Port Ludlow is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Jefferson County, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula along the shores of Puget Sound, near the Hood Canal. Its population was 2,959 at the 2020 census. The community also shares its name with the marine inlet on which it sits. Port Ludlow's history follows a clear arc. It began as a logging and sawmill community, and its economy declined through the first half of the 20th century as the timber industry receded. The completion of the Hood Canal Bridge in 1960 changed its trajectory, opening the area to development and transforming Port Ludlow into one of Washington's first master-planned resort communities. Today Port Ludlow is built around the Resort at Port Ludlow, which anchors the community with a boutique waterfront inn, a 300-slip marina, and a championship 18-hole golf course, alongside residential neighborhoods and a network of more than 25 miles of maintained trails. The community was designed to balance growth with environmental preservation, and its marina and golf course have been recognized for environmentally responsible practices. Recreation defines daily life: kayaking and paddleboarding in the bay, salmon and trout fishing, crabbing, golf, and trail walking and biking. The community's waterfront setting on the Olympic Peninsula places it near Port Townsend, the Olympic National Forest, and the broader outdoor resources of the region. For residents, Port Ludlow offers a quiet, amenity-rich waterfront lifestyle oriented around the marina, the golf course, and the natural beauty of Puget Sound, appealing to retirees, second-home owners, and remote workers seeking a scenic, low-density community on the peninsula.