Reviews & Comments
Bremerton, WA
Comments from a former native Bremertonian. -
12/25/2007Currently I live in Longview, WA, down the road a piece from Bremerton. However, I spent my first 25 years there and visit every 2-3 months on a regular basis. As far as rain and gray goes, as far as I am concerned, and having traveled I-5, it doesn't get any warmer or drier until you cross the border into California. As far as people go, I would say they are about as nice, and in some cases, nicer than the bigger cities. As far as the one comment I saw about trashy people goes - well, I have a few things to say. First, Bremerton is now, after many decades of blocked growth, fast becoming a bedroom destination community to Seattle, catering to mid-level professionals and up as secondary to the military population. Last time I actually lived in Bremerton was in 2004 and I was one of those trashy people that went to DSHS. I am here to say that my car was the worst in the whole parking lot, which was full of brand new, zippy little cars. I have no idea how they could afford it, because I sure could not. In the 70's, the town was full of rust buckets and rent was way cheaper; I remember seeing lots of places go for only a hundred or two. I didn't discover where all the trashy cars went that populated Bremerton in those years (and into the 80's) until I moved into the Longview/Kelso area and saw rusty cars, dented cars, patched cars, cars that barely moved, and above all, cars that looked to be more than 3 years old. You don't see those in Bremerton anymore. So, if there is any perception of trashiness, I would vote that it is a perception of general attitudes rather more than how spendy a person's level of living is. I know I can't afford to live back there at the present time, and I would like to because of family. If it wasn't for that, I would be happy to visit and live somewhere where I could dry out on a seasonal basis from the rain. That and money. So actually - I think Bremerton has improved greatly over the years. But - there still are not a whole lot of exciting things to do at night that I can tell except for hopping the boat to Seattle. Certainly not a lot to do at night for my two preschoolers. So although it is one of the good places in Washington to raise kids, I think it is quickly getting to be quite expensive for what it has to offer overall.
Longview, WA
Where I live now -
12/25/2007Where I live now is Longview, WA. Did not choose to live here by my own choice originally, but am adapting. It certainly is the cheapest place to live (neck and neck with the Kelso, Centralia/Chehalis) area on the I-5 corridor in Washington. For a reason.