Across Puget Sound from Seattle and its suburbs lies a more rural way of life. But even that is changing, as a growing number of city-dwellers and newcomers are moving into the area to escape big-city crime, traffic and prices.

• Bainbridge Island
• Bremerton
• Gig Harbor
• Kingston
• Port Orchard
• Port Townsend
• Poulsbo
• Silverdale
• Vashon Island
• Whidbey Island

All descriptions are from the Seattle PI

This affluent, 28-square-mile island offers a small-town ambiance and a 35-minute ferry ride to jobs in downtown Seattle. But the commuter culture is a relatively recent innovation for Bainbridge Island. The city of Winslow was incorporated in 1957 and became a village of charming shops and public spaces that greet visitors arriving on the Seattle ferry. In 1990, residents voted to incorporate the entire island, and Winslow was renamed Bainbridge Island after the commander of a Navy frigate in the War of 1812: Commodore William Bainbridge. [via]

A Navy town, a family town

Gateway to the Olympic Peninsula, Bremerton is nestled between the majestic Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. Settled in 1891 around a timber economy, it is home to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Reader's Digest in April 1997 recognized Bremerton as the "Fourth Best Place ... to Raise a Family." [From Seattle PI]

Safe harbor, proud heritage

In 1841, a navy lieutenant was caught in a torrential storm, but found a safe harbor for his gig (small boat). That's how this town of art galleries, bed-and-breakfasts and sailing got its name. The city has continued to cherish its maritime history and takes prides in its cultural heritage.

Born of a mosquito fleet, war

Kingston, originally known as Apple Tree Cove, is an unincorporated community on the west shore of Puget Sound a ferry ride away from Edmonds. The three founders of Kingston were so keen on drawing tourists to their small village that they built a hotel there in 1890 -- the same year the city was platted. But it was the "mosquito fleet" and passenger ferries, which began in the 1920s, and the onset of World War II, that helped Kingston to grow.

Worlds away from it all

Although Port Orchard is only nine miles from Seattle, on the shores of Sinclair Inlet, it is worlds away in lifestyle, pace and atmosphere. Originally part of Bremerton, its 88.5 acres were purchased for a mere $900 by an Illinois inventor named Sidney M. Stevens. It was the first town in the county to be incorporated, in 1890. Today the downtown marina is considered by some boaters to be the best in Puget Sound. The area features numerous restaurants, antique shops, cafes and coffee shops and galleries

Unique and true to its heritage

With its sky blue, stark white and tomato orange-colored Greek-revival style and Victorian-era homes, the city evokes a time when the timber industry and seafaring made a colorful mix. The first settlers to float ashore to what would later be called Port Townsend believed it had the potential to become the greatest city in the Northwest. Today Port Townsend is known as a tourist destination with history aplenty and fairs and festivals throughout the year.

'Plucked right out of Norway'

Poulsbo's historic downtown looks like it was plucked from beside a Norwegian fjord, and the city's annual Viking and Nordic festivals draw plenty of visitors. Poulsbo is dotted with antique shops, boutiques and picnic areas along the waterfront, grassy parks and restaurants.

Quaint shopping and breathtaking views

Silverdale is a thriving city now, but it was slow to develop. In 1841, Antarctic explorer Lt. Charles Wilkes moved through the region as he and his American expedition explored Puget Sound. Loggers began to settle there in 1854 and by the 1880s Scandinavian immigrants were drawn to jobs in the timber industry. Today, besides its pastures and rural settings, Silverdale is a shopping hub, anchored by the Kitsap Mall. And Olde Town Silverdale, perched on the waterfront, offers quaint shopping and breathtaking views.

A rural enclave in Puget Sound

Located just minutes by ferry from West Seattle, Vashon and adjacent Maury Island cover about 48 square miles and boast 54 miles of tidal waterfront. Vashon Island, named in 1792 by explorer George Vancouver, was heavily logged by white pioneers starting in the 1850s. But forests were logged off by the end of the 19th century, and farming took over. In the years since, islanders have resisted development and fiercely opposed suggestions that they be linked to the mainland by a bridge.

Bucolic getaway, Navy air base

Scenic Whidbey Island can be the quietest of bucolic getaways – until a jet from Oak Harbor's Naval Air Station flies overhead and the skies explode with the "sound of freedom." The Navy station is the island's single-biggest employer. The long, skinny glacial island, shaped like a seahorse, boasts some of the finest agate-picking, driftwood-strewn beaches in northern waters. Visitors are drawn by its historic forts, old barns, small wineries and wide-open spaces.