Bainbridge Island, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bainbridge Island, Washington
City
City of Bainbridge Island
Aerial view of Bainbridge Island
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Location of Bainbridge Island, Washington
Bainbridge Island, Washington Location in Washington (state) Show map of Washington (state) Bainbridge Island, Washington Location in the United States Show map of the United States Bainbridge Island, Washington Location in North America Show map of North America
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Kitsap
Named for	William Bainbridge
Government
• Type	Council–manager
• Body	City council
Area
• Total	65.08 sq mi (168.55 km2)
• Land	27.61 sq mi (71.52 km2)
• Water	37.46 sq mi (97.03 km2)
Elevation	200 ft (60 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	24,825
• Density	916.1/sq mi (353.72/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code	98110
Area code(s)	206
FIPS code	53-03736
GNIS feature ID	1512809

Bainbridge Island is a city and island in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located in Puget Sound. The population was 24,825 at the 2020 census, making Bainbridge Island the second largest city in Kitsap County.

The island is separated from the Kitsap Peninsula by Port Orchard, with Bremerton lying to the southwest. Bainbridge Island is a suburb of Seattle, connected via the Washington State Ferries system and to Poulsbo and the Suquamish Indian Reservation by State Route 305, which uses the Agate Pass Bridge.

History

For thousands of years, members of the Suquamish people and their ancestors lived on the land now called Bainbridge Island. There were nine villages on the island; these included winter villages at Port Madison, Battle Point, Point White, Lynwood Center, Port Blakely, and Eagle Harbor, as well as summer villages at Manzanita, Fletcher Bay, and Rolling Bay.

In 1792, English explorer Captain George Vancouver spent several days with his ship HMS Discovery anchored off Restoration Point at the southern end of Bainbridge Island while boat parties surveyed other parts of Puget Sound. Vancouver spent a day exploring Rich Passage, Port Orchard, and Sinclair Inlet. He failed to find Agate Passage, and so his maps show Bainbridge Island as a peninsula. Vancouver named Restoration Point on May 29, the anniversary of the English Restoration, in honor of King Charles II.

In 1841, US Navy Lieutenant Charles Wilkes visited the island while surveying the Pacific Northwest. Lt. Wilkes named the island after Commodore William Bainbridge, commander of the frigate USS Constitution in the War of 1812. Settlers originally used Bainbridge Island as a center for the logging and shipbuilding industries with the island being clearcut at least two times in its history. The island was known for huge and accessible cedars, which were especially in demand for ships' masts. The original county seat of Kitsap County was at Port Madison on the island's north end.

In 1855, the Suquamish tribe relinquished their claim to Bainbridge Island by signing the Point Elliott Treaty. The Suquamish agreed to cede all of their territory (which included Bainbridge Island) to the United States in exchange for a reservation at Port Madison and fishing rights to Puget Sound.

A group of Japanese-American residents of Bainbridge Island wave the American flag and give the victory sign as they are forcibly sent to an internment camp, March 30, 1942.

The first generation of Japanese immigrants, the Issei, came in 1883. During World War II, Japanese-American residents of Bainbridge Island were the first to be sent to internment camps, an event commemorated by the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, which opened in 2011. They were held by the US government through the duration of the war for fear of espionage. A High-frequency direction finding (HFDF) station was established here by the Navy during the war. These radio intercept sites along the West Coast were used to track Japanese warships and merchant marine vessels as far away as the Western Pacific. The other West Coast stations were in California at Point Arguello, Point Saint George, Farallon Islands and San Diego.

Since the 1960s, Bainbridge Island has become an increasingly affluent bedroom community of Seattle, a 35-minute ride away on the Washington State Ferries.

The city has occupied the entire space of Bainbridge Island since February 28, 1991, when the 1.5-square-mile (3.9 km²) city of Winslow (incorporated on August 9, 1947), annexed the rest of the island after a narrowly passed November 1990 referendum. It officially remained the city of Winslow for several months, until November 7, 1991, at which time the city of Winslow was renamed the city of Bainbridge Island.

Geography

Aerial view of the northern part of Bainbridge Island adjoining Puget Sound, with Agate Passage in center, Liberty Bay on the Kitsap Peninsula in the background, and the Hood Canal beyond

Aerial view of Bainbridge Island from the southeast, showing the Bainbridge Island ferry from Seattle making the first of two turns to bring it into Eagle Harbor, with Blakely Harbor to its left

Bainbridge Island was formed during the last ice age—13,000 to 15,000 years ago—when the 3,000-foot-thick (910 m) Vashon Glacier scraped out the Puget Sound and Hood Canal basins.

Bainbridge Island is in the Puget Sound Basin, east of the Kitsap Peninsula, directly east of the Manette Peninsula and west of Seattle. The island is about 5 miles (8 km) wide and 10 miles (16 km) long, encompassing nearly 17,778 acres (27.778 sq mi; 71.95 km²), and is one of Puget Sound's larger islands.

Bainbridge Island shorelines border the main body of Puget Sound, as well as Port Orchard Bay, a large protected embayment, and two high-current tidal passages, Rich Passage and Agate Pass. The island has an irregular coastline of approximately 53 miles (85 km), with numerous bays and inlets and a significant diversity of other coastal land forms, including spits, bluffs, dunes, lagoons, cuspate forelands, tombolos, tide flats, streams and tidal deltas, islands, and rocky outcrops. The high point is 425-foot (130 m) Toe Jam Hill.

On the Kitsap Peninsula, Bremerton and Poulsbo lie across the Port Orchard channel to the west, and the city of Port Orchard lies across Rich Passage to the south. Despite the short distance over water and significant commuting population between Bremerton and Bainbridge Island, proposals to construct a bridge have been resisted on the Bainbridge side for various reasons.

The island is quite hilly and hosts the Chilly Hilly bicycle ride every February.

The ferry Wenatchee en route from Seattle to Bainbridge Island

Bainbridge Island can be accessed by motor vehicle, bicycle, or foot through two access points, both on Washington State Route 305. Bainbridge Island is connected to the Kitsap Peninsula by the Agate Pass Bridge, carrying SR 305 over Agate Passage at the island's northwest corner. The only other way off the island is by the Seattle–Bainbridge Island ferry, the Washington State Ferries service from the dock at Winslow in Eagle Harbor to Colman Dock (Pier 52) in Seattle. Numerous public right of way access points to water around the island also exist, officially called Road Ends.

Communities

When the city of Winslow annexed the entirety of Bainbridge Island in 1991, it absorbed numerous named unincorporated communities. Most of these are still referred to by name.

Demographics

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $88,243, and the median income for a family was $108,605. Males had a median income of $65,853 versus $42,051 for females. The per capita income for the city was $37,482. About 3.0% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

The socioeconomic profile varies significantly between the rural parts of the island and Winslow, its urban center. In contrast to Bainbridge Island as a whole, Winslow is home to households with a wide range of incomes. In 2010, the census block group in which Winslow is located had a median household income of $42,000, less than half of the island's median household income and one-third of several of the island's wealthiest block groups, and also $10,000 less than national and statewide averages. More than half of Winslow households live in rental units, compared to 20% of households across the island.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 23,025 people, 9,470 households, and 6,611 families residing in the city. The population density was 833.9 inhabitants per square mile (322.0/km²). There were 10,584 housing units at an average density of 383.3 per square mile (148.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.0% White, 0.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 3.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.9% of the population.

There were 9,470 households, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.2% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.88.

The median age in the city was 47.7 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.5% were from 25 to 44; 38% were from 45 to 64; and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

Economy

Bainbridge Island has four centers of commerce: Winslow, Lynwood Center, Fletcher Bay (also referred to as Island Center), and Rolling Bay. Winslow is the downtown core and has most of the shopping and dining. Lynwood Center on the south end of the island has several restaurants and a small hotel. Fletcher Bay (also referred to as Island Center) has a small grocery store and one restaurant. Rolling Bay is located on the east side of the island.

The local newspapers are the weekly Bainbridge Island Review, Kitsap Sun, and the Bainbridge Islander.

Chaval Outdoor, an outdoor gear company, was founded on Bainbridge Island. The Buy Nothing Project was founded on Bainbridge Island in July 2013.

Education

Public schools

Bainbridge Island is served by the Bainbridge Island School District, which houses the following public schools:

• Capt. Johnston Blakely Elementary School (K-4)
• x̌alilc (Halilts) Elementary School (PK-4)
• Ordway Elementary School (K-4) (offers the El Velero Spanish immersion program)
• Sonoji Sakai Intermediate School (5–6)
• Woodward Middle School (7–8)
• Bainbridge High School (9–12)

BISD also offers home-based and student-directed educational programming under the umbrella of the Commodore Options School:

• Mosaic Home Education Partnership (K-8)
• Odyssey Multiage Program (K-8)
• Eagle Harbor High School (9–12)

Private schools

• Montessori Country School (PK-6)
• Madrona School (Parent/Child, Preschool, Kindergarten, Grades 1–5)
• St. Cecilia Catholic School (PK-8)
• The Island School (K-5)
• Carden Country School (K-8)
• Hyla School (6–12)

The Puget Sound Naval Academy, formerly the Moran School, operated on the island from 1914 to 1933, and then again from 1937 to 1951.

Sports and recreation

In 2001, Bainbridge Island Little League were represented in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania at the Little League World Series. The island's high school lacrosse team has won state titles, the most recent coming on May 19, 2007. In 2009, the Bainbridge High School Fastpitch team won the Washington 3A State Title. The team also played in the championship game in 2010. In 2011, 2012 and 2018, the Bainbridge High School Girls Lacrosse team won the state championship.

Pickleball was invented by the family of congressman Joel Pritchard at their summer home on Bainbridge Island in 1965. It is similar to badminton and tennis, but played with paddles and a lightweight plastic ball.

Aerial view of Restoration Point, with the Country Club of Seattle, and Blakely Harbor

Arts and culture

The Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, which opened in 2013

The Bainbridge Island Museum of Art opened in June 2013 near the Winslow ferry terminal. It was developed by Cynthia Sears, who began collecting works of art made by island residents in 1989. The museum cost $15.6 million to construct and includes a 99-seat auditorium, a classroom, and other spaces. The building has 20,000 square feet (1,900 m²) of space and was designed to resemble the bow of a ship.

The art exhibit "Pia the Peacekeeper" was placed in Bainbridge Island's Sakai park. Pia is #121 of an ongoing art portfolio by Copenhagen-based Thomas Dambo. Dambo specializes in recycled art and is a self-proclaimed climate activist, with the project being entirely made of recycled materials. According to Bainbridge's parks and recreation site, Pia "embodies the essence of community and imagination."

In popular culture

The fictional San Piedro Island in the 1994 novel Snow Falling on Cedars is based on Bainbridge Island. The novel's author, David Guterson, lives on the island and worked for ten years as a teacher at Bainbridge High School.

Mount Rainier seen from Bainbridge Island

Bainbridge Island is the main setting of the 2021 novel You Love Me, the third installment in the You series by novelist Caroline Kepnes. Kepnes visited Bainbridge while writing the story and used the names of several local businesses.

In Michael Crichton's 1994 novel Disclosure, protagonist Tom Sanders lives with his wife and two children on Bainbridge Island. Some scenes from the film adaptation later that year were filmed on the island, including at Bainbridge Ferry Terminal and Capt. Johnston Blakely Elementary School.

The epilogue of the 1996 film That Thing You Do! reveals that main characters Guy Patterson and Faye Dolan moved with their four children to Bainbridge Island, where they founded the fictional Puget Sound Conservatory of Music.

Bainbridge Island is featured in the first episode of the fifteenth season of the HGTV reality television series Island Life. A local restaurant, the Big Star Diner (now known as the Madison Diner), is featured in the tenth episode of the first season of the Food Network series Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Photo gallery

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  Stone Sculptures at Winslow Wharf Marina

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  Cottages on Bainbridge Island

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  Docks and forest clearing on Bainbridge Island

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  Mist surrounds the marina.

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  Seattle-bound cars waiting at Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal

Notable people

Sister cities

Bainbridge has the following sister cities:

• Ometepe Island, Nicaragua
• Nantes, France

See also

In Spanish: Bainbridge Island para niños