Port Orchard Information please. (Seattle, Tacoma: apartments, condos, crime)

[TheTeacherfromNC]

I was looking to relocate in the Port Orchard area and even found a house but the property management person stated that was a unsafe street that the house was on (Denny Avenue) can anyone tell me how safe that street or surrounding area is?

[lb1914]

Port Orchard is a great place to live. Most of the "Port Orchard" addresses are actually in the county and not in the city. There are quite a few developments that clump houses together as neighborhoods and quite a few areas with houses on 1-2 acre lots. In Port Orchard proper there are apartments and condos mixed in with single family houses. There is some crime but nothing like bigger cities. The only Denny Ave I found was in one of the small developments off of Sidney Rd which is not a bad area.

[Hemlock140]

Like most really rural areas there are going to be a few meth houses here and there, to watch out for, but in general Port Orchard is a nice little town.
Not too far from shopping in Silverdale, and you can take the Bremerton Ferry or drive around through Tacoma to get to Seattle for a city outing.

If I were to relocate across the sound, I'd go for Poulsbo but Port Orchard would be right up there on the short list.

[Kyle_E_Woyote]

I've lived in Port Orchard now for a year and a half. I found my dream home here. Actually, it's the land (a shy acre) which is so great. The house is pretty good, but the land and the view is super. Coming from the overcrowded rat race called Orange County, Ca, I'd say Port Orchard is a refreshing breath of fresh air. It's so beautiful here. I was able to buy my place at such an unbelieveably low price, especially when compared to prices in Orange County, Ca.
Besides finding my dream homestead here, the people of Port Orchard are outwardly more relaxed and friendly than down in OC. But the ways of the people here in Port Orchard are a bit of a culture shock for me. I'm a bit of a city slicker, but there are plenty of country bumpkins here. Plenty of pickup trucks, a lot of times with their dogs in the back. Goats on the porches, protecting their "weed" growing. And quite a few of my neighbors own ATVs (all-terrain vehicles). They ride them down the roads in our neighborhood, even though it's against the law. They speed and their ATVs make a lot of noise. And the Sheriff Dept. (which covers our area), seems to be rather blase about enforcing the laws which prohibit ATVs from riding on our county roads. Could be a lot of them are ATV riders themselves.
Which leads me to another thought. The saying "Birds of a feather stick together." This in a nutshell describes the people here on Port Orchard. They like to stick to their own, and don't seem to like outsiders (especially if you're from California).
They like building bonfires here. On the weekends, as evening darkness falls, they stand around their fire and do a lot of beer drinking. As to TheTeachFromNC asking about crime in the Port Orchard area. Quite a few them look like they're ex-cons. Just after I first moved in here, I saw the cops take away a neighbor of mine in handcuffs. And there is quite a bit of Meth and drug dealing done here. In fact, I wonder about a few of my neighbors. And they look like people you don't want to get on the wrongs side of.
So in summary, on the surface, people are more friendly in Port Orchard than where I use to live (in OC). But their good old boys clubs here want to stick to their old ways, even if it's breaking the law and disrupting the serenity of the beautiful environs of our neighborhood. And their kids will grow up just like them (lack of respect for the law, and other people).
Oh, and another thing, coming from a male perspective. The women who are married to these law breaking bumpkins, they are the most unfriendly, unattractive women I've seen in all the places I've ever lived. They're beer guzzlers like their hubbies, overweight, yet still think they're something to be drooled over. Could be because their drugged up, drunken hubbies drool on them.
But overall, I find Port Orchard to be a diamond in the rough. Property value is some of the best value in the country. Driving, we're within 20-25 minutes from Tacoma. Just an hour from Seattle and Bellevue. You can also take a ferry ride to Seattle. Oh, and only 20 minutes driving from the Silverdale Kitsap Mall. Someday, I believe Port Orchard will be a place that plenty of people wished they would have gotten in when the getting was still good (when home prices are low as they are now).

[michielyn]

Denny Ave is more out in the rural part of Port Orchard. Some people don't want to live out that far, but it's close to Gig Harbor which some people like.