Artondale is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 13,641 at the 2020 census.
Based on per capita income, Artondale ranks 82nd of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.
Parks and green spaces
Artondale has several parks and some other green spaces. The largest "green space" is the Gig Harbor Golf Club, located in the valley of Artondale Creek where the first school on the Gig Harbor peninsula was built. Access to the golf club, the ground and the parts of the creek it contains is restricted to due-paying members, limiting who can enjoy this green space.
Artondale contains several PenMet Parks. Wollochet Bay Estuary Park is a 20.3-acre park with 854 feet of shoreline located to the east of Wollochet Dr NW. The park contains and protects the saltwater marsh where freshwater from Artondale Creek mixes with saltwater from Wollochet Bay, creating a unique ecosystem important to the area's bird population. The park is considered to be "undeveloped", consisting mainly of an open grassy area with some crabapple trees. Views of the estuary and access to the creek and the bay are limited by trees and other foliage. The park is most easily accessed when heading north on Wollochet Dr NW, where one can make a sharp right curve into the gravel road adjacent to a private driveway. This gravel road is the only parking available. Parking is not usually an issue at this park.
Harbor Family Park, located at the intersection of 70th Ave NW and 32nd St NW, is a relatively recent addition to the park system made up of areas that were once private residences. Now the houses are gone, and only a few concrete foundations and traces of old, dirt driveways remain, though neighboring houses can often be glimpsed through the trees. The park consists of dirt trails that wind their way through 18.7 acres of lush, second-growth forest. The gravel parking lot can be accessed via either 70th Ave NW or 32nd St NW. At the parking lot, a trashcan and entrance sign mark the start of the trails. Trails can also be accessed by foot at several places along 70th Ave NW. The trails are popular with dog-walkers and runners. The trails are unmarked and often diverge and converge unexpectedly, so users unfamiliar with the area may want to stick to the trails close to 70th Ave NW, where the sounds and glimpses of cars keep one from getting lost.
Hales Pass Park is technically a part of the Artondale CDP, though it is traditionally associated with the community of Arletta. The stone building and attached picnic shelter on the site were originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Core in 1938 to serve as the Arletta School. The building currently houses the Arletta Montessori preschool. Adjacent to the school building is a small baseball field. Tucked away off 36th St NW behind a bus barn are two public tennis courses. Most users park across the street at the Arletta Store parking lot.
Schools
The Artondale CDP is home to several schools.
Artondale Elementary School is a public school offering kindergarten through fifth grade for youngsters within the Peninsula School District. In addition to providing an education for its "Otters", the adjacent playing fields and playground equipment function as an additional park for the area. On snowy days, toddlers and teens alike flock to the hills on the playfields to sled, build snowmen, or have snowball fights. In the summertime, neighborhood kids will scramble over the jungle gyms while nearby, community sports teams practice and compete at one of the four baseball diamonds. The Artondale Elementary School Campus also houses several classes of the Gig Harbor Coop preschool.
Voyager Elementary School and Kopachuck Middle School sit near the Western edge of the Artondale CDP. Both schools serve students of the Peninsula School District. Voyager offers grades from kindergarten-5th grade, while Kopachuck offers 6-8th grade. The majority of Kopachuck students are graduates of either Voyager or Artondale, both of which funnel into Kopachuck Middle School. Most students from Kopachuck will go on to Gig Harbor High School for grades 9–12. Voyager's mascot is the Vikings, while Kopachuck is the home of the Coyotes. Both schools are across the street from Kopachuck State Park, the only state park on the Gig Harbor Peninsula.