
Rosedale in Gig Harbor
Rosedale is one of the Gig Harbor area’s more established communities featuring charming farms, waterfront properties, and its own vintage Rosedale Market. As a long-time resident of Gig Harbor, I have always enjoyed the rural vibes of this neighborhood, and I’ve found this is what lures many people to drive over the Narrows Bridge for Gig Harbor living.





Want to live here?
Local real estate agent Darren Rivers created this site as a guide for people who are moving to the Gig Harbor area. If you need a local real estate agent, Darren is a clear choice. He not only is passionate about serving his clients and has intimate knowledge of Gig Harbor, but he is one of the top Re/Max realtors in the country.
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Location
Despite the rural feel, it is in close proximity to the more modern community of Gig Harbor north with big box stores and other desirable amenities. It is also near to the historic maritime downtown Gig Harbor.
Rosedale lies West of Highway 16 and downtown Gig Harbor and East of the magnificent Carr Inlet of Puget Sound. As a result this area offers some of the state’s prime waterfront views and properties.
For commuters, Tacoma is just 15-20 minutes away and Seattle is less than an hour’s drive, though with peak traffic, drive time can double to nearly 2 hours.
Because of the rural layout of the neighborhood and how large an area it covers, local drive times vary depending on what part of Rosedale you are in. A trip to the charming, historic Gig Harbor City Center may only be 10 minutes, while for other properties it would be 20 minutes. The same can be said for accessing the more modern retail districts of Gig Harbor North and Uptown.

Attractions
The two biggest attractions here are the classy country feel and Puget Sound. Not only are there many waterfront properties but the entire Gig Harbor area offers easy access to Puget Sound for boating, fishing and all types of water sports and activities. It’s also known for proximity to Seattle, Mt. Rainier, the Olympic Peninsula and all the natural beauty that the Pacific Northwest offers.
Gig Harbor boasts a strong community with many small-town events and activities such as the Gig Harbor Maritime Festival in the summer and the lighted boat parade at Christmas. Rosedale Hall, one of the last remaining historic community “Halls” hostes classes and year-round events for this neighborhood.
This area is well known for community involvement, volunteer groups, quality schools, churches and nearby medical facilities.
Rosedale features numerous small working farms where you can buy local eggs and produce. They greatly add to the pleasant drives through this spread-out district. This is part of what sets Rosedale apart from other neighborhoods that are more wooded, but this area also is full of tall pines in between the rolling farm properties.
The nearby Gig Harbor North neighborhood offers the large modern YMCA with recreational programs and services for all ages including a swimming pool, climbing gym, sauna, indoor running track, youth center, and more. This community based non-profit offers empowerment and an inclusive space where people of all ages can learn, grow and improve health.
Rosedale also has easy access to beautiful downtown Gig Harbor with shopping, dining, water activities and the Maritime Museum , which is not only a great place for history education but a dynamic community event space with live music and other public events.

Outdoor Activities
You will find many properties with outdoor living spaces and some with acreage for your outdoor activities. Towards Carr Inlet and a few other areas you will find waterfront properties, some with beach access and stellar views for sitting on the deck and watching the sunset.
This area is well known for it’s parks. Kopachuck State Park is a large wooded waterfront park great for swimming, fishing, and features many beautiful hiking trails. The expansive, Historic Sehmel Homestead Park has a community center, playground, soccer and baseball fields with lots of parking for events. The Wilkinson Farm Parkoffers a 16 acre wildlife park, historic buildings, walking trails and community garden and greenhouse.
There are lots of easily accessible golfing options: The prestigious Canterwood Golf and Country Club is 10- 15 minutes away and in contrast, the Gig Harbor Golf course is a pleasant little course that offers panoramic views of Artondale and peaceful wooded surroundings.
For bikers, walkers and runners, there is the Cushman Trail, a 6.2 mile walking and bike trail with various grades, onsite parking, restrooms and seating along the way. Gig Harbor’s downtown offers other options for walking and running (both very popular in the Harbor) and also Kayak rentals and other water activities along with numerous city parks.

Shopping
This quiet rural suburb is mainly residential but it does feature it’s own charming small grocery with a gas station, a large nursery and the local favorite, Chalet in the Woods.
The Rosedale Gardens nursery is one of the oldest in Gig Harbor and has a long family history as does Chalet in the Woods, a scenic European clothing and gift store with 12 acres of gardens, woods, and sheep pasture. This store is known for Scandanavian and French clothing items and caters to the established Norwegian community that originally made up a large population of Gig Harbor.
Aside from these quaint local establishments, Rosedale residents have quick access to the nearby Gig Harbor North which offers big box locations like Costco, Home Depot, Albertson’s and Target that you won’t find in other parts of Gig Harbor. just to the South of that area is the charming and historic downtown Gig Harbor where you will find small local shops and boutiques for “retail therapy”.
A short 15-20 minute drive puts you in the heart of the large retail district on Pt Fosdick Drive, also known as “Uptown”, named after a large upscale shopping area that was built in 2008. Uptown itself features all types of stores from local boutiques to commercial chains like Marshall’s, J. Jill, and Ann Taylor Loft. You can find everything you need in the area from coffee shops, restaurants, major grocery stores, services such as dry cleaners, and even a large Cinema.
The amenities of the area are too much to list but some highlights are a medical center, a large, classy family fun center with bowling, dining, shopping, and other activities The newly built gourmet grocery, Metropolitan Market offers upscale options in a big box atmosphere. Around the corner from Metropolitan Market is the smaller local grocery, Harbor Greensoffering a beautiful plant and flower selection, unique gifts, and a small deli.

Types of Properties
This area is mainly all single-family homes, some on acreage and some on waterfront. There is a great variety of sizes, eras, and settings from private homes in the woods to beachfront properties. The main development of this area took place from the 1970s to the 1990s though you can find properties both much older and newer here.
You will also find properties some farm properties and some very large luxury homes even featuring waterfront and vista views. This really is a diverse area. One thing you will not find is apartment complexes or density housing.
This is a popular retirement area and includes some very pleasant, established 55+ communities.
More on Rosedale
Shopping
This quiet rural suburb is mainly residential but it does feature it’s own charming small grocery with a gas station, a large nursery and the local favorite, Chalet in the Woods.
The Rosedale Gardens nursery is one of the oldest in Gig Harbor and has a long family history as does Chalet in the Woods, a scenic European clothing and gift store with 12 acres of gardens, woods, and sheep pasture. This store is known for Scandanavian and French clothing items and caters to the established Norwegian community that originally made up a large population of Gig Harbor.
Aside from these quaint local establishments, Rosedale residents have quick access to the nearby Gig Harbor North which offers big box locations like Costco, Home Depot, Albertson’s and Target that you won’t find in other parts of Gig Harbor. just to the South of that area is the charming and historic downtown Gig Harbor where you will find small local shops and boutiques for “retail therapy”.
A short 15-20 minute drive puts you in the heart of the large retail district on Pt Fosdick Drive, also known as “Uptown”, named after a large upscale shopping area that was built in 2008. Uptown itself features all types of stores from local boutiques to commercial chains like Marshall’s, J. Jill, and Ann Taylor Loft. You can find everything you need in the area from coffee shops, restaurants, major grocery stores, services such as dry cleaners, and even a large Cinema.
The amenities of the area are too much to list but some highlights are a medical center, a large, classy family fun center with bowling, dining, shopping, and other activities The newly built gourmet grocery, Metropolitan Market offers upscale options in a big box atmosphere. Around the corner from Metropolitan Market is the smaller local grocery, Harbor Greensoffering a beautiful plant and flower selection, unique gifts, and a small deli.

Types of Properties
This area is mainly all single-family homes, some on acreage and some on waterfront. There is a great variety of sizes, eras, and settings from private homes in the woods to beachfront properties. The main development of this area took place from the 1970s to the 1990s though you can find properties both much older and newer here.
You will also find properties some farm properties and some very large luxury homes even featuring waterfront and vista views. This really is a diverse area. One thing you will not find is apartment complexes or density housing.
This is a popular retirement area and includes some very pleasant, established 55+ communities.

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