HEY, SEATTLE!! Is it a hassle to live in Port Orchard/Bremerton/Vashon Island if you work in Seattle?

As others have said, the ferry ride is an hour from Bremerton to Seattle. If it breaks down (which can happen often as the boats are old) you can be waiting to cross for hour or have to drive around. If you drive your car on the ferry you're looking at a fee of about $25 a DAY. The expense of taking the ferry can offset the savings from living in Kitsap, not to mention adding at least three or more hours to your commute each day.

If you drive around you're looking at a commute of at least 2 hours each way. Hywy 16 has gotten better since the second bridge went in, but I-5 from Seattle to Tacoma can be a bear in rush hour.

Your best bet would most likely to be to live in south or southeast King county. The commute from Federal Way, Auburn, Kent, Renton and the like would be about an hour each way, vs one and a half plus hours if you live on the Kitsap Peninsula.

Edited to Add: There is a ferry in the Port Orchard area that runs from Southworth to West Seattle on a more limited sechedule. Passengers who are going to Vashon Island get priority over those going between Seattle and PO. If you need to go to downtown Seattle the best option is the Bremerton ferry. There is the Bainbridge Island to Seattle ferry but you'll spend at least 30 minutes getting there from Bremerton without traffic.

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HEY, SEATTLE!! Is it a hassle to live in Port Orchard/Bremerton/Vashon Island if you work in Seattle?

We are moving to the Seattle area in 6 weeks and I'm looking online for places to live. The Port Orchard area looks to be extremely affordable, but I will be working in the city. Is it a total nightmare to take the ferry everyday to work, or is it kind of cool for the most part?

How long does...

Seattle Bremerton Ferry

I've never had to deal with a commute like those who live on "the peninsula", so I can only describe what I think it would be like according to news reports I've seen over the years.

Your commute is dependent upon the ferry system or the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. If a ferry breaks down or a backup occurs on the bridge, there will be delays.

A ferry ride between Seattle and Bremerton takes a little over an hour.

Currently, I commute between Auburn and Sumner. Of course, they are right next to each other. But I've found the quickest route is Hwy. 167 and the commute takes about 1/2 hour. You are right to worry about renting in the city of Seattle itself; therefore, renting in Des Moines, Skyway, or Normandy Park may be best for you and your commutes will probably average 45 minutes. Going even more south will definitely take longer.

Port Orchard Ferry

The simple answer is this: Yes, it would too much of a hassle to live in Port Orchard and work in Seattle. That's very likely why Port Orchard is so affordable!

Bremerton and Vashon are more do-able IF you work in DOWNTOWN Seattle within walking distance of the ferry docks.

I personally would rather take the ferry than sit in traffic on a "freeway" but that's jut me. If you are on a ferry, you don't have to worry about driving, spewing pollution into the air, expensive gas, etc. They have Wi-Fi on the ferries now so you could do work on your laptop. There was an article about poor ferry service though in a recent Seattle Weekly. You might want to read it.

Here's a thought about the Kent/Renton areas: there is a commuter train that runs into downtown Seattle. It takes an hour to get from Tacoma to Seattle and about 30 minutes from Kent. They are adding more trains all the time because people like it so much. If you decide to move here, just be careful of which area you choose. Housing prices are a great indicator of the neighborhood. If it's cheap - there's a reason!

I don't think there's a ferry from P.O. You'd be driving to Bremerton then taking a 1-hour ferry from there.

Personally I know a lot of people who work in Seattle and live in Bremerton or Bainbridge Island. They like it. But, if a ferry breaks down, you're screwed...will have to drive 2+ hours from Bremerton across the Narrows Bridge to Tacoma then up to Seattle.

If you're going to do it, I'd look at Bainbridge Island instead of Bremerton. It's only 35 minutes via ferry each way instead of 60 minutes.

The southworth ferry comes to port orchard, or close enough. from there it's a ~1 hour trip across the water.

but the issue isn't so much the actual trip, as it is with waiting in huge lines to get on the ferry.

i know of one person that commutes from P.O. to seattle, but they also stay in motels in Seattle to ease the commute. So it's doable, but not very practical.

If you're looking for affordable housing, check out just about anything in south seattle.

It can be a hassle and expensive. The ferry from Bremerton to Seattle takes about 40 minutes. You have to factor in waiting time, loading time, and unloading time. That time alone you could drive from Kent to Seattle. Also, it can be a little expensive especially if you take a car. It might be more expensive, but I would vastly prefer to live in Kent, Renton, or Federal Way. To be honest, if I worked in downtown Seattle, I would rather live in Auburn then have to cross the sound every day. I live in Burien, but don't work in Downtown Seattle.