I love where I live. I realize that’s not the case for everyone; in fact, on more than one occasion I’ve been accused of overselling my community. People will remark, “Your city can’t be THAT great,” or, “You make it sound like you live in Paradise!”

Truth be told, I DO think it’s a little bit of paradise.

I love where I live for many reasons: it’s beautiful. It’s what I consider to be convenient. It has a great sense of community.

“Where I live” happens to be Fox Island, Washington, a quaint bedroom community that’s part of the general Gig Harbor area. I often comment that when I cross the bridge to our island, it feels like I’m on vacation. Being on vacation every day—what’s not to love about that?

Another thing I appreciate about my community is how active people are around here. And it’s rubbed off on me! Gig Harbor just happens to be the “Gateway to the Olympic Peninsula,” a veritable smorgasbord of natural beauty and opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. One opportunity my wife and I took advantage of this summer was to hike the Dungeness Spit up near Sequim.

Five miles in length, it is North America’s longest naturally-occurring spit. At its far tip is a charming, historic lighthouse. Once manned and operated by the US Coastguard, its light is maintained today by a corps of volunteers who join the lighthouse association and serve a week at a time as lighthouse keepers. Arlyn and I have put that on our bucket list! (In the meantime, the 11-mile round trip hike was challenge enough for us.)

That foray to the Peninsula also led us to Sol Duc Falls, up past Port Angeles and Crescent Lake in Olympic National Park. This comparatively short hike yields extremely high rewards as you walk through the lush, old growth forest and come out on the breathtaking Sol Duc River as it carves its way down the mountain. Yep, paradise.

Can you see why I love where I live? These are just a couple of examples of what I’ve got in my own back yard. What’s in yours?

Doug Lawrence is professional real estate broker who is delighted to earn a living helping people live where they love and love where they live. You can reach him at dlawrence@kw.com or at his website www.douglawrencerealestate.com.