Considering taking a job in Bremerton (Seattle, Everett: best neighborhoods, real estate, to rent)

[Sacassia]

I currently work for the Navy as a civilian. Outstanding circumstances my have me transferring to Bremerton.

I'm trying to get recommendations as to the best places to live. Some key points are safety, price, closeness to work and a yard (for the dog). I like the idea of living in small/moderate town. My boyfriend is going to want to still be near a good bar scene so we have social places to go and things to do.

I'm open to opinions of the area, I'm currently living in the Norfolk, VA area soaking up the beach. But its a bit crowded for my taste and super shady most of the time.

[southking500]

Port Orchard is close to Bremerton but has a nicer small town atmosphere in my opinion. You should have no problem finding an inexpensive house with a yard to rent or buy. Prices are much lower than Seattle. As far as nightlife there are plenty of bars and restaurants, entertainment is mostly cover bands, djs, karoake. If you want something more avante garde you'll have to go to Seattle.

[Ecovlke]

I hope it's okay to post on this thread as my question is similar. Once I complete my masters in Environmental Management I plan to relocate to Western WA. I'd prefer Seattle, but will accept being near Seattle. I've noticed civilian Navy jobs in my field in Bangor, Keyport, and one other town further away (sorry, I forgot the name).

Right now, I'm simply perusing the job market, but wondered what Bangor and Keyport are like. It looked like Poulsbo was nearby. Can anyone tell me what the atmosphere is like in those three towns? Thanks

[jertheber]

I live forty miles west of Bremerton but I get up there often to get some good photo shots of the Olympics from the surrounding areas. After hanging out there enough I decided to look into the real estate in the city of Bremerton. I really like the Manette area for it's relative quiet neighborhoods, there is a saloon there the Manette saloon that has some of the best music around, they have a web site also. The burbs surrounding the town are as nondescript as the burbs anyplace else in America. the national economy is slowing down the rebuilding of the old town section of Bremerton, they have done some really nice things in the old town section, condos, good restaurants, a few bars but overall, it looks to be that it could get dicey with the money situation in regard to the revitalization efforts in town. Bremerton is an old city with the Navy yard as it's biggest employer, a lot of run down homes and general blight is quite common there. Look on Google earth to see where the best neighborhoods are, (hint, by the water view areas) or downtown condos that give you access to the main highways out of town to work.

All in all, the Kitsap county area is very congested, it's hard to see at first because we have a lot of treed areas hiding the huge home building growth of the last twenty years. Traffic is hampered by the fact that like a lot of the US, homes were built en masse without adding adequate roads. Satellite photos are the best way to gauge the density of the burbs surrounding the old town.

[adri0997]

I like Bremerton, affordable housing, many parks, ferry access good transit. Port Orchard and Manette are good suggestions-I am considering movin back myself but I need to consider recreational opportunities of all 4 seasons. Summer seems boring to me in Seattle.

All in all, seems Bremerton has nice feel but watch wind direction because it does get a fishy smell in early am, especially you Navy guys. Shipyard is ok there but not all that big-many AFB are much bigger and the Sound is very muddy! I'm lookin for federal employment there myself or somewhere in OR. Tired of the Midwest?

So what are the winters really like in Seattle anyway? Cold and Rainy or cold and snowy?

[PazDulce]

Don't live in Bremerton -- I refer to it as "The Armpit of Western Washington", if that gives you any indication of what it's like. Port Orchard is a good suggestion, as it's a lovely town within good driving distance of the Naval yard.

[Sacassia]

Some friends are also moving to the Bremerton Yard. They are planning on living in Seattle and commuting. Is that a terrible idea? or is the ferry reliable enough.

[cindycat]

Originally Posted by Ecovlke

I hope it's okay to post on this thread as my question is similar. Once I complete my masters in Environmental Management I plan to relocate to Western WA. I'd prefer Seattle, but will accept being near Seattle. I've noticed civilian Navy jobs in my field in Bangor, Keyport, and one other town further away (sorry, I forgot the name).

Right now, I'm simply perusing the job market, but wondered what Bangor and Keyport are like. It looked like Poulsbo was nearby. Can anyone tell me what the atmosphere is like in those three towns? Thanks

So, are you a native Okie or just transplanted to Tulsa for school? We've been retired for ten years and moved out here from Oklahoma City five years ago. We miss the wide open spaces and the big town where we could hop on the interstate and be anywhere around town in half an hour. Part of it is our own fault, as we picked the wrong area to live. Being younger, you'll hopefully have a totally different outlook.

As far as I know, the only "town" at Bangor is on the base itself. I've never been past the Pass and ID office. Keyport is a tiny little town. A couple of restaurants, a post office, a few other small businesses. I volunteer at the Naval Undersea Museum which is right next door to Naval Undersea Warfare Center at Keyport. The third town might be Bremerton and there are several comments about it in this forum. It could also be Everett. There's a naval base there. It's on the Seattle side of the sound. Check the CD forum for info on that area.

Poulsbo is small (8000-ish), like every other town on the Kitsap Peninsula. It has an interesting little downtown area with shops and restaurants and limited parking. The biggest town in the area is Silverdale. We lived there our first year and wish we'd stayed there. If you need lots of big city amenities, stick with the Seattle area. If you like a small town feel, you could be happy in Kitsap County. Good Luck.