Info on Bainbridge Island, WA (Seattle, Silverdale: sales, how much, houses)

[califgal]

I too am looking to move-from CA. Fortunately the housing prices on Bainbridge aren't so bad compared to CA.

My biggest question-I've lived all over CA, now live in a small (13K full time residents) mountain resort town. The physical area and weather are unsurpassed but I hate it. Mainly because no matter where I have lived before in CA, everyone was open and friendly and I had many friends and great neighbor relationships. Here, most everyone is a recluse, few with college degrees, perhaps a large adult drug culture also but mostly extremely unfriendly and of the dozen or so invitations to our home or to a paid-for dinner out, only one in 2.5 years has been reciprocated. Neighbors never invite each other for coffee, co-workers don't go out for a drink/whatever after work. Neighbors don't help each other. It's the rudest town I've ever experienced.

So, Bainbridge seems relatively small also, but with 1/2 the population commuting to Seattle (good jobs, well educated, etc) I was hoping that the population was much different.

When you say friendly, honest, polite-does it go beyond that-truly friendly? Or is it superficial with no real interaction or some exclusionary practices towards new-comers? Personally, I always baked a pie/bread for my new neighbors to welcome them for example, always invited them to any parties we had; the neighborhood had 'block' bar-b-q's in the summer and block garage sales as well as block christmas parties, etc- What has been your experience (and others) of Bainbridge in that regard. Do they really want to 'connect' and make new friends to socialize with or is some or much of the Bainbridge population reclusive nature/cliquish nature ?

Thanks!

[elf]

Hi Califgirl,

Bainbridge Island folks are not very social outside their own groups. During the winter, you don't see your neighbors. During the summer, everyone is trying to catch up on their playtime or is traveling. People are cordial, but you can live on B.I. a VERY long time before anyone invites you over or reciprocates an invitation. That can change if you join some kind of interest group, such as a church or arts group. Just depends on how much time you want to spend as a volunteer in order to get acquainted. And the cardinal rule is DO NOT say you're from California, or how it was in California, or defend California when someone makes a rude comment about "all the fruits and nuts down in California." And get rid of your California license plates immediately. There's a lot of prejudice.

Somebody said B.I. was "landlocked" - that's absurd. It's an island with a two lane limited-access road that cuts right up the middle of the island to a two-lane bridge off the north end. And of course that's a bottle neck for traffic. Ferries come into Eagle Harbor, which is midway on the east side of the island, and there's a web of two lane "country roads" going west, north and south, plus that two-lane limited access road that goes off the island to take the ferry commuters who don't live on the Island to the rest of Kitsap County.

Someone else said there's not much shopping on B.I., and that's correct. The closest thing to a mall is about 20 miles away in Silverdale, via that 2-lane bridge. Lots of people take the ferry to downtown Seattle to shop.

About 60% of the Island commutes to Seattle and beyond, because that's where the work is. If you commute to Seattle for a 40-hour per week job, you can go for a week at a time without seeing your house in the daylight in the late fall, winter and early spring.

That 35-minute ferry ride you see in the Washington State Ferries brochure is very misleading - that's 35 minutes on the water. In reality, you have to allow an hour each way to park, load, cross, and unload. And that's for walk-on passengers. If you work somewhere outside the downtown core of Seattle and have to take a car, your commute will be long and expensive. $320 per month REDUCED rate tickets for just car and driver (passengers are extra) if you go M-F every week, plus parking fees, and coping with Seattle's inadequate roads. It's very revealing that a lot of conversations among ferry commuters are on the two topics of "how I pared down my commute to 90 minutes each way" or "how I found the perfect bag to carry all my gear." And if you have a kid emergency while they're at school and you're at work, it will take a long time to get to them. Still, being on the ferry is a lot better than sitting in stop-and-go traffic on a freeway somewhere.

If you don't have to commute, Bainbridge can be a very pleasant place. Lots of spots to get a latte and sit and chat with friends. But you cannot buy even a modest house for less than $350,000. I just looked at the MLS listings, and there are 165 houses listed today, ranging from a 948 sq. ft. house I know is a total dump for $339,950 to an $8.2 million waterfront place. There are a total of 5 houses in the 300's, 13 in the 400's, 22 in the 500's, and everything else $600k or more. Mostly much more.

I guess it just depends on what you want and how much money you have - but I left Beautiful B.I. (and yes, it is beautiful) after 30 years and moved across the bridge because the prices are out of sight and the lifestyles are too hyper. Thirty years ago, Bainbridge Island was tall cedars and firs and blackberry thickets and "summer people" and unbelievably courteous laidback locals. It's still pretty, but most of what I loved has disappeared and it's a bunch of houses - nice ones, just not my choice of surroundings.

BUT - if you're looking to make a change, I say go for it. I did, and I'd do it again. If you don't like it, you can always move somewhere else.

Best of luck and I hope you find your dream!

[photomnt]

I just looked into housing on Bainbridge Island, and I am absolutely amazed!! I found a large waterfront home for only $149,000! How is that possible?!