5 Reasons to Move to Bainbridge Island
By Alex Mikoulianitch on March 01, 2024
Aspiring homebuyers have always faced the same evergreen question: suburbs or the city?
Seattle is not your usual metropolis, even though its downtown area is just as busy and packed with activity as any other major city. But pockets of unique neighborhoods, filled with storied coffee shops and art-filled streets, make Seattle more a city of discovery rather than an action-packed megacenter.
Even with the greenery (and overcast skies) of the Pacific Northwest apparent on every other street, the large population and heavy traffic still deliver the usual inconveniences of city living.
So if the choice is suburbs, those seeking to move to the Emerald City should look across Puget Sound and explore the affluent Bainbridge Island.
An oasis of towering cedars and never-ending countryside charm, Bainbridge Island has established itself as one of the best suburbs near Seattle. Below, the Prevu team has put together the top five reasons why you should choose Bainbridge Island as your new home.
Seattle is just a ferry ride away
The dread of a packed subway train or a delayed local bus is the bane of any commuter working in a major city. Bainbridge Islanders, however, trade in the ‘sardine can’ commute for a leisurely cruise across the Puget Sound to get to Downtown Seattle.
The most commonly used ferry route runs directly from the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal to the terminal in Downtown Seattle. The commute takes, on average, 35 minutes. But the best part about commuting on a ferry is the space and the views.
The anonymity of large city commuting is absent here, and residents commute in groups with friends or coworkers. There is a quiet area for those looking to get some work, and WiFi is available for everyone.
The icing on the cake is the open air and the vastness of Puget Sound. It is an upgrade over an underground, claustrophobic train car, and those commuting in vehicles are also accommodated on the ferry.
Incomparable protected nature
Almost any popular suburb can boast about its natural beauty. But Bainbridge Island has vistas and breathtaking retreats that helped launch Seattle to the top of Forbes’s "Greatest Scenic Places to Retire" lists.
The waters of the Puget Sound surround Bainbridge. As a result, along the island’s eastern coast are some of the best skyline views of Downtown Seattle.
Rockaway Beach Park, which rests on the southeastern part of Bainbridge Island, is one of the island’s top beach parks and features a majestic backdrop of towering pines, expansive views of the water, and the city beyond.
For the adventurous ones, Battle Point Park marks the beginning of a hiking experience that takes you through the towering cedars and pines in the Grand Forest, which once made Bainbridge Island the centerpiece of wartime shipbuilding.
In short, there are more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors than one can count. Even pet-lovers have an off-leash park called Strawberry Hill Park to let their furry companions run free.
And the best part might be that the city takes meticulous care in maintaining the nature on the island. New construction and development projects deal with stringent regulations that ensure the natural environment isn’t harmed.
City centers offer all the conveniences you need
The sacrifice any homebuyer makes when moving to suburbia is being out of reach from all the action. Bainbridge Island made sure to take care of that fault.
Winslow Way, the city’s main thoroughfare, is one of the multiple epicenters of Bainbridge’s shopping and dining scene. The name comes from the Island’s original title of Winslow City before it was renamed Bainbridge Island in 1991.
Winslow is located on the island’s southernmost tip and is by far the liveliest business area, with Winslow Way cutting straight across from west to east. This is the street to visit for charming mom-and-pop shops, rustic Italian restaurants, and the quintessential American diner. In addition, museums, banks, pharmacies, and grocery stores are within a short distance from Winslow.
Lynwood Center, home to the historic Lynwood Theater that opened in 1936, is another commercial option located a short drive south of Winslow. The New England airs that define this part of town deepen the quaint charm apparent throughout Bainbridge.
Tight-knit community that takes care of its own
Bainbridge Island is more than twice the size of Manhattan. But where the latter is home to more than a million people, Bainbridge is home to about 26,000.
Within such a tight group, the first thing the residents of Bainbridge will mention is how close and involved their community is. The state-wide "Buy Nothing Project" was founded on Bainbridge Island, promoting gifting used and new goods in favor of commercial purchases. The movement has touched countless neighborhoods throughout the States, stretching as far out as the east coast.
Aside from that, there are over 120 registered non-profit organizations, such as the Bainbridge Community Foundation, the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island, and the Kitsap Humane Society, which focus on community development and giving back to those in need.
Bainbridge Islanders will be the first to tell you that one of the best things about living here is recognizing familiar faces in the streets and sharing in a community that cares for everyone that is part of it.
Lively entertainment without the big city chaos
It’s not uncommon to head out for a drive on Bainbridge Island and find yourself surveying a seemingly endless stretch of greenery with no shops or stores in sight. But that is part of the island’s charm and does not indicate how much entertainment the island can offer.
Seven wineries, two world-class golf courses, a local movie theater, and various outdoor activities are just a few of the things you can look forward to enjoying when living on Bainbridge Island.
A glance at the city events calendar reveals a full itinerary. Jazz quintets, classical guitar concerts, art shows, and oyster bar pop-ups are on offer within the confines of the peace and quiet that makes Bainbridge such a desirable place to live.
The 245-seat Bainbridge Performing Arts center hosts regular plays, music festivals, and chamber music concerts. It sits in the heart of Winslow, with some of the top restaurants on the island just a few steps away. And for the cinephiles, the Lynwood Theater showcases independent and foreign films at Lynwood Center.
Of course, the outdoor lifestyle is also a massive part of having fun on the island, with kayak rentals, open-air wine tastings, and art exhibits available throughout the year.
