Shelton, Washington
Shelton is a city of 10,612 people in Mason County, Washington, founded in 1889.
Why visit Shelton
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 20 parks and trails, 50 places to eat, 3 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Shelton Cinemas, Simpson Logging Company Locomotive No. 7 and Peninsular Railway Caboose No. 700, Mason County Historical Society Museum and Hiburn Preserve.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 78°F; February lows average 33°F.
Weather in Shelton
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Shelton
Shelton is a city in and the county seat of Mason County, Washington, United States. Shelton is the westernmost city on Puget Sound. The population was 10,371 at the 2020 census. Shelton has a council–manager form of government and was the last city in Washington to use a mayor–commission form of government.
From the Wikipedia article Shelton, Washington (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks5
Simpson Logging Company Locomotive No. 7 and Peninsular Railway Caboose No. 700
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.0 mi
Registered Historic Place in Mason, Washington
Mason County Historical Society Museum
Museum · 0.9 mi
427 South 5th Street, Shelton
Tu-Fr 11:00-17:00; Sa 11:00-16:00
Parks, trails and playgrounds20
8 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes50
Starbucks
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.7 mi
3001 Olympic Highway North, Shelton
Mo-Th 05:00-19:30; Fr 05:00-20:00; Sa-Su 05:30-20:00
Miako Teriyaki
Restaurant · Teriyaki, Chinese · 0.6 mi
301 East Wallace Kneeland Boulevard, Shelton
Mo-Sa 11:00-20:30
Somsiri Thai
Restaurant · Thai · 0.9 mi
506 West Railroad Avenue, Shelton
Mo-Fr 11:00-15:00, 16:30-20:30; Sa 15:00-21:00
Urraco Coffee
Cafe · 0.9 mi
628 West Cota Street, Shelton
Mo-Fr 06:00-19:00; Sa 07:00-19:00; Su 07:00-17:00
Zen Ramen
Restaurant · Japanese, Chinese, Korean · 0.9 mi
118 West Alder Street, Shelton
Mo-Sa 11:00-21:00; Su 13:00-21:00
Ritz Drive-In
Restaurant · 1.2 mi
325 South 1st Street, Shelton
Mo-Sa 08:00-20:00
T's Cafe & Espresso
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.0 mi
118 South 3rd Street
Mo-Fr 07:00-15:00; Sa-Su off
38 more on the map.
History
Shelton was officially incorporated in 1890. The city was named after David Shelton, a delegate to the territorial legislature. The land was previously called "Cota" and was inhabited and managed by the Squaxin Island Tribe, or "People of the Waters", who had inhabited the land for centuries before contact with white settlers. The land was ceded, along with 4,000 sq. miles of Indigenous land, on December 26, 1854, with the passage of the Treaty of Medicine Creek. After the passage of the treaty, David Shelton and his wife, Frances Shelton, each took a claim of land enabled by the Donation Land Claim Act totaling 640 acres in what would eventually be incorporated as Shelton.
Shelton was once served by a small fleet of steamboats which was part of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet. These boats included the Old Settler, Irene, Willie, City of Shelton, Marian, Clara Brown, and S.G. Simpson. The economy was built around logging, farming, dairying and ranching as well as oyster cultivation. The Simpson Timber Company mill on Puget Sound's Oakland Bay dominated the landscape of the downtown area; the mill was sold to Sierra Pacific Industries in 2015, who are currently building a new mill. Shelton also identified itself as "Christmastown, USA" due to the area's cultivation of Christmas trees; the name was later revived for an annual festival.
From the History section of Shelton, Washington on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay3
Churches and places of worship14
St. David of Wales Episcopal Church
Church · Episcopal · 0.9 mi
324 West Cedar Street, Shelton
Shopping12
Gas and EV charging8
Schools, colleges and libraries20
Healthcare8
Map of Shelton
142 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°F | 34°F | 11.1 in |
| Feb | 50°F | 33°F | 6.7 in |
| Mar | 55°F | 35°F | 7.2 in |
| Apr | 60°F | 38°F | 4.9 in |
| May | 67°F | 44°F | 2.6 in |
| Jun | 72°F | 49°F | 1.5 in |
| Jul | 78°F | 52°F | 0.7 in |
| Aug | 78°F | 52°F | 1.2 in |
| Sep | 74°F | 48°F | 2.5 in |
| Oct | 62°F | 41°F | 7.0 in |
| Nov | 52°F | 36°F | 11.6 in |
| Dec | 46°F | 33°F | 10.9 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Shelton Sanderson Fld (2 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
Mason County has had 21 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)
- 2024-04-28: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-07-05: Mcewan Fire (Fire)
- 2022-03-29: Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding (Flood)
- 2021-04-08: Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Sanderson Field (SHN) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 miles away.
- Olympia 16 mi southeast, about 26 min by car
- Lacey 19 mi southeast, about 31 min by car
- Artondale 22 mi east, about 36 min by car
- Gig Harbor 25 mi east, about 41 min by car
- Fort Lewis 27 mi east, about 44 min by car
- Lakewood 28 mi east, about 45 min by car
- Bremerton 29 mi northeast, about 46 min by car
- Tacoma 31 mi east, about 49 min by car
- Port Orchard 31 mi northeast, about 50 min by car
- Parkland 32 mi east, about 52 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
- Aerial view of Sanderson Field, September 2022, Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Peninsular Railway Caboose No 700, BL Weeks, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.