Bainbridge Island is an Island in the Central Puget Sound Basin. It is considered a part of Kitsap County in Washington state and is about a 35 minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle. Ferries run often and can transport 1 car per every four passengers per each shuttling. In 1841 it was named after Commodore William Bainbridge who was a key component in the war of 1812 in the Washington state area. The island was originally used for logging and shipbuilding industries because of its enormous cedar trees that were easy to get to. Later during world war II, some of the first Japanese-American citizens to be placed into interment camps were sent her for the duration of the war. Taking a look at this history of Bainbridge Island helps us to understand why its current population is more geared towards green peace efforts and population acceptance. As of the 2007 census it is home to about 23,000 people. The island itself is about 10 miles long by 5 miles wide and incorporates 17,778 acres. This makes it one of the larger islands in Puget Sound.
It’s size is not the only thing that helps Bainbridge Island stand out though. CNN and money magazine have named Bainbridge Island the second best place to live in the United States. This is because the city is most well known for their excellent education policies, schools and teachers that have them consistently ranked number 1 in the State of Washington for education. This may explain their crime rate as well which is significantly lower than the national average. Or that can be attributed to the fact that only 2.3% of the population of Bainbridge Island falls below the poverty line with the average income being about 70,000. The exceptional education system can be attributed to the fact that Bainbridge Island is a largely family oriented Island with 73.5 percent of the population being family households and the average family size being 3.98.
Whether you are considering living on Bainbridge Island or just visiting there is a plethora of things for you to do and if traveling or relocating with others you are bound to find something of interest for everyone in your party. Bainbridge Island offers activities like beach or lake trips, fishing, hiking, arts and craft fairs, street performances, scuba diving, shellfish gathering, geocaching, golfing, camping, marine wildlife boat watching, skiing and the community of Bainbridge particularly prides themselves on their antiquing and arts and craft fairs. Bainbridge boasts that every community on the island provides opportunities for quality antiquing. There numerous arts and craft centers are fully funded and assure visitors and community members that they will be able to find an arts and craft event going on at any time.
Sources Cited:
http://www.bainbridgeisland.com/
http://www.bainbridgeisland.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bainbridge_Island,_Washington
