If I had my druthers, I'd live somewhere North of Riddell Rd. and generally along or East of Central Valley Rd. (Links go to Google Maps.) That's basically the East side of Silverdale and a bit of the North end of Bremerton. It's about as central as you can get in Kitsap County without living in the dense(er) core of Silverdale.

There's quite a bit of older neighborhoods in that area, and some "country (ish)" areas without being out in the actual boondocks.

Whether you'd want to live there rather than Port Orchard really depends on where you'll be working. You really don't want to go through Gorst on a regular basis if you can avoid it, especially during rush hour. It gets pretty nasty through there, and there's a blocking accident every month or so it seems.

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I’d suggest Gig Harbor if you can afford it.