Port Orchard

A sense of calm surrounds Parkwood, from various green spaces to the water of Sinclair Inlet. While some homes overlook the water and others sit across from the Village Greens Golf Course, there is access to well-rated schools, shopping centers, trails and train rides. Cul-de-sacs branch off primary thoroughfares, including Madrona Drive, a loop in the neighborhood’s northern section. In the 2020s, contemporary homes joined the 1980s ranch-style and 1990s new traditional styles. Painted in muted tones, contemporary homes list between $400,000 and $515,000. “The neighborhood was mostly built in the 1970s and 1980s, so many homes sit on reasonably sized lots that are typically bigger than the new construction lots, with nice yards, established landscaping and a neighborhood feel,” says Marcie Martin, a managing broker with Martin Real Estate Group, with over two decades of experience. Ranch-style homes list between $430,000 and $545,000 unless accompanied by over 2 acres, in which case they can list as high as $1.3 million. Depending on whether houses are further inland or closer to the water, new traditional homes list between $715,000 and $1.2 million. Parkwood is part of the South Kitsap School District. Kindergarteners may begin at Orchard Heights Elementary School which earns a B-plus grade from Niche. Starting in sixth grade, students may attend Marcus Whitman Middle before starting at South Kitsap High in ninth grade. Both schools receive a B-minus. South Kitsap High offers an apprenticeship program with welding and ironworking training at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Southeast Mile Hill Drive and Southeast Sedgwick Road are two main east and west thoroughfares of Parkwood. Madrona Drive creates a loop in the neighborhood’s northern half, connecting to different subdivisions and parks. Kitsap Transit bus stops line Madrona Drive, Southeast Mile Hill Drive and Jackson Avenue Southeast, the primary north and south thoroughfare. For ferry rides to Bremerton, the Annapolis Ferry is 2 miles north, and Port Orchard Ferry is roughly 3 miles northwest. South Kitsap Regional Park, known locally as “Jackson Park,” spans 209 acres along Parkwood’s western edge. On the weekends, three ballfields welcome Little League baseball and softball players. The challenging Explorer Trail is a loop lined with obstacles such as balance beams and steppingstones. Children hang on to and climb the park’s playground equipment. “Kitsap Steamers is a miniature steam engine track that runs through the park, and they have events throughout the year, including special events for Halloween, where adults and children can climb aboard and go through the woods,” Martin says. Bill Bloomquist Rotary Park has two recreational fields. Village Greens Golf Course features 18-holes and a covered driving range. At the Mile Hill Plaza shopping center, shoppers go to Albertsons or El Guero Mexican Mini Market for groceries. Spiro’s Pizza and Pasta has made dough and soups from scratch for over three decades. Uncle Dave’s Café has also served the community for over 30 years, making classic diner dishes such as biscuits and gravy. Box stores, such as Walmart and Staples, are a 2-mile drive down Lund Avenue.

Bethel’s homes are comprised of a collection of subdivisions shaded by mature trees, sitting off Bethel Road, the area’s commercial corridor. Despite the proximity to shopping and dining, being close to Long Lake gives the area a sense of a slower pace. Additionally, Port Orchard and Southworth provide a doorway to both Seattle and Bremerton. While national chains such as grocer Fred Meyer and Lowe’s Home Improvement are less than 2 miles from Bethel, locally owned stores also play a role, such as Colello’s Farm Stand Produce. “Colello’s has a big following and sells local honey, coffee and an elderberry syrup that’s popular,” says Marcie Martin, a managing broker with the Martin Real Estate Group, who has over 20 years of experience. “They make the syrup in Port Orchard, and locals use it as a tonic for immunity if they start feeling sick.” Since 1999, Arrow Lumber & Hardware has helped local contractors to complete projects and unites the community through annual events, including pictures with Santa. In fact, cozy winter cheer is spread year round at Gingerbread House Drive Thru, built whimsically as an actual decorated gingerbread house, with handcrafted coffee and glittery lotus drinks. Bethel Saloon is a converted biker bar, from previously being one of the nation’s first Texaco Gasoline Service Stations. The saloon’s cocktails, beers and wine complement the casual American fare. Trees tower over the backyards of 1970s ranch-style homes and act as a natural privacy fence between early 2000s new traditionals. Depending on size, ranch-style homes list between $450,000 and $700,000, while new traditionals list between $545,000 for a three-bedroom and $745,000 for a four-bedroom. Most of these older homes sit on at least half-acre lots, while 2020s Craftsman homes are typically on properties just under a half-acre. These houses, built closer together and painted in earthy tones with natural stone sidings, list between $510,000 for a single-story and $650,000 for a two-story. South Kitsap Regional Park spans over 200 acres and is referred to locally as “Jackson Park” because of its location off Jackson Avenue. Extreme athletes ride around the skatepark while hikers set out on dirt trails, including the Explorer Trail, which has obstacles. Baseball and softball players warm up in the batting cages adjacent to the ball fields. Nearby Long Lake County Park has a playground, located at the northern tip of Long Lake, where fishermen can also cast lines from the pier or in canoes and kayaks. “It is one of the only lakes in South Kitsap you can waterski and motorboat in,” Martin says. “They call it Long Lake because it’s a very long lake where you can pull people on skis or innertubes.” South Kitsap School District serves the Bethel community. Students may begin at Mullenix Ridge Elementary School, which Niche grades a B-plus. They then may attend John Sedgwick Middle School, which maintains a B grade and offers before- and after-school clubs, including photography and pickleball. Next, they may attend South Kitsap High School, a Niche B-minus-graded school. Though tree-lined side streets and back roads mainly characterize Bethel, Washington State Route 16 runs along the neighborhood’s western edge and connects with Washington state Route 3 for commuting to northern Naval shipyards. Southeast Sedgwick Road runs east along the north edge toward Southworth and its Seattle-bound ferry. Bremerton-bound ferries can be caught by following Bethel Road Southeast to Port Orchard. Interstate 5 leads 44 miles to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac).

Though Gorst may appear to be a collection of industrial parks, auto shops, and highways, its central location appeals to those who want to live close to the Kitsap Peninsula’s port cities. Homes line the streets that branch off the area’s two main highways, Washington state Route 3 and Washington state Route 16. These roads form the Gorst Corridor, which connects the community with Tacoma in 30 miles and Bremerton and Port Orchard in 6-mile drives. “Gorst is basically a pass-through at the curve of Sinclair Inlet that is not seen as really popular, but I am not sure why since you have great access to Highway 3 and 16,” says broker Greg Oldham with Skyline Properties, who has over two decades of experience selling across the peninsula. The inlet feeds Gorst Creek, once the City of Bremerton’s main water source. Glimpses of the neighborhood’s industrial roots are also found in the railroad, reclamation and power administration centers north of Gorst Corridor. In the neighborhood’s center, Washington state Route 3, Kitsap County’s north- and south-bound thoroughfare, intersects Washington state Route 16, running south to Tacoma. Bremerton is 6 miles north along Highway 3, where commuters travel for work at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and ferries into Seattle. Silverdale’s St. Michael’s Hospital, another one of Kitsap Peninsula’s major employers, is 14 miles north along Highway 3. Bremerton National Airport is a 4-mile drive in the opposite direction and has a playground with unobstructed views of corporate and general aviation planes’ take-offs and landings. Auto shops and repair centers, including Kitsap Auto Outlet and Beto’s Tires, line Gorst Corridor. In the neighborhood's northern section, Wig Wam Pub serves American bar food, while its brewery part, Deep Draft Brewing, has 12 brews and a non-alcoholic root beer on tap. Beverages can be enjoyed between the space’s two beer gardens, where live music echoes during annual Sunday markets from May through September. South along Highway 3, Jimmy D’s serves traditional American breakfasts and diner fare. Safeway is the closest grocer, 5 miles east in Bethel Junction’s shopping center. Gorst Creek flows through Otto Jarstad Park. Under a mile of dirt trail weaves around the park’s picnic shelters and field. McCormick Woods Trails run through forests for 7 miles, connecting with McCormick Village Park. The park has a separate mile loop trail that encircles its playgrounds and splash area. Rodeo Drive-In Theater opened in 1986 and now has a capacity for 1,000 people with three screens, making it the largest and oldest outdoor, family owned drive-in in the Northwest. Most of the neighborhood’s single-family homes predate the 1950s and have received minimal renovations to the exteriors and interiors. Depending on property size and condition, list prices fall between $287,000 and $535,000, and architectural styles include Craftsman bungalows, ranch-style homes and minimal Traditionals. Gorst’s average home values are below Bremerton Metro Area’s by roughly $200,000 and the national average by $150,000. These homes here are an average of about 1,200 square feet, approximately 700 square feet less than the national average. Power lines and treetops stand tall in front yards, and many properties have chainlink or wooden fences. Some of these homes back up to Gorst Creek, which, in addition to properties around the Sinclair Inlet, face an elevated potential for floods. South Kitsap School District serves the neighborhood, beginning with Sunnyslope Elementary School, which earns a grade of B from Niche. Cedar Heights Middle School and South Kitsap High School receive B-minus grades. The high school offers over 40 student clubs, including yearbook and debate.