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is an island-city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, located in Puget Sound. The population was 20,308 at the 2000 census but is now estimated at over 24,000.
magazine named Bainbridge Island the second-best place to live in the United States.
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anchored off Restoration Point at the southern end of Bainbridge Island while boat parties surveyed other parts of Puget Sound. Vancouver spent a day investigating Rich Passage, Port Orchard, and Sinclair Inlet. He failed to find Agate Passage and so his maps show Bainbridge Island as a peninsula. Vancouver named Restoration Point on May 29, the anniversary of the English Restoration, in honor of King Charles II.
In 1841, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Charles Wilkes visited the island while surveying the Northwest. Lt. Wilkes named the island after Commodore William Bainbridge, commander of the frigate
in the War of 1812. Bainbridge Island was originally a center for the logging and shipbuilding industries. The island was known for huge and accessible cedars, which were especially in demand for ships' masts. The original county seat of Kitsap County was at Port Madison on the north end of the island. During World War II, Japanese-American residents of Bainbridge Island were the first to be sent to internment camps. They were held by the U.S. government through the duration of the war for fear of espionage.
The city of Bainbridge Island has occupied the entire island since February 28, 1991, when the former City of Winslow (around 1.5 square miles (3.9 km
) of land on Eagle Harbor, incorporated August 9, 1947) annexed the rest of the island. Since the 1960s, Bainbridge Island has become an increasingly affluent bedroom community of Seattle, a 35-minute ride away on the Washington State Ferries. The community has been especially concerned with preserving green space and keeping a tight control over development, both residential and commercial. The Bainbridge Island Land Trust, city and park district are instrumental in maintaining island open space.
In 2001, Bainbridge Island Little League were represented in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania at the Little League World Series.
The sports programs are highly successful including the High School lacrosse team, known for their numerous state titles, the most recent on May 19, 2007 over rival Mercer Island, their 11th state title. The island's high school sailing team has been the reigning Northwest Interscholastic Sailing Association
district double handed team racing champions for the past five seasons, and is currently ranked 12th in the nation. The high school's percussion ensemble has competed in the WMEA Solo & Ensemble for years and is currently ranked 2nd in the state.