ID

Dungeness is an unincorporated community in Clallam County, Washington, United States, located north of Sequim. Dungeness crab is named after the town of Dungeness, which is located on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Dungeness has a number of waterfront residential communities, but also features the Dungeness Spit, a popular destination for locals and tourists.

The name "Dungeness" refers to the Dungeness headland in England. It was given by George Vancouver in 1792, who wrote: The low sandy point of land, which from its great resemblance to Dungeness in ths British Channel, I called New Dungeness.^[1]

The West Coast's first commercial fishery, mainly producing Dungeness crabs, was built in 1848 in Dungeness.

Smaller communities within the Dungeness area include Old Town, which is located near the Cline Spit, and Jamestown, located around Jamestown Road. Jamestown is named after the S'Klallam (Jamestown) tribe.

The 3 Crabs

One of the main attractions of Dungeness is The 3 Crabs restaurant.^[2] Founded in 1958, it was once considered a premier restaurant in the northwest and remains a favorite locally.

It is the home of Nash's Organic Farm, which raises organic vegetables and is one of the premier organic farms in Western Washington. It is also the home of Five Acre School,^[3] an excellent private Montessori school going from preschool to 6th grade.

Recreational areas near Dungeness include the Dungeness Recreation Area and Wildlife Refuge, containing many excellent trails. It also contains Dungeness Spit, the world's longest natural sand spit. Crab flourish in Dungeness Bay, and crabbing is a popular local pastime.

The Dungeness Spit is also home to the Dungeness Light House. Completed in 1857, the light house was the first along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The adjoining house was constructed in 1895. The light house tower was originally 100 feet (30 m) tall, but this was reduced to 63 feet (19 m) in 1927 due to the deteriorating upper structure. The light house was manned by the Coast Guard until 1994, when the site was leased to the New Dungeness Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society.

References

1. ^ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-95158-3. 
2. ^ http://www.the3crabs.com/history.html
3. ^ http://www.fiveacreschool.com/