Historic, Cultural and Archaeological Resources

The Central Puget Sound region has a long cultural history, beginning with the indigenous peoples, who lived here in a rich ecosystem. The tools, structures, and record of their existence, and of the settlers who came after them, are the Puget Sound region’s historic and cultural resources.

For this analysis, historic and cultural resources include properties and resources that have been identified or evaluated for inclusion on the Washington Historic Register, the NRHP or local registers or landmark registries. Inclusion on the National Register automatically places a property on the Washington Historic Register. The Washington Historic Register includes properties that do not meet the higher standards of the National Register, as well as properties that are listed on the National Register. Common features of the two registers are that a resource (a building, site, structure or object) must be at least 50 years old. If newer, the resource should have documented exceptional significance. The resource should have a high to medium level of integrity, meaning it should retain important character defining features from its historic period of construction, and the resource should have documented historical significance at the local, state or federal level (DAHP 2005).