Bremerton

Sister cities

• Olongapo
• Kure

History

Bremerton is within the historical territory of the Suquamish people. The land was made available for non-Native settlement by the Treaty of Point Elliott of 1855. Bremerton was founded by German immigrant and real estate agent William Bremer in 1891. In that year, Navy Lieutenant Ambrose Barkley Wyckoff purchased approximately of waterfront land on Sinclair Inlet. This land was owned by the Bremer family. Three years earlier, a U.S. Navy commission determined that Point Turner, between the protected waters of the Sinclair and Dyes inlets, would be the best site in the Pacific Northwest on which to establish a shipyard. Recognizing the large number of workers such a facility would employ, Bremer and his business partner and brother-in-law, Henry Hensel, purchased the undeveloped land near Point Turner at the inflated price of $200 per acre. In April 1891, Bremer arranged for the sale of to the Navy at $50 per acre. This land became part of the initial footprint of the Puget Sound Navy Yard. Bremerton was incorporated on October 15, 1901, with Alvyn Croxton serving as the city's first mayor. Progress in the new city soon faced a major crisis, as Assistant Secretary of the Navy Charles Darling moved all repair work to the Mare Island Navy Yard in California in November 1902. Darling cited reports from commanders that the Bremerton waterfront was rife with prostitution, opium houses and frequent strongarmed robberies of sailors. Politics were probably also at play, as local newspapers reported that the city's incorporation left the shipyard essentially landlocked without room to expand. A dispute ensued between Mayor Croxton, who wanted to shutter all saloons in Bremerton, and three members of the city council, who attempted to block his efforts. Croxton eventually won…

Geography

Bremerton, the largest city in Kitsap County, is located directly west of Seattle across Puget Sound on the Kitsap Peninsula. It is bounded on the southeast and east by Sinclair Inlet and the strait of Port Orchard respectively. The city is divided by the Port Washington Narrows, a strait spanned by two bridges that connect the eastern and western sides of the city. The part of the city northeast of the narrows is referred to as East Bremerton. The city limits extend to the southwest as far as the Mason County line and include Bremerton National Airport. Bremerton is bordered to the south, across Sinclair Inlet, by the city of Port Orchard. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Bremerton has a total area of , of which are land and are water. The ferry terminal and waterfront are the heart of downtown. As Bremerton's historic center, downtown has seen the most dramatic change over the last decade, with blighted blocks being replaced by new apartments, and older buildings being restored. Attractions include Harborside Fountain Park, a boardwalk, and multiple naval history museums. The Admiral Theatre, a restored 1942 Art Deco theater, is Bremerton's most prominent venue for live music and entertainment. The district is known for breweries, coffeeshops, art galleries, and restaurants showcasing diverse cuisines. The city is in the beginning stages of creating a public square on Fourth Street to honor local music icon Quincy Jones. Across the water from Downtown is Manette, a neighborhood on a separate peninsula that functioned as its own town from 1891 to 1930. It was annexed by Bremerton in 1918, and the first Manette Bridge was completed in 1930. Today, Manette is connected to Bremerton via the new Manette Bridge, completed in 2011. Charleston was formerly an…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  25,167
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  22,653
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  21,753
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,216
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  17,299
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,080
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  15,919
• Chestnut-backed Chickadee

  Poecile rufescens (J.K.Townsend, 1837) · Aves
  15,267

Largest nearby schools

• South Kitsap High School
  High · PORT ORCHARD · 2,389 students · 20.2:1 ratio
• Central Kitsap High School
  High · SILVERDALE · 1,659 students · 23:1 ratio
• Bremerton High School
  High · Bremerton · 1,221 students · 18.2:1 ratio
• Olympic High School
  High · BREMERTON · 1,162 students · 22.3:1 ratio
• Klahowya Secondary
  High · SILVERDALE · 969 students · 21.1:1 ratio
• Mountain View Middle School
  Middle · Bremerton · 844 students · 18:1 ratio
• Ridgetop Middle School
  Middle · SILVERDALE · 744 students · 21.9:1 ratio
• John Sedgwick Middle School
  Middle · PORT ORCHARD · 729 students · 18.2:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.86 — 2026-06-08
  2 km ESE of Oak Harbor, Washington
• M 2.84 — 2026-05-27
  4 km W of Wauna, Washington
• M 2.86 — 2026-03-11
  2 km W of Home, Washington
• M 3.02 — 2026-02-24
  4 km ESE of Cathcart, Washington
• M 2.6 — 2026-01-25
  1 km ENE of Enetai, Washington
• M 3.0100000000000002 — 2026-01-22
  2 km NNW of Ames Lake, Washington