Silverdale (Washington)

Silverdale is on the Kitsap Peninsula in Western Washington.

Understand
Home to the Kitsap Mall and many big box stores, Silverdale is where locals go for shopping. Centrally located near, Bremerton, Poulsbo and Port Orchard, Silverdale is a convenient place to visit. On the shores of Dyes Inlet Silverdale is also accessible by the water and offers many great views of the area.

History
Native American Salish people lived comfortably in the Puget Sound area navigating the local waterways in well made cedar canoes for thousands of years and developed a complex ritualistic society before 1792 when Captain George Vancouver 'discovered' the area, named it after one of his officers and declared the area for Great Britain.

Once the Washington Territory was established in 1853, the U.S. government began signing treaties with area tribes to acquire their lands. The Suquamish people ceded most of their land around the Kitsap Peninsula to the United States and logging came into the area in full force. The areas once impassible thick forests gave way to farms, towns and industry as lumber was shipped off to areas such as San Francisco or burned as fuel for the growing fleet of boats known as the Mosquito Fleet.

It was loggers who settled in Silverdale in 1854. They expanded their operations into the valleys of Kitsap County, building roads as they went. By the 1880s, Scandinavian immigrants were moving into the area seeking work. As the timber production took the prime trees and opened up large areas, attention turned to farming.

Farming conditions were excellent and the family farms thrived. The Farmer's Cooperative was formed in 1887. Dairy, chicken and hog farms abounded even through the middle 20th century.

The town was named in 1878. Settler William Littlewood wanted to name the town Goldendale, but it turned out that another town bore that name. Instead of trying to find an entirely new name, he changed the "gold" to "silver" and named it Silverdale.

In the mid 1880s steamer boats began making regular trips to Seattle from the Kitsap area and by 1900 the sloop "Telka" departed Silverdale for Seattle once a week. While the Silverdale Dock was the center of entertainment and commercial trade well into the 1900s, the community remained a fairly quiet, family-oriented town. Remnants of its beginnings as an agricultural and timber center can be found at places such as the Old Mill Site on Bucklin Hill Rd.

The announcement by the Navy that it would develop its West Coast Trident Submarine Base at Bangor, caused a rush of change in the community as more people moved in to the area and businesses moved into the region to support the growing population. Several attempts towards city-hood have been defeated, leaving the community an unincorporated part of the county overseen by a Commissioner, elected to a Board of three serving from the county seat in Port Orchard.

Silverdale managed to enter the 21st century with some undeveloped land -- pastures, roaming deer and old-time barns. You can also still find a solitary, tree-lined avenue or a quiet park. In fact, relaxing spots can be found in the Silverdale waterfront park, on the Clear Creek Trail and Island Lake County park.

By car
If you are coming from East Bremerton, then take WA-303 north, and when you cross over the Brownsville Hwy intersection, you will enter a short expressway (with exits like Central Valley Blvd, Ridgetop Blvd, etc), and at the end of the expressway is WA-3 interchange. You can also take WA-3 if you are from Poulsbo. An alternative way is that you can go on Viking Way, and go straight on Silverdale Way, and you will enter. If you are from Seabeck, go on Seabeck Hwy and turn left on NW Anderson Hill Road or Newberry Hill road, and if you take the Anderson Hill Road cross over Old Frontier Rd/Provost Rd intersection and go straight on the roundabout after going under WA-3; if you chose Newberry Hill Road, go straight and it will change on Silverdale Way NW once you pass Chico Way NW. You can take Tracyton Blvd or Bucklin Hill Road to get there, too.

By plane
The nearest airport is Bremerton National Airport. However, it's only for general aviation. The nearest airport for passengers is SeaTac Airport, which is a 1-hour drive via WA-16 off I-5.

Get around
Getting around is easy. The most places are on Ridgetop Blvd and Silverdale Way. You can also shop at Kitsap Mall, the only mall that is in Kitsap County.

See
Whaling Days - The most famous event, which happens on the fourth Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of July. It features food and craft booths, carnival games and concerts.

Birdwatching
The Kitsap Audubon Society has been actively meeting since 1972 and has a broad coalition of birders actively tracking and sharing sightings since then. They also maintain an active website with updates of the latest sightings, suggestions on areas for birders and even a regular newsletter. They also developed a checklist of birds likely to be seen in the area.

The state Audubon society developed 'The Great Audubon Birding Trail' which includes key migration flyways. Flyways are major north-south routes of travel for migratory birds and likely areas to see birds along the route extending from Alaska to Patagonia. The Old Mill Park in Silverdale is one of only a handful of areas in the region named to the list.

Chuck E' Cheese's - next to the Silverdale Way/Myhre Road intersection, Chuck E' Cheese's is a basic sit-down pizza restaurant with a lot of arcade games.

Go next
You can go to Shelton or Port Angeles, or even Port Gamble (looks like it has been in the 1940s!) And sometimes, try to go to Grand Mound as your next stop to the famous Great Wolf Lodge (a fun hotel).