Kitsap is great, haven’t lived in PO but it is pretty cute, plenty of stuff to do between nature and the little downtown. Port orchard isn’t the most progressive area, if that’s important to you. But it is really nice on this side of the sound.

I used to think kitsap was soooo lame 😂 and for no reason. It’s nice being over here, with a backyard that hasn’t been replaced with condos, access to the Olympics not the overrun cascades, and like you said very welcoming people.

Lol wow the drama. Maybe you should move somewhere in WA that is less populated. Buckling door? That’s a lot.

I get it, a lot of our infrastructure wasn’t built for the amount of people that live here…. In Seattle. In the city. It’s just an untrue blanket statement of the entire state, especially when OP is asking for recs on small towns, which do still exist here.

Coming from Baltimore as my home city I laugh at the “not safe” idea. That’s why I moved to Seattle to get my city living time in!

The ferry system out here is so cool. Me and fiancé love hopping a ferry and walking/skating/biking around the city. Yes they can be a bit kurfunkled sometimes, but there’s nothing better than a ferry adventure.

Best of luck to you on your quest!

There’s plenty of places that aren’t, it’s rude to gatekeep this beautiful place

Try the kitsap peninsula! It’s just a ferry ride away from Seattle. Highly recommend Indianola, v small town vibes, great tight nit community, def progressive from what I’ve seen. Bainbridge too but you gotta be rich rich or know someone personally to luck out with an affordable spot. Indianola and Bainbridge can be pricey so Poulsbo is another great option.

Maybe not bremerton def not port orchard, not progressive towns in my opinion.

I never would have considered kitsap if I hadn’t met my navy fiancé and moved here with him.

Silverdale can be ok but it’s gonna be a nightmare here soon, just overpopulated.

Kingston is also great! Maybe not super progressive in comparison but def more progressive than a lot of the country. And port gamble! Home to the second largest sea shell museum in the world.

Further out, whidbey island (can’t speak to progressiveness personally but my gut says they’d be on that spectrum,) San Juan islands. And Bellingham (not small, though.)

If you’d prefer to stay closer to Seattle DEFINITELY look into white center!!! I loved living there. Very diverse, don’t believe the “it’s not safe” hype, Georgetown in Seattle is way more dangerous (but oh, so adorable.) Living just south of the city made it way easier to get into the city, living north (shoreline) it gets impossible to fight through I-5 traffic. Also South Park is an awesome spot closer to the city.