The politicians who decided the boundaries of Jefferson County were not concerned by details like transportation. The boundary lines run directly west over the
Olympic Mountains, making the western part of the county inaccessible to the county seat,
Port Townsend, except by roads that run through neighboring
Clallam County.
The county's small population is centered around Port Townsend and the eastern, Seattle/King County end of the county. The western part is rural. Highway 101 parallels the Pacific Ocean beaches along its only oceanside stretch of road in Washington.
