How Do You Define ‘Quality of Life’ in Kitsap County WA?
Having traveled rather extensively throughout the United States and overseas, few places compare to the abundance of beauty I’ve discovered here in the Pacific Northwest.
On the Kitsap Peninsula, we’re surrounded by the clear deep waters of the Puget Sound. To the west, the majestic Olympic Mountains rise up dramatically from the shores of Hood Canal. Gazing eastward allows awe-inspiring views of Mt. Rainier, and a ferry ride drops you off into the eclectic capital of cool, Seattle.
For me, personally, the quality of life in Kitsap County is best defined as a safe and enjoyable place to raise a family. All four of our kids have benefited greatly from attending Central Kitsap schools. And together, we continue to amass a wealth of lasting memories like time spent crabbing out on the Hood Canal.
How do you define the ‘Quality of Life’ here in Kitsap County WA? What is it that personally makes it such a great place for you to live?
How could the quality of life in Kitsap County WA be improved? What are we lacking here that would make a significant positive impact? If you could make any changes to our area, what would they be?
“Quality of Life” in Kitsap County, judging by the roadsides and properties I pass, is defined by the right to accumulate and scatter trash as one pleases. Shoulders are strewn with cigarette butts, beer and pop cans, coffee cups, fast food bags, “pee” bottles etc. Properties are “decorated” with derelict cars, blue tarps, old appliances, chained pit bulls, piles of old toys, sagging trampolines. Open ditches and weed-choked strips define most rural and suburban streets.
If residents took pride in our county and cleaned it up, we might be able to see the beauty that lies beneath.
Step 1: Lower the minimum wage.
Step 2: Stop punishing people for opening and running a business.
Step 3: Lower the cost of products.
Step 4: Sit back and enjoy a higher quality of life, knowing that people are now employed, have money to buy things beyond the needed items, and our (local) economy is growing and strong.
Lilly: No argument here. It continues to amaze me all the hoop-jumping that people have to jump through in order to start new businesses. Just look at all the red tape the partners of Olympic View Marina have had to endure just to make a marina in Seabeck a possibility!
Ronna: I agree. It’s very sad that people can’t take basic pride in their homes or the way they treat public property. I would love to see a more agressive ‘Property Adoption’ program (similar to what is done for federal highways) where local organizations could agree to keep a certain area cleaned up in exchange for promtional considerations or tax benefits, etc..
The one change I would make is add cycling/walking trails through-out Kitsap County. Emphasize the splendid, glorious, healthy lifestyle, user friendly place we SHOULD BE.
Our roadways are dangerous for cyclists.
Why is that okay?
Sharon O’Hara
Rich, it’s a shame that a county so blessed with geographic beauty is so poorly regulated with regard to visual pollution. Littering and hoarding seem to be a disease of epidemic proportion. It looks to me like 50% of the population has trash picked up weekly. The other 50% has it delivered weekly.
The roadsides are a mess with beer cans a prominent feature. Must be a lot of drinking while driving going on! I walk every day and on trash pick-up days , my friend and I often bring bags and pick up the trash and put it in the garbage cans along the way. But we can’t keep up with it.
I also find it curious that those who maintain their property and take pride in it, do not extend the maintenance to the roadside but leave the “public” strip a weedy, trashy over-grown mess. Perhaps the county could do something to encourage people to maintain these areas. A little tax break perhaps?
An outstanding photo!