The online publication citiesjournal.com has taken a David
Letterman approach to the “top small cities” in Washington State.
Port Orchard
ranks 6th in the journal’s list of 14 (not Letterman’s 10), as
noted on Facebook by PO locals Matt Carter and Todd Penland.
And look at us go. Port Orchard, with its maritime ties and
eclectic downtown mix of eateries, boutiques and salons (hair,
nail,
tattoo, piercing) beat out Poulsbo, with its Nordic theme, a
longtime solid formula for that town.
“As stated on its website,
Poulsbo has a completely unique and different history from its
neighboring communities. Unlike other small towns and cities in the
local area, this small city was founded by Norwegian settlers,”
citiesjournal.com reports.
Poulsbo came in 12 of 14, ahead of Moses Lake and Chelan.
Beating out Port Orchard, in slots five through numero uno, were
Bellingham, Sequim, Oak Harbor, Hoquiam and Friday Harbor. Nothing
against Hoquiam, but, really? (The article cites the city’s low
taxes related to depressed values on its “nice but old” homes.)
Poulsbo, the journal continues, “may not have a great deal to
offer when it comes to ultra-modern and latest conveniences, but it
does enjoy a close community that values friendship and a rich
cultural heritage. People who place greater priority on these
aspects than what modern society has to offer will find Poulsbo the
ideal place to live.”
The next time you’re in Poulsbo, look for that horse and
buggy.
I’m figuring the author who wrote about
Pullman is a Cougar. The entry on this city, which ranked 9th,
reads, “Pullman has so much going for it that it is hard to know
where to start.”
Port Orchard is described thus, “The city is blessed with an
abundance of marinas filled with boats of all shapes and sizes
which provide comfortable accommodations for visitors to stay. The
downtown area offers fine dining, shopping, and cultural sites to
explore.”
Too bad they illustrated the article not with a picture of the
marina but of the Kitsap County Courthouse … on a cloudy day. The
courthouse, and in fact the whole county campus, is fine and all
and very much part of the city. But PO, we can do better. They
should have checked in the day we posted all those rainbow
pictures. Oh, my God!
“Port Orchard is but a ferry ride away from Seattle and
Bremerton,” the journal continues, “making excursions to the area
quite accessible for those wanting to escape …”
Oh wait, there’s more, ” … “for a day or entire weekend.”
“Port Orchard residents are also quite proud of their military
heritage as perceived by the nearby Puget Sound Naval
Shipyard.”
We won’t tell them the shipyard is in Bremerton, which
apparently is too big to be considered for the Top Small Cities
list. And yes, we all are proud of our military.
Silverdale was not mentioned on the list of Top 10 Cities that
Do Not Exist.
The citiesjournal.com is big on lists. It’s got rankings for
other states, and informational pieces on cities nationwide and
worldwide. The journal covers a wide range of topics, including
“Top 11 Most Haunted Cities,” “13 Best Cities with the Word ‘City’
in Them,” and “Top
12 Cities Aliens Should Colonize.” Detroit tops the list.
So now, we seriously need to suggest a “Top 10” category in
which Bremerton will place. I’ll put out “Top
10 Cities that Enable Raccoons,” for starters.
The ball is in your court.
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