Why visit Purdy
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 3 parks and trails, 6 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Purdy Bridge.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 76°F; December lows average 36°F.
Weather in Purdy
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Purdy
Purdy is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place north of the city of Gig Harbor, and at the junction of Washington State Routes 16 and 302 on the northern boundary of Pierce County, Washington.
From the Wikipedia article Purdy, Washington (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks1
Purdy Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Bridge in United States of America
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Canterwood Golf Club
Golf course · 1.6 mi
12606 54th Avenue Northwest, Gig Harbor
Restaurants and cafes6
Local Boys Taproom
Bar and pub · 1.4 mi
6702 State Route 302, Gig Harbor
Mo-Th 11:00-19:00;Fr-Su 11:00-22:00;Mo-Su 09:00-19:00
History
Prior to white settlement, the area was inhabited by Native Americans, who fished and clammed on Henderson Bay.
In 1884, one Isaac Hawk sold 19 acres (77,000 m2) of land for $23.75 (equivalent to $851 in 2025). The purchaser was logger and Civil War veteran Horace Knapp (born March 23, 1845, in Titusville, Pennsylvania; died February 1, 1913, in Gig Harbor, Washington), who subdivided the land into lots and blocks to form the town of Purdy. The town's naming rights were taken by Joseph W. Purdy, a grocer from Tacoma, Washington, who had donated the materials to construct the community's first schoolhouse; the schoolhouse's land was donated by Knapp.
On February 8, 1885, Knapp married Josephine Fuller, after which they moved to the Purdy area, making her Purdy's first white female settler. Knapp owned a floating logging camp on Burley Lagoon which included a cookhouse and bunks for the loggers.
From the History section of Purdy, Washington on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
Churches and places of worship3
Peninsula Life Church
Church · 1.0 mi
6501 147th Street Court Northwest, Gig harbor
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries14
Mullenix Ridge Elementary School
School · 4.9 mi
3900 Se Mullenix Rd, Port Orchard
Map of Purdy
33 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46°F | 36°F | 6.1 in |
| Feb | 48°F | 36°F | 4.1 in |
| Mar | 53°F | 38°F | 4.6 in |
| Apr | 58°F | 41°F | 3.4 in |
| May | 64°F | 46°F | 2.1 in |
| Jun | 70°F | 51°F | 1.4 in |
| Jul | 76°F | 54°F | 0.7 in |
| Aug | 76°F | 54°F | 0.9 in |
| Sep | 70°F | 51°F | 1.5 in |
| Oct | 59°F | 46°F | 4.3 in |
| Nov | 50°F | 40°F | 7.2 in |
| Dec | 46°F | 36°F | 5.8 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Tacoma Narrows Ap (9 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Pierce County has had 13 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2026-04-07: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2025-12-12: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2020-09-09: Sumner Grade Fire (Fire)
- 2020-03-22: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2012-03-05: Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Tacoma Narrows Airport (TIW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 9 miles away.
- Canterwood 1 mi south, about 2 min by car
- Burley 2 mi northwest, about 4 min by car
- Gig Harbor 4 mi south, about 7 min by car
- Bethel 6 mi north, about 10 min by car
- Artondale 7 mi south, about 11 min by car
- Key Center 8 mi southwest, about 13 min by car
- East Port Orchard 9 mi north, about 14 min by car
- Port Orchard 10 mi north, about 16 min by car
- Bremerton 11 mi northwest, about 18 min by car
- Tacoma 12 mi southeast, about 19 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Purdy, Washington, Donutgirl83, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Purdy Bridge, Jet Lowe, Public domain
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.