Bremerton

Fir trees line the drive through Chico, acting as a natural privacy barrier between the homes over which they tower. The land slopes east toward Dyes Inlet, where saltwater calls to boating and fishing enthusiasts. “Chico is the connection between Silverdale and Bremerton, where you’ve got sunrises and waterfront properties,” says Steve Derrig, managing broker with Windermere Real Estate, who has 14 years of selling experience in Kitsap County. Though the neighborhood is not as commercially developed as its neighbors, Silverdale’s shopping and dining centers are only a 3-mile drive north. Ranch-style homes and bungalows sit shoreside, peaking out from the sea of natural greenery. These 1950s and 1960s homes spread from the Dyes Inlet westward to the Solitude at Skyfall subdivision, where Craftsman homes began taking shape in the early 2020s. “Heading west up Newberry Hill, it’s uphill the entire way,” Derrig says. “You get views of the Cascade Mountains and the taller Seattle buildings.” The 20th-century homes list between $445,000 and $858,000, with the difference in price coming down to size and proximity to the water. Meanwhile, the Craftsman homes list between $985,000 for a three-bedroom and $1.4 million for a four-bedroom. Outside Solitude at Skyfall, some homes do not fall within the restrictions of homeowners associations. In cases such as Stephen Olson’s, homeowners can use their properties to follow their passions, including farming. “My wife’s dad is 80 years old and grew up on the property – she was born in the house we live in – and the property stayed in the family,” says Olson, owner of Chico Creek Farms, where they raise and sell Kunekune pigs. “There have been farm animals on this property for a long time, but it officially started as a farm about four years ago.” Central Kitsap School District serves the Chico community, beginning with Silverdale Elementary School. Niche gives Silverdale Elementary a grade of B and Central Kitsap Middle School a B-plus. Central Kitsap Middle School has an Associated Student Body (ASB) council that aims to increase participation in school programming and manages club funds. The state requires ASBs to be created whenever multiple student organizations raise money for their respective groups. Central Kitsap High School, where students start in ninth grade, also has an ASB council and earns an A-minus grade from Niche. Chico Way Northwest and Washington state Route 3 are Chico’s main thoroughfare. They run parallel to Dyes Inlet’s western edge, leading 3 miles north to Silverdale and 7 miles south to Bremerton. “One of the best parts of the community is the walking and running down Chico Way, where there’s a wide shoulder,” Olson says. “A source of community feel is when you drive into Silverdale on Chico Way, and people are waving, and you see familiar faces.” Since Chico has no shopping centers or strip malls, shoppers drive to the Kitsap Mall in Silverdale. They browse the racks at major retailers at the mall and seek out The Trails at Silverdale for box stores. Grocery shoppers buy in bulk at Costco and go across the parking lot to Trader Joe’s for weekly produce and refrigerator items. Peak Level Coffee is the only dining option accessible without leaving the neighborhood. The coffeehouse pours warm cups of caffeine into sleeved to-go cups. Though the coffee shop is the only game in town, with Silverdale close by, dining options are far from limited. Local spots, such as Danny’s BBQ, join restaurant chains in the mix of eateries around the shopping center. “I go to Danny’s BBQ all the time,” Derrig says. “It’s a small spot, but there’s always a line.” Outdoor recreation hugs the neighborhood, from the Newberry Hill’s forest in the west to Dyes Inlet in the east. Dirt trails ranging from under a mile to almost three miles weave through Newberry Hill Heritage Park’s wetlands, forming a loop. Since Chico does not have neighborhood parks, residents drive north into Silverdale. Across Silverdale Waterfront Park’s 2 acres, children explore the seas on the ship-themed playground and hunt for wildlife on the Dyes Inlet shoreline. Docks extend from the park’s rocky beach, giving boaters launch access and a pier for fishermen to cast lines.

Puget Sound is not just a pretty harbor that can be admired from the shoreline—it is a point of pride for the Downtown Bremerton community, housing the Pacific Northwest’s largest Naval shore facility, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, one of the neighborhood’s largest employers. “The area is very nautical, so a lot of the area is dominated by maritime history, workforce and activities, whether they’re pleasure or commercial,” says Lisa Hope, Director of Marketing and Development with the Kitsap History Museum. Dining options span down Fourth Street and southeast around the harbor. Flavor profiles and atmospheres vary from Axe and Arrow’s casual American dishes to Anthony’s at Sinclair Inlet, serving three-course seafood dinners with sunset waterside views. For weekly groceries, shoppers can stock up at Kitsap Community Food Cooperative in the neighborhood or drive to Safeway. On Saturdays, Bremerton Flea Market opens its doors to local vendors, selling artwork, home décor items and antiques. Fourth Street also houses specialty stores such as The Bremerton Mercantile, a general store, and the Game Wizard and Blue Sky Hobbies, a novelty store with private gaming rooms and a bar. “Bremerton really has this old city feel with walkability and retains that feeling with the older shops and stores,” Hope says. “I know the other shopkeepers by name; everyone works together and partners when they can because we want everyone to succeed.” Kitsap Transit bus stops line Sixth Avenue and Burwell Street, the neighborhood’s main veins. The Bremerton Ferry connects Downtown Bremerton with Seattle in roughly one hour. This ferry terminal also connects to Port Orchard and Annapolis straight across the water. Harborside Fountain Park sits along Puget Sound, overlooking the Bremerton Ferry. This park stretches over 2 acres and has fountains resembling the tops of submarines and plaques paying tribute to Navy veterans. “The kids love to play in the fountains,” Hope says. “They go off intermittently, and you never know when they’ll pop – all of a sudden, you’re standing there, and it goes.” The Bremerton Boardwalk allows fishing and crabbing off the docks if it is done outside the breakwater. This strip fills with local vendors selling blackberry wine and food during the Bremerton Blackberry Festival, which is held annually and supports scholarship funds for Kitsap County students. Outside the neighborhood, Kiwanis Park has a green space where dogs can run and there’s a treehouse-themed playground for children. A slide curves up the hillside, blending into the park’s surrounding natural landscape, sending kids down the slope back to the mulch for a soft landing. Kiwanis Park’s soccer fields and Warren Avenue Playfield’s football fields play host to local leagues battling for bragging rights. Children also walk the bridge and climb the netting on Warren Avenue Playfield’s playground. Arts and culture make up much of Fourth Street, from galleries to theatres. Seefilm Cinemas shows the latest blockbusters in its general auditorium and VIP lounges. Since 1941, the Roxy Theatre marquee has lit up the street, displaying the names of artists performing live on its stage, one which has hosted prominent names such as Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Today, the theatre is used for live music, films and community events. During the early 2000s, condos were established along the waterfront. Bricked complexes mix with modern ones, with units ranging in price from $285,000 for a one-bedroom to $750,000 for a two-bedroom penthouse. Condo associations serve these complexes, providing parking, common area maintenance, garbage and lawn services. Monthly fees can range from roughly $300 to over $1,000, depending on location and offerings. Bremerton School District serves the community, starting at Naval Avenue Elementary School, which Niche grades a B-minus. Next, students may attend Mountain View Middle School, which earns a C grade. Bremerton High School receives a B-minus and offers hands-on experiences in its auto shop and has a performance center outfitted with the latest technology.

Peace and calm encompass Enetai, from Puget Sound’s shores lapping against its eastern edge to the wind whistling through the trees in Illahee State Park. With the neighborhood's proximity to natural playgrounds, outdoor enthusiasts enjoy open access to recreation. “The whole town is built on a bluff, so all the homes are on the hillside,” says Janis Ehlert, a broker and realtor with Legacy Professionals RE Inc., who has sold homes around Puget Sound for over six years. “The views are incredible; you can view Bainbridge Island, Mt. Rainier and see the ferry come through the water.” Illahee State Park borders Enetai to the north, serving as the community’s doorway to the outdoors, from the beach to the park’s docks. Boats launch for fishing trips and cruises around the Puget Sound, while hikers set out on the almost 2 miles of trail. “It’s super quiet by the water, which is called Port Orchard Bay, and it’s because it’s a non-shipping bay,” says Cassandra Lopez, who hosts the Living in Bremerton YouTube channel and has lived in the neighborhood for over two decades. Illahee State Park's pier gets crowded during crabbing and oyster season. To the south, figure skaters and hockey players glide around the rink at Bremerton Ice Center. Next door, Bremerton Family YMCA offers group exercise classes and swim lessons. When the weather is nice, picnickers gather at Bachmann Park to watch the ships pass. Raised ranch-style homes tuck into the sides of sloped lots overlooking Puget Sound and Mount Rainier. These 1960s and 1970s homes list between $465,000 and $545,000, most with three to four bedrooms. Ranch-style homes span across lots and range in price from $300,000 to roughly $425,000, many with three to four bedrooms. Contemporary homes featuring flat roofs and attached garages were built in the 1970s through the 2020s. Depending whether homes come with water or mountain views, they can range from roughly $960,000 to over $1.2 million. As a security measure, since Enetai is a coastal area, homes sitting along the water are elevated above ground to combat the potential risk of flooding. There are shopping and dining possibilities from Manette south to Downtown Bremerton, where commuters can catch the ferry into Seattle as well. While shoppers can grab bread and pastries at nearby Franz Bakery Outlet, there is also Fred Meyer in proximity for weekly produce and pantry restocks. Less than 2 miles south in Manette, Larry & Kristi’s Bakery makes donuts from scratch and spotlights a different flavor each month. Additional dining options dot the area, including the Boat Shed, which has served fresh seafood along the Puget Sound waterfront for over 40 years. Chaos Bay Brewing Co. has craft beer on tap, a pool hall and a music venue. Across the Manette Bridge, Downtown Bremerton boasts a main street district with independently owned businesses, such as the Bremerton Mercantile, for gifts, and the Bremerton Vintage Flea Market for antiques and other unique finds. Bremerton School District serves the Enetai neighborhood, beginning with View Ridge Elementary School, which earns a C-plus grade from Niche. View Ridge is an arts integration school, meaning lessons are woven into regular instruction and specialized instruction is given in fields ranging from performance arts to music classes. Bremerton School District only has one middle school, Mountain View, which earns a grade of C, and one comprehensive high school, Bremerton High School, which receives a B-minus. Traffic flows freely south along Trenton Avenue and Perry Avenue, connecting Enetai with Manette in under 2 miles. Sheridan Road stretches west, meeting Wheaton Way, which crosses the water into Downtown Bremerton. Commuters and Seattle travelers access the Bremerton Ferry from downtown.

Manette is a blend of city and coastal, with sidewalks woven throughout to keep the neighborhood connected to the Puget Sound’s shores and downtown businesses. “Downtown Manette is super charming, quiet, and elegant with proximity to the ferry,” says Cassandra Lopez, Bremerton local and managing broker with Keller Williams West Sound. “It’s walkable, so you can get that city feel without living in a super dense area like Downtown Bremerton.” Manette’s locally owned businesses downtown, some of which have been around for decades, are a source of pride in the community. Along the water, picnickers gather at Bachmann Park to watch the boats and ferries pass. At Manette Park, children practice their balancing on the playground structures, where there are also courts for tennis, pickleball and basketball. Off Wheaton Way, Bremerton Ice Center welcomes skaters of all skill levels for lessons and open skate times. The facility is the home rink for the West Sound Warriors Junior A hockey club. Next door, Bremerton Family YMCA has an indoor gymnasium with a basketball court and fitness center. Manette’s downtown, which extends from 11th Street to Shore Drive, features many locally owned businesses. “Two sisters is a local jewelry store that does all custom work, so they don’t have that type of conveyor jewelry where it’s the same mold over and over,” Lopez says. Down the street, Paul’s Flowers has created arrangements for over 80 years. The Boat Shed sits on the water and has served seafood for over 30 years. Diners can arrive by boat and dock or walk up. “Larry & Kristi’s Bakery is well known among the Puget Sound Naval shipyard, says Janis Ehlert, a broker with Legacy Professionals RE Inc., who has sold homes in the area for over six years. “It’s within walking distance, and employees are notorious for providing donuts for their coworkers, and when they do, they’re expected to go to that shop specifically.” When running errands, Wheaton Way brings shoppers north to Fred Meyer for weekly groceries and stretches to the Kitsap Mall in Silverdale for major retailers such as Macy’s. As with many coastal towns, Manette’s shore vibe is emphasized with colorful homes near the water. Cape Cod cottages from the 1940s are often decorated with shake siding, listing between $420,000 for a two-bedroom and $540,000 for a four-bedroom. Although mostly single-family homes line the streets, apartment complexes and condominiums also dot the waterfront. Condos list between $250,000 for a one-bedroom and $475,000 for a three-bedroom. “The neighborhood was built on a hill, so lots of the properties have really fantastic views of Olympic Mountain, the shipyard, or all the above,” Lopez says. Waterview properties vary in styles from 1930s bungalows to 1960s contemporary homes and fall within the price range of $850,000 to $965,000. Homes along the water are may be more susceptible to flooding, so if they are not built on the hill, to combat the possibility, they are raised above ground level. Manette Bridge connects the neighborhood to Downtown Bremerton, joining its neighbor in celebration during the annual Bremerton Bridge Blast. Day activities such as face painting and local craft and food vendor sales are held on Bremerton’s boardwalk and at Evergreen-Rotary Park. The main event, the fireworks show, is viewable from as far south as Port Orchard. The sound banks fill with eager spectators, patiently waiting for the first pop; meanwhile, boaters anchor their vessels for a closer view of the show. Bremerton School District serves the families of Manette. Kindergarteners may begin at Armin Jahr Elementary school and graduate onto Mountain View Middle School, both of which earn a grade of C from Niche. Bremerton High School oversees ninth through 12th grade students and earns a B-minus. Its Performance Arts Center (PAC) was renovated in 2018 and hosts over 100 events annually, including the school’s spring performance. Wheaton Way connects Manette to Downtown Bremerton by directing traffic to the roundabout on the way to the Manette Bridge. The bridge is outfitted with lights and a walking path, opening the community’s access to Downtown Bremerton. “Manette’s roads are extra wide, so it’s for two cars, but you could practically do a full U-turn in the road. You have that much breathing room,” Lopez says. Seattle commuters can access the ferry by traveling one mile south to the port in Downtown Bremerton. The fast ferry is only accessible by foot, connecting travelers to Seattle in half the time as the regular ferry, which allows drivers to bring their cars.

Rocky Point stands out among a sea of blue, which wraps around the peninsula from Dyes Inlet at the northern tip to the bays on the west and east sides. “This neighborhood is similar in age and structure to Manette but has a different vibe because it’s very forested, whereas Manette is more open and cleared,” says Cassandra Lopez, Bremerton local and host of the Living in Bremerton YouTube channel. “There aren’t any public parks in the neighborhood, but several properties have waterfront rights or view easements.” With these rights, owners enjoy the waterfront views as a private playground, fishing and boating freely. While the neighborhood is heavily wooded, it is not removed from modern shopping and dining conveniences, with Downtown Bremerton less than 4 miles away and Silverdale less than 10 miles away. The Puget Sound is Rocky Point’s primary source of outdoor recreation, from fishing and boating to oystering. Whether using a private dock, paying for membership at Bremerton Yacht Club or docking at nearby marinas, boaters have many options to house their vessels. On land, Forest Ridge Park’s trails guide walkers and their four-legged friends through the woods on dirt paths. Evergreen Rotary Park is accessible by car and boat, connecting the community with a fully accessible playground. Children of all ages and abilities have a space to challenge themselves, from merry-go-round rides to slides of various heights and shapes. Competitors gather around Evergreen Rotary Park’s horseshoe pits and volleyball courts for friendly competitions. During the summer, Evergreen hosts a farmers market, for fresh produce and where local artisans sell their creations. Cape Cod cottages, painted in colorful shades of blue and green, dot the Rocky Point peninsula. These 1940s single-family houses range from $220,000 for a two-bedroom to $410,000 for a three-bedroom. Ranch-style homes also peek out from behind trees, starting at roughly $380,000 for a two-bedroom and up to $475,000 for a three-bedroom. “Rocky Point sits in Kitsap County, but it’s on the edge of the city, so you can avoid city taxes by living there,” says Nicholas Blickhan, a broker with Windermere Real Estate West Sound Inc. who has sold throughout Kitsap County for over 31 years. Depending on proximity to the Sound, properties sitting along the waterfront or with water views can range from $760,000 to $1.2 million. Kitsap Way features various dining, retail and grocery shopping options, such as groceries at WinCo and Safeway. Brother Don’s Bar & Grill serves American bar food and hosts live music throughout the week. Since 1966, Tony’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant has served the community with the same refined recipes despite multiple changes in ownership. With Downtown Bremerton nearby, shoppers can support locally owned businesses, from Bremerton Mercantile’s gift shop to the Bremerton Vintage Flea. Major retailers are scattered around Silverdale too, including the Kitsap Mall, which is just a 10-mile drive up Washington State Route 3. Bremerton School District serves Rocky Point. Crownhill Elementary School earns a B-minus grade from Niche and has a five-house system, where students are sorted into five different “houses” that meet periodically to encourage communication and connection across classes and grade levels. Starting in sixth grade, students may attend Mountain View Middle School, which earns a C grade. Bremerton High School, rated B-minus, is the only comprehensive high school in the district. All the neighborhood homes branch off Rocky Point Road, which stretches south toward Kitsap Way, a primary thoroughfare in Kitsap County. To the west, Kitsap Way merges with Washington state Route 3, a direct line to Silverdale’s shopping centers. In the east, Kitsap Way feeds into Downtown Bremerton’s small business district. In Downtown Bremerton, commuters and travelers can also access the regular ferry and fast ferry services into Seattle.