The waterfront town of Oak Harbor is Whidbey Island’s largest community and home to over 20,000. It is neatly situated within the Olympic Rain Shadow, allowing our silver winter skies to carry less rain than the island’s south end.
This once quiet farming community was settled in the 1850s and is symbolically named for the Garry Oaks tree, a rare native tree that still graces our older neighborhoods.
Change arrived in 1935 when the Deception Pass Bridge linked Whidbey to the rest of the world. The bridge and 4,100 acres State Park are celebrated as one of the scenic wonders of the Pacific Northwest.
Ten years later, the U.S. Navy established an air-base nearby and became forever linked to the economic health of the region and evolution of the town. Oak Harbor today is a blend of turn-of-the-century charm and the energized bustle of the Island’s commercial heart … with a burgeoning arts community, a world-class yachting regatta, breathtaking sunsets, and snow-capped mountains.
This Whidbey Island local band spent the pandemic perfecting their most recent album. They say they dipped their toes into “rootsy blues and gritty true stories” meant to rock your soul and make you want to dance. Head on over to Windjammer Park in Oak Harbor to celebrate the closing night of the Sounds of […]
Read MoreThis year, Windermere Whidbey Island partnered with the Oak Harbor Music Festival to bring you four weeks of fantastic music to lead into the eagerly awaited music festival weekend. On Wednesday, August 17th The Chris Eger Band will be taking the stage at Windjammer Park in Oak Harbor. You can learn more about the event […]
Read More“Maple Valley raised singer/songwriter Zan Fiskum uses her haunting and beautifully controlled singing to craft ethereal and brooding folk/pop songs.” If that quote alone doesn’t make you want to get up and listen, I don’t know what will. Like many of us, Zan grew up in the PNW. Her family volunteered at a diner theater […]
Read MoreWhidbey’s Saratoga Orchestra with featured guests The Gothard Sisters are coming to Oak Harbor, Washington August 3rd. About Whidbey’s Saratoga Orchestra: In 2007, Legh W. Burns, Music Director Emeritus, created a concert series that performed throughout Whidbey Island regularly. In 2015 Anna Edwards began leading the orchestra as Music Director and has generated national attention […]
Read MoreWhen you are preparing to move to a new location or to buy a home for the first time, you are likely eager to learn literally EVERYTHING from the home buying process to everything about the area and what it has to offer when you arrive. Whether from pure excitement or overwhelming nerves you are […]
Read MoreHome buyers are beginning to believe we are heading into a housing bubble. It is easy to acknowledge this premonition, as year-after-year home price appreciation has continued to remain in the double digits. However, we are here to put your mind at ease as this market is very different than it was during the housing […]
Read MoreHorses have been a prominent animal throughout history, dedicated to their human’s side. Many would go as far as to suggest that horses, just as dogs, cats, and other pets can be man’s best friend. Like other pets, horses can contribute to the health, wellbeing, and happiness of their humans so much so that there […]
Read MoreIn this amazing shot by Willie Shaw at Team Shaw Photography, you can see the actual harbor of Oak Harbor, the marina, Maylor Point with its iconic white radar dome, the spit to Polnell Point, and the snow-covered Cascade Mountains. Phenomenal views like this one can be seen while driving all over Whidbey Island. Winter […]
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