If you’ve never been to the city of Bremerton, you might be missing out. Bremerton, WA was just ranked as one of the best coastal cities in the U.S. Its mild weather, plentitude of beaches, and proximity to both Seattle and the Olympic National Park make it a desirable place to visit and live in.
Read on for all the details!
Where is Bremerton?
Bremerton is a coastal city in Washington state. It is the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Located west of Seattle across Puget Sound, it is a smaller PNW city with easy access to outdoor recreation on the Olympic Peninsula.
What’s the best way to get there?
You can actually get to Bremerton via a short ferry ride from Seattle. There is a one-hour ferry and a 30-minute fast ferry which is for pedestrians only. If you don’t want to take a ferry you can also drive the entire way, which takes about one to two hours depending on traffic.
What is there to do in Bremerton?
In Downtown Bremerton you can eat at restaurants, have a spa day, shop at bookstores, record shops, and vintage flea markets, enjoy wine tastings, and explore the Pacific Planetarium. There are also ongoing events such as art walks, a Black Night Market, and the summer music festival Rock the Dock. You can also explore the Puget Sound Navy Museum and the Port of Bremerton Marina.
If you like outdoorsy activities, Bremerton has over 30 city parks and over 100 beaches. You’ll also enjoy access to several state parks. Best of all, Olympic National Park is less than a two-hour drive away.
Where does Bremerton rank in U.S. coastal cities?
ConsumerAffairs released a ranking of the best coastal cities in the U.S. After looking at 143 cities in coastal counties, their research team narrowed it down to the 50 best options based on categories such as affordability, safety, weather, and environmental risk factors. Bremerton, WA was ranked as the second-best coastal city in the U.S.
Why is it ranked so high?
Although it may not be the typical coastal city that you picture with white sandy beaches and year-round sunshine, ConsumerAffairs noted several perks of this Pacific Northwest city: no muggy weather, plenty of hiking and camping opportunities at Illahee State Park, and the lowest coastal risk score on the list. This score “measures the area’s vulnerability to common coastal hazards like flooding, hurricanes and tsunamis.”
There is also a lot of coastline for the public to enjoy. Out of the other top coastal cities in the top five, Bremerton had the highest number of beaches within the county by far: 168 in total. Some of those beaches may be more rocky than sandy, but that’s part of the PNW charm.
What were the other top coastal cities in the top five?
The full ranking of the top five cities is as follows:
- Pensacola, FL
- Bremerton, WA
- Jacksonville, NC
- Port Charlotte, FL
- La Porte, Texas
You can visit consumeraffairs.com for the full report, including the 45 other U.S. coastal cities included in the ranking.