Is Bainbridge friendly to newcomers? (Seattle, Bellevue: rentals, homes, school)

[movin2008]

If we move to Bainbridge and rent long term do you think people will welcome us. I really need to move to a friendly place. Would you call Bainbridge friendly?

[LMB]

We moved to Poulsbo (located just a few miles from Bainbridge Island) last summer from out of state and this small town has been very welcoming and friendly to us. It's definitely less expensive to live here than BI and home rentals are plentiful. Bainbridge has a lot of positives and is closer to the Seattle ferry, but Poulsbo is worth checking out. Good luck with your search!

Lynn

[ST CRoix To Seattle]

we looked in Bainbridge wanting to escape from the city life when the work day was over as me and the wife both will commute to Seattle for work...anyway I am oblivious to negativity and the attitutes that come with,but my wife said she felt a bit uncomfortable....for myself I met a lot of nice people and am comfortable anywhere on earth but we crossed it off the list.....I can tell you this a lot of people looked at me puzzled when they asked what i did for a living...you will get asked that a lot when meeting new people more so on Bainbridge than anywhere else on the Puget sound east or west...a guy on the ferry asked what I did? I swear i could see the calculator break out with his facial expression "how the heck can you afford to live here"...I wanted to respond sarcastically that "I sold drugs and was looking for a 1/2 million shack to start my growing operation as drug users on Bainbridge would no longer need to ferry over to Seattle or Bremerton to reup" but my wife slapped the though out of my mind as she saw it coming.....

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by ST CRoix To Seattle

...anyway I am oblivious to negativity and the attitutes that come with,but my wife said she felt a bit uncomfortable....for myself I met a lot of nice people and am comfortable anywhere on earth but we crossed it off the list.....I can tell you this a lot of people looked at me puzzled when they asked what i did for a living...you will get asked that a lot when meeting new people more so on Bainbridge than anywhere else on the Puget sound east or west...

The "what do you do for a living?" question is SUCH a tricky one. It's a double-edged sword. Sometimes, it's to size you up. At other times, it's to facilitate conversation during a plane ride or a commute, sometimes establishing things you may have in common. On a few occasions, I've found I share an alma mater with the person.

But that it happens more on Bainbridge doesn't surprise me. I lived on the Eastside and I would expect to hear it in Bellevue and Kirkland as well.

Bainbridge has always had a snooty mystique about it. If you are concerned, I probably would cross it off your list. I think the Eastside has a whole bunch of nice communities, but with all of the more successful people, the very nice housing options and the manicured appeal of the area, the "what do you do for a living?" question comes with the territory.

Go Eastside, if you ask me.

[FrannieP]

I lived on Bainbridge for 15 years. I would say they are very friendly to newcomers. It's a very unique place. Very affluent community. Small town living w/ such close proximity to a major city. It has become quite gentrified of late IMO. It used to be a small rural artsy type town w/ many small farms and wonderful beaches.
There are lots of wealthy boomers and 2nd homes. it's getting harder to get school levies passed b/c small families can't afford to live there anymore and the elderly are getting taxed off their land.

Bainbridge is a very "green" community. My father-in-law describes the population as a bunch of politically correct yuppies.

You can cross the bridge and in 5 mins be in much more affordable and equally beautiful communities.