ZIP Code 98571 in Pacific Beach, WA

A Retirement and Vacation Community

Pacific Beach sits on Washington's Olympic Peninsula coast, a small community where mail delivery works differently than in most places. This is a PO Box Only Zone, meaning the post office maintains 264 PO Boxes as the sole method of receiving mail across 5.3 square miles of coastal territory. With 230 households and 264 boxes, nearly every resident relies on their PO Box.

This is a retirement and vacation community. The median age is 56.6 years, and 36.5% of the area's 597 housing units are vacant seasonal properties (218 units). Only 230 homes are occupied year-round. The seasonal character shows in the street names: Seaside Lane, Ocean Beach Road, Paradise Lane, and Buoy Lane all point to the coastal vacation setting.

How Mail Works in Pacific Beach

The community has limited street delivery infrastructure. While the ZIP maintains one city carrier route and one rural route serving 101 street addresses, PO Box service handles the bulk of mail operations. This mixed pattern is typical of small coastal towns where historic development preceded modern addressing systems.

Military Presence and Local Character

A surprising detail appears in the ZIP+4 data: U S Naval Facility is listed as a street name, with buildings labeled "Commanding Officer," "Official Mail," and "Postmaster." This indicates a former or current military presence on the Pacific Beach coast. The alias "Aloha" is recognized by USPS but isn't valid for mailing addresses.

Demographics and Economy

Nearly all residents (100%) were born in the United States. The area has 36 business establishments employing 332 people, a ratio that suggests many workers commute from outside the immediate area. Federal government workers account for 23 of the jobs, which aligns with the Naval facility presence. The permanent population of 483 people lives in a place where the ocean defines daily life and the post office serves as the community's mail hub.

Mailing to Pacific Beach

All mail should be addressed using PO Box format:

Recipient Name
PO Box [Number]
Pacific Beach, WA 98571

While some street addresses exist in postal records, PO Box delivery is the primary and most reliable method for this coastal community.

Street Name Patterns

Street names emphasize the coastal vacation character (Seaside, Ocean Beach, Paradise, Buoy) while U S Naval Facility indicates military presence. Nature-themed lanes (Butterfly, Sandpiper, Lupine) and nautical references (Compass, Float, Seastar) reinforce the beachside setting.