Years ago Saturday Night Live did a skit in which a postmaster informed the horrified masses in Beverly Hills that part of the city would be losing its 90210 zip code and sharing one with Encino.
Apparently, some think Bremerton is comparable to Encino, which would make Port Orchard this area’s Beverly Hills. In Chris Henry’s story, she quotes Nicole Thomas who is moving from East Bremerton 98312 to South Kitsap 98312.
“I just moved out of East Bremerton, and 98312 is the worst part of Bremerton,” she said. “There’s pawn shops and paycheck loans. There’s low-income housing. Every time you look at the Kitsap Sun, the Code 911 is always about Bremerton. We wanted to get out of there,” Thomas said.
She also worried that her kids would have to go to school in the Bremerton School District and that perhaps her real estate value would be down because it’s a Bremerton address. Alas, nothing to worry about. Her kids can go to SK schools, where the adults just failed another levy, where kindergarten kids are in no danger of learning Spanish and high school kids don’t have to worry about going to a school that has too few students.
That sounds like I’m minimizing her concern. She is clearly moving to a safer neighborhood, but mostly because it’s new and away from activity. That it’s Port Orchard matters depending on where. While we’ve had stories about Bremerton being the number one violent crime city in the state per capita, Port Orchard was in the top ten. I’m guessing your real estate agent didn’t tell you that.
Read more about this issue and leave your comments on Chris Henry’s “Speaking of South Kitsap” blog.
