Appletree Cove community, where work meets fun
Kingston creates a C-shaped curve around Appletree Cove, expanding opportunities to view and access the water. Port of Kingston connects the community with Edmonds and is one of only three locations with fast ferries into Seattle. “Kingston is known for being the ‘Little City by the Sea’ and is full of diverse businesses,” says Kaili Roest, Executive Director of the Greater Kingston Community Chamber of Commerce. “People also come for the beaches and outdoor activities like kayaking and trails.”
Village Green Community Park and golfing greens
True to the name, A Quiet Place Park’s 9 acres are free of sound, except for the occasional crunch of leaves from hikers walking the less-than-a-mile path around tall trees and bushy ferns. North Kitsap Heritage Park spans roughly 800 acres and includes almost 6 miles of trails, which walkers, some with leashed dogs, use. Village Green Community Park’s space consists of a children’s playground and open fields. The Village Green Community Center is on-site and opens its full-sized gymnasium for pickleball games and exercise classes. White Horse Golf Club borders Kingston’s west side, with 18 holes on rolling hills that Golf Advisor ranked No. 1 best in Washington and No. 35 best in the United States in 2018.
Colorful homes scattered around Appletree Cove
Contemporary 1990s condos are perched on the hillside and peer out at Appletree Cove. These condominiums list between $295,000 for a two-bedroom and $340,000 for a three-bedroom. Coastal blue and grey homes dot the shoreline and the subdivisions. New traditional houses built between the mid-2010s and the mid-2020s line subdivisions with driveways extending down to the main street from attached garages. Mature trees shade the backyards of these houses, which list between $540,000 and $740,000 with three to five bedrooms, respectively. Single-family homes overlooking the cove start roughly at $1.1 million and go up to $1.7 million.
Kingston celebrates from summer to Cove Christmas
Holiday celebrations are central to the Kingston community, from the annual Fourth of July parade with fireworks in the summer to Kingston Cove Christmas in the winter. “Kingston Cove Christmas is the first Saturday in December, where local performer Danny Vernon does Christmas Elvis carols,” Roest says. “Santa comes in on a firetruck, and they do a countdown before he presses the button to turn on the Port’s light displays, which stay up all season.”
Shops and restaurants beside the Kingston ferry
Trees shade the sidewalks and benches down Northeast State Highway 104, where restaurants line the block to the Kingston ferry. The Kingston Ale House serves traditional pub fare and seafood dishes inside and outside on the back patio, overlooking the boats in the cove. The scent of dough baking mixes with hints of Italian spices and wafts throughout Sourdough Willy’s Pizzeria. In 2017, this restaurant won the title “best pizza in America” by using a sourdough recipe – also known as a starter – established in the 1890s during the Klondike Gold Rush. Nearby, Grocery Outlet stocks shelves with all the ingredients needed for weeknight meals at home, while across the parking lot, locally owned Henery Hardware sells home improvement supplies.
Taking notes in North Kitsap School District
North Kitsap School District serves the neighborhood, beginning with Richard Gordon Elementary which earns a grade of B from Niche. Kingston Middle earns a B-minus from Niche, and Kingston High earns a B-plus. Kingston High School prepares students for post-secondary opportunities, including college-bound student athletes, with its NCAA Eligibility Center, which helps students secure scholarships and meet requirements to play at Division I or Division II colleges.
Paths around Appletree Cove and Port of Kingston
The Port of Kingston has a fast ferry to Seattle and a regular ferry to Edmonds. Northeast State Highway 104 connects with the port and locally owned businesses, creating a main street district within walking distance of the ferry terminal. South Kingston Road Northeast bridges Kingston’s northern business district and southern subdivisions, which Appletree Cove separates.
