Where is Puget Sound located?

Puget Sound is a deep inlet of the eastern North Pacific Ocean indenting northwestern Washington, U.S. It is a system of islands, channels, inlets, and estuaries fed by freshwater from the Olympic and Cascade Mountains.

The term “Puget Sound” refers to this body of water and the surrounding region. Puget Sound borders four major Washington cities — Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, and Everett. Due to its popularity in the state, two-thirds of Washington’s population lives in the Puget Sound area.

Marine life is abundant in Puget Sound. On the small (animal) end of the scale, it’s home to more than 3,000 types of invertebrates, including clams, oysters, sea urchins, and octopus. On the larger end, 13 types of sea mammals live in the sound. Every year, visitors flock to Puget Sound for whale watching and excitedly wait to see orca whales, sea otters, and seals. For anglers, the sound’s various species of salmon are attractive.

In the late 1700s, British explorer George Vancouver completed an expedition to the Pacific Northwest. Along his journey, he named 75 islands and water bodies, one of them being Puget Sound. He named this particular waterway in honor of Peter Puget, a Royal Navy lieutenant who accompanied him on the expedition.