Hawaii -> Washington (Seattle, Bremerton: apartments, rentals, low crime)

[Kai808]

I recently accepted a job in Bremerton and will be moving up in August with my wife and son (3yrs old) from Hawaii. We’ve been doing a bunch of research of the surrounding areas but wanted to hear from people that actually lived there on where they would recommend. We’re a pretty outdoorsy family and enjoy hiking, biking, camping, etc.

We’re looking for a safe neighborhood with sidewalks and parks for my son, <40 minute commute to Bremerton, where you can rent a 3+ bedroom house for <$2,000/mo.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Hemlock140]

Poulsbo. Great little scenic town, low crime, close to plenty of outdoor activities and in your price range. 20 minutes to Bremerton, or the ferry to Seattle if you want to go there for an outing.

https://www.zillow.com/suquamish-wa-98370/rent-houses/

[prosin]

Will you be working at PSNS or NBK? If so, I recommend checking out Kitsap Transit's Worker Driver service (and it's free to DoD employees) Worker/Driver Buses | Kitsap Transit. Parking around downtown Bremerton can be expensive and difficult.

In addition to Poulsbo, other areas to consider:

• East Bremerton/Silverdale--north of Riddell Road to Poulsbo
• Tracyton, Illahee, Brownsville, Manette areas of Bremerton
• Seabeck, if you like more rural
• Gig Harbor is lovely, but the commute might be a deal breaker (unless you commute by transit).

If you decide to focus on Poulsbo/North Kitsap, message me--I can recommend a property management specialist. Rentals go quickly in this market, so having someone "boots on the ground" in the area would be a good idea.

[CrazyDonkey]

More choices if you include townhouses and apartments. Don't overlook Bremerton, which has some nice neighborhoods, with sidewalks. For instance:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...?fullpage=true

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...?fullpage=true

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5...?fullpage=true

[Diana Holbrook]

No real reason to not start looking right in Bremerton. It's a nice town.

[SunAndRain808]

Originally Posted by Kai808

I recently accepted a job in Bremerton and will be moving up in August with my wife and son (3yrs old) from Hawaii. We’ve been doing a bunch of research of the surrounding areas but wanted to hear from people that actually lived there on where they would recommend. We’re a pretty outdoorsy family and enjoy hiking, biking, camping, etc.

We’re looking for a safe neighborhood with sidewalks and parks for my son, <40 minute commute to Bremerton, where you can rent a 3+ bedroom house for <$2,000/mo.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Aloha braddah!

Sorry, I don't know much about the Bremerton area. Heck, I have yet to even drive up to visit Bremerton. But congratulations to you on your job offer, and I wish you the best of luck with your move to Washington.

This is coming from a former Kama'aina living in the Evergreen 'weed' state.

[highbl00d]

We've been looking for places in the same location, pretty much same reason..lol. I've been visiting the area a lot in the past few months and I have my preferences. Im digging anywhere north of PSNS...

[USDefault]

I know it's anecdotal, but, been running into a bunch of people originally from Hawaii who made the move to Washington state (also Portland). Includes both retirees and people taking either new positions or promotions.

[Kai808]

Thanks everybody for all the information. Yeah it seems like Washington is becoming a normal transition for a lot of people born and raised in the islands. We're looking forward to the reasonable cost of living, easy traffic and the beautiful outdoors. I'm so over a 1hr commute to go 3 miles.

[SpringrainN]

Bremerton is cheap, but there are way nicer areas not far. I live in Gig Harbor, which is beautiful, safe, and ~20 minutes from Bremerton, but probably out of the price range. Although it would be wonderful to be able to have the ferry to Seattle right in your city.