Silverdale info requested please! (Bremerton, Port Townsend: live, restaurants, shop)

[prosin]

I second Stealth's suggestion of Gig Harbor if you have to travel to SeaTac Airport a lot. The only shuttle service I know of in Kitsap County is the Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter (Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter | Home). I haven't used their service so I can't give a recommendation.

I find Silverdale to be more as part of a greater suburban regional area with Bremerton. The official population may be around 20,000; but because it is difficult to tell where Bremerton ends and Silverdale begins, the area feels bigger.

Poulsbo is also not quite as small as the city population suggests. The population of the 98370 ZIP code (Poulsbo and surrounding CDPs and hamlets) is actually closer to 25,000. I don't think you will get the "everyone knows everyone else's business" affect there.

BTW--Silverdale does have Barnes & Noble, Safeway, and Macy's. (I wonder if Ruth erred and meant to type "Silverdale," not "Seattle"). Poulsbo's Safeway just opened a few months ago, but an even better market (IMO) is Central Market, which is local.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

What?? Have you read the "racism in Seattle" threads, or lived in Seattle? The PNW has a very small non-White population (other than Asian). People have no experience in dealing with people of other races, and it doesn't always work out, when they have to. The PNW as often as not, isn't kind to people of other races.

I am not too blind, and have lived on 3 continents AND near Seattle, and 32+yrs near Portland.

I have many 'friends of color' Asian, SA, and African descent in PNW.

If you have racial issues in PNW, you have issues. My experience has found PNW to be 'color blind'. YMMV.

Granted... the PNW populace is majority white, but that has not been a problem for social or work relationships of my 'friends of color'.

I greatly dislike the racial pressures of SE USA and my last yr in Asia, has brought much more awareness to HUGE racial / nationalistic barriers there.

Of Course having lived and worked and hired staff in Europe, I never worried about a 'unified- Europe'

PNW is VERY calm and equal opportunity (usually SPECIAL opportunity for those of race... since I hire here too, and have to meet 'quota'.) (IMHO).

[Navyfam4]

You may like the maritime town feel of Gig Harbor. However if you are looking for a place that has culture and diversity. Gig Harbor is not the place. My husband and kids and I have never experienced so much ignorance in terms of diversity since living in this town. If your white and look white then you should ease right in. We are a military family and we regret not having picked Silverdale instead of Gig Harbor. There is diversity there and the people seem used to it. I assume it has a lot to do with the Navy presence. We are hoping to move to Silverdale or out of state soon. We frequent Silverdale often to go on Base and to shop. The mall isn't very big however has all the stores that are popular. I think our family feels a lot more at home there then anywhere else we have visited on the Peninsula or WA in general.

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

^^Finally! Someone else who likes Silverdale!

[tropix]

Saw on some other forum that PTownsend is very windy? I don't mind the lower temps but if it's windy as heck every day, the wind chill factor could be difficult. Can you elaborate? And how many days, months do actually have a sunny day? I have allergies and just read this morning about the paper mill in PT, which I didn't know was there. Your thoughts? Was thinking of Oregon also but not hearing good things about their economy, every town near the ocean seems way smaller than I prefer, and also heard about cold rainy days with no sun for weeks on end. Coos Bay seems interesting (have a friend who liked it there), but am hearing a lot of comments that only "poor white trash" live there. What does that mean anyway? (Just because you're not wealthy, doesn't mean you're trash, does it?) I wouldn't want to move into a crime-ridden community. Also Washington has no income tax, whereas Oregon does!
Any hints about the differences between Pt Angeles and Pt Townsend as far as weather, "personality" etc.? I prefer PT for the arts, but PA is bigger (more stores, job opportunities if needed etc) and a bit cheaper for housing costs. Thanks for any help you can give me.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by tropix

I think I would really like Port Townsend as it seems so similar to Gloucester, but it's kind of pricey as far as housing goes. And I have determined that they are both kind of hard to get to since the nearest international airport is SeaTac but either is doable since there are shuttle services and small charter flights.

I've been pricing housing in that area. Port Townsend is more affordable than Silverdale. I'm priced out of Silverdale, so I'm looking at Port T and the towns closer to it: Port Hadlock and Port Ludlow.

I don't know what everyone else has to say about "artsy" and "galleries". The economy in the last decade has really done a number on the galleries; some have closed. Some of the best. In order for galleries to stay open, unless they're operating as a tax write-off for someone, people need to buy art. Art sales began to fall off after the .com bubble burst in 2001, and never really recovered. The housing and other investment bubbles bursting in 2008 did it for others.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by tropix

Saw on some other forum that PTownsend is very windy? I don't mind the lower temps but if it's windy as heck every day, the wind chill factor could be difficult. Can you elaborate? And how many days, months do actually have a sunny day? I have allergies and just read this morning about the paper mill in PT, which I didn't know was there. Your thoughts? Was thinking of Oregon also but not hearing good things about their economy, every town near the ocean seems way smaller than I prefer, and also heard about cold rainy days with no sun for weeks on end. Coos Bay seems interesting (have a friend who liked it there), but am hearing a lot of comments that only "poor white trash" live there. What does that mean anyway? (Just because you're not wealthy, doesn't mean you're trash, does it?) I wouldn't want to move into a crime-ridden community. Also Washington has no income tax, whereas Oregon does!
Any hints about the differences between Pt Angeles and Pt Townsend as far as weather, "personality" etc.? I prefer PT for the arts, but PA is bigger (more stores, job opportunities if needed etc) and a bit cheaper for housing costs. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Oregon is also riddled with paper mills. The word I have on the Pt T paper mill is to live on the north end of town to escape the fumes, most days. In a situation like that, wind is your friend.

[elkotronics]

Coos Bay seems interesting (have a friend who liked it there), but am hearing a lot of comments that only "poor white trash" live there. What does that mean anyway? (Just because you're not wealthy, doesn't mean you're trash, does it?)

tropix - yeah, I'm with you, why do we always have to refer to those who do not have a lot in life as "poor white trash"? It's rude and inconsiderate and I don't like to approach people in general like that. Not everyone has a chance to have an "upper-crust" life and they shouldn't be belittled because if it. Period.

[iamriversong]

Originally Posted by tropix

Hi everyone. I am considering a move in a couple of years to the Puget Sound area. Silverdale sounds cool (lots of stores, on the water, reasonably priced (?) etc.) I have no kids and enjoy a combination of activities - arts of all kinds (painting, photography, crafts, literary activities etc.), outdoor stuff and shopping. I love Gloucester Mass which is the perfect combination or urban (without being too big) and rural (lots of green areas with no houses!) and close to the ocean. Am looking for a similar spot in the Pacific NW as Mass is just too expensive! Also, is there an international airport close by? I was considering Port Townsend but it's kind of hard to get to because no airport. Anything anyone can tell me would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

Hi, tropix -

I lived in Seattle for many years (as well as Issaquah) and considered it home. Then I moved to New Mexico for 11 years and returned to the Seattle area in summer 2013. I could no longer afford to live in Seattle and frankly, I didn't want to so much. It had changed so much I barely recognized it. The developers there are like locusts and they are devouring the old Seattle. So, I moved over to Kitsap County - I live in Kingston and work in Poulsbo. North Kitsap County is very rural. So beautiful! Silverdale, however, feels like one giant mall or strip mall. I don't see anything cool about it! It doesn't even look like a town as one would think of a town. I don't think you'd find what you're looking for in Silverdale. Port Townsend is a wonderful place and I may consider retiring there. But nowhere on the west side of Puget Sound is close to SeaTac - our international airport. I see that others have mentioned Port Orchard or Gig Harbor. Those are possibilities but I don't know much about them. You might look at Olympia. You'll still have water and likely, more artistic and literary activities there and not terribly far from the airport. Evergreen College is there which gives the town a nice "with it" feel. You will find plenty of rural countryside nearby as well. And though not necessarily an easy trek to the airport, Poulsbo gives you a real town (small but still a town) with a couple of galleries and bookstores and a great market (Central Market) and easy access to shopping in Silverdale. Trails are all around us in North Kitsap.

[noah]

agree 100%. Having lived 8 years in the Southeast, the line of thinking that the PNW is racist doesn't even ring true in any sense. All a matter of perspective I suppose.

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

I am not too blind, and have lived on 3 continents AND near Seattle, and 32+yrs near Portland.

I have many 'friends of color' Asian, SA, and African descent in PNW.

If you have racial issues in PNW, you have issues. My experience has found PNW to be 'color blind'. YMMV.

Granted... the PNW populace is majority white, but that has not been a problem for social or work relationships of my 'friends of color'.

I greatly dislike the racial pressures of SE USA and my last yr in Asia, has brought much more awareness to HUGE racial / nationalistic barriers there.

Of Course having lived and worked and hired staff in Europe, I never worried about a 'unified- Europe'

PNW is VERY calm and equal opportunity (usually SPECIAL opportunity for those of race... since I hire here too, and have to meet 'quota'.) (IMHO).