Dyes Inlet shore meets county retail core
West of Seattle, on the bank of Dyes Inlet, Silverdale has grown into a retail and recreation destination. Loggers originally arrived in the area in the 1850s, set up bunk houses on the water and developed farms that prospered with the excess of rain the area receives. The construction of Kitsap Mall in the mid-1980s moved Kitsap County’s retail core from the southern port city of Bremerton to Silverdale. With the move, the area’s once rural, farm-filled community quickly became commercialized. Today, the town has a population of 21,000, and despite repeated attempts to incorporate the area, it is not an official city. “There’s definitely a mix of folks. Some people have been born and raised here, and it does have a heavy military presence because bases are all around, so we’ve got many military families moving in,” says Amie Lacher Pickering, a broker with Sterling Property Group, licensed since 2004. Between accessibility to nearby military employers and the waterfront parks along the Dyes Inlet and Island Lake, Silverdale balances work and play with sweeping sunset views.
Kitsap Mall and Old Town Silverdale’s local businesses
Kitsap Mall has major retailers ranging from Dick’s Sporting Goods to Macy’s. National grocers and a Costco are nearby. The Trails at Silverdale’s strip mall is stocked with national retailers, including La-Z-Boy Home Furnishings & Décor and Carter’s. Between the mall and strip mall, restaurant chains spot the neighborhood. Old Town Silverdale has locally owned businesses, including salons, the Kitsap Arts Center and restaurants such as Monica’s Waterfront Bakery & Cafe.
Watersports, playgrounds and Clear Creek Trail
In the south, Dyes Inlet offers access to the sound for water sports, while farther north, Island Lake spans 41 acres and is popular among anglers, kayakers and canoers. Rocky shores make up part of Silverdale Waterfront Park, where jellyfish, crabs and fish swim in the saltwater below the docks. The park has a ship-themed playground, climbing nets and rope bridge structures. Clear Creek Trail’s 6-mile multiuse path winds through local parks, connecting Old Mill Park at Dyes Inlet to Silverdale Rotary Gateway Park, farther north. Softball and baseball fields, such as Ross Field, dot the area and are not always associated with a park.
Old Town’s Whaling Days festival
Since 1974, the annual Whaling Days festival has drawn crowds to Old Town Silverdale’s streets. This free summer festival raises money for local charities and scholarship funds for Central Kitsap School District graduates. Musicians take the main stage Friday through Sunday, serenading the crowd, stopping when it is time for the fireworks finale. In addition to viewing the performances, the event includes a run, parade, local food vendors and a rubber duck race.
New construction, planned developments and lakeside living
Subdivisions curve around the Dyes Inlet and branch north towards Island Lake. In 2015, single-family homes were built, joining the 1980s and 1990s ranch-style houses and new traditionals. New construction resembles the preexisting styles in shape but with added Craftsman elements such as natural stones and paneling. “There are lots of planned unit developments built as new construction, and some are rural with bigger lots where the usability of lots is more flexible,” Pickering says. Prices can vary from $250,000 to $1.3 million depending on property size and whether the water is directly accessible or viewable from the house. The median single-family home price is about $600,000, and the National Association of Realtors estimates that the county’s median is around $570,000. Townhouses also dot the area and are listed between $360,000 and $495,000, with a median price of $385,000. Silverdale has a CAP Index crime score of 3 out of 10, while the national average is 4.
Silverdale school districts and Running Start programming
Central Kitsap School District serves most of the community and earns a B-plus grade from Niche. Most of the area is zoned for Central Kitsap High School, beginning in ninth grade and earns an A-minus grade from Niche. High schoolers can earn dual credits through Central Kitsap’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, Advanced Placement (AP) courses and the Running Start program. Running Start is a free tuition opportunity offered to juniors and seniors through the district’s partnership with Olympic College. Some of Silverdale’s northeast communities are zoned for the North Kitsap School District, which also maintains a B-plus and offers the Running Start program.
Commuting around Kitsap County
Washington state Route 3 wraps around the west of Dyes Inlet, intersecting with Washington state Route 303, coming from the east. WA-3 runs north and south throughout Kitsap County, connecting the community with the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton-Seattle ferry in about 10 miles. The ferry provides the most direct path east to reach the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), also known as “SeaTac,” with 94 domestic and 33 international flights. WA-3 also ties Silverdale to the airport in under 60 miles. WA-303 connects the county to Saint Michael Medical Center, one of the peninsula’s major hospitals and employers. Kitsap Transit bus stops dot the streets around the mall and extend down Silverdale Way Northwest.
