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Everett

Lushootseed: dᶻəɬigʷəd
City of Everett
A train station with a three-story building and covered platforms seen against a background with several high-rise buildings in the distance.
Everett Station and the city skyline
A circle interrupted by three jagged lines that resemble a mountain and waves. The word "Everett" sits at the bottom-right corner of the seal.
Seal
A blue square with three white lines to form a stylized "E", with the words "Everett Washington" next to it.
Logo
Location of Everett, Washington
Location of Everett, Washington
Everett is located in the United States
Everett
Everett
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Washington
County Snohomish
Established 1890
Incorporated May 4, 1893
Government
 • Type Mayor–council
Area
 • City 47.91 sq mi (124.08 km2)
 • Land 33.19 sq mi (85.96 km2)
 • Water 14.71 sq mi (38.11 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • City 110,629
 • Rank US: 280th
WA: 7th
 • Density 3,358.6/sq mi (1,296.76/km2)
 • Metro
4,018,762 (US: 15th)
Demonym(s) Everettite
Time zone UTC−8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−7 (PDT)
Zip codes
98201, 98203, 98204, 98206, 98207, 98208, 98213
Area code(s) 425
FIPS code 53-22640
GNIS feature ID 1512198

Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is 25 miles (40 km) north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett is the seventh-largest city in the state by population, with 110,629 residents as of the 2020 census. The city is primarily situated on a peninsula at the mouth of the Snohomish River along Port Gardner Bay, an inlet of Possession Sound (itself part of Puget Sound), and extends to the south and west.

The Port Gardner Peninsula was historically inhabited by the Snohomish people, who had a winter village named Hibulb near the mouth of the river. Modern settlement in the area began with loggers and homesteaders arriving in the 1860s, but plans to build a city were not conceived until 1890. A consortium of East Coast investors seeking to build a major industrial city acquired land in the area and filed a plat for "Everett", which they named in honor of Everett Colby, the son of investor Charles L. Colby. The city was incorporated in 1893, shortly after the arrival of the Great Northern Railway, and prospered as a major lumber center with several large sawmills. Everett became the county seat in 1897 after a dispute with Snohomish contested over several elections and a Supreme Court case. The city was the site of labor unrest during the 1910s, which culminated in the Everett massacre in 1916 that killed several members of the Industrial Workers of the World.

The area was connected by new interurban railways and highway bridges in the 1920s, transforming it into a major commercial hub, and gained an airport at Paine Field in 1936. The city's economy transitioned away from lumber and towards aerospace after World War II, with the construction of Boeing's aircraft assembly plant at Paine Field in 1967. Boeing's presence brought additional industrial and commercial development to Everett, as well as new residential neighborhoods to the south and west of the peninsula that was annexed by the city. Boeing remains the city's largest employer, alongside the U.S. Navy, which has operated Naval Station Everett since 1994.

Everett remains a major employment center for Snohomish County, but has also become a bedroom community for Seattle in recent decades. It is connected to Seattle by Interstate 5 and various public transit services at Everett Station, including the Sounder commuter train, Amtrak, and commuter buses. Everett stages several annual festivals and is also home to minor league sports teams, including the Everett Silvertips at Angel of the Winds Arena and Everett Aquasox at Funko Field.

History

Everettwaterfront
Weyerhaeuser Lumber Mill, Everett Waterfront, c. early 1900s

The land on which Everett was founded was surrendered to the United States by its original inhabitants under the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott. Permanent settlement in the area by European descendants started in 1861 when Dennis Brigham built a cabin on a 160-acre (0.6 km2) claim on the shore of Port Gardner Bay. Over the next several years a handful of settlers moved to the area, but it wasn't until 1890 that plans for platting a town were conceived.

On July 17, 1890, The steamship Queen of the Pacific left Tacoma for an Alaskan cruise with Henry Hewitt, Jr. and Charles L. Colby aboard. During this "Fateful voyage" initial plans for an industrial city on the peninsula along the banks of the Snohomish river were formulated. On August 22, 1890, The Rucker Brothers filed their plat at Port Gardner, a 50-acre (200,000 m2) townsite on the bayfront side of what is now the city of Everett. This plat was later withdrawn to accommodate the plans of the Hewitt-Colby group.

On September 1, 1890, Henry Hewitt filed a bond on the Davis tract at the north end of what was to become the Everett town site, beginning the process of acquisition that would become the Everett Land Company later along with Charles L. Colby and Colgate Hoyt. In October 1890, the Hewitt-Colby syndicate decided to name their industrial city after Everett Colby, the fifteen-year-old son of investor Charles L. Colby, who had displayed a prodigious appetite at dinner. Everett Colby in turn was named for orator Edward Everett.

On November 19, 1890, the Articles of Incorporation for the Everett Land Company were filed, with Henry Hewitt Jr. as president. On November 26, 1890, the Rucker Brothers transferred 434.15 acres (1.7569 km2) of property on the Everett peninsula to Hewitt. Three days later, "The Remarkable Document" was drafted, setting the terms by which the Rucker Brothers would donate half their remaining holdings to Hewitt in exchange for promises of specific development.

The Company bought much of the Ruckers' land, taking them in as junior partners. Everett was officially incorporated on May 4, 1893, the year the Great Northern Railway came to the town. Both Hewitt and the Ruckers had speculated that James J. Hill would make the town the terminus of his railroad. However Hill continued the railroad along the shore of Puget Sound to Seattle. Although it succeeded in building the city, the Everett Land Company was a failure for its investors. The outside investors withdrew, and the Company's holdings were transferred to a new company controlled by Hill. The Ruckers, who helped broker the deal, stayed in Everett and became leading citizens of the young city.

Railroads and mines played a part in Everett's future. The mining community of Monte Cristo depended on a railway for supplies. It was hoped that the railroad would cross the mountains and bring in traffic. For a while ore was smelted in Everett, then sawmilling and port activity commenced. A dozen steam riverboats were built in Everett for the Yukon gold rush.

Several survivors of the Bellingham riots settled in Everett for two months, until they were beaten and forcefully evicted by a mob on November 5, 1907. Everett also was the site of the Everett Massacre of 1916 which was an armed confrontation between a mob, led by local Sheriff Donald McRae, and Industrial Workers of the World members. The IWW members were on the steamer Verona and sought to land, but Sheriff McRae denied them his permission. Shooting broke out and at least five IWW's were killed and two in the Sheriff's mob were killed.

Everett streets are named after each of the three founders. Adjacent streets Colby Avenue and Hoyt Avenue run north and south and are intersected by Hewitt Avenue running east and west just south of the BNSF Railway tracks cutting across Everett. There are several other streets named for their associates such as Bond Street named for Judge Hiram Bond, President of the Everett & Monte Cristo Railroad. Parallel to Colby and Hoyt are avenues named for other investors, John D. Rockefeller, railroad executive T.F. Oakes, shipbuilder Alexander McDougall, and McDougall's associate Charles W. Wetmore.

Geography

Topography

Everett is located at 47°" West (47.963434, -122.200527). The city is one of the core cities comprising the Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia CMSA.

The core of Everett sits on the Port Gardner Peninsula, formed by Port Gardner Bay on the west and the Snohomish River to the north and east. Newer portions of the city generally extend southward from this point for a distance of approximately 8 miles (13 km).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 48.49 square miles (125.59 km2), of which, 33.45 square miles (86.64 km2) is land and 15.04 square miles (38.95 km2) is water.

Surrounding municipalities

Climate

The climate of Everett is heavily influenced by marine air masses, which tend to moderate temperatures with seasonal variations much less pronounced than inland areas. Due to a drying trend in the summer months, Everett has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) according to the Köppen climate classification system.

Climate data for Everett
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 72
(22)
74
(23)
82
(28)
85
(29)
93
(34)
98
(37)
93
(34)
94
(34)
89
(32)
83
(28)
74
(23)
66
(19)
98
(37)
Average high °F (°C) 44.9
(7.2)
48.8
(9.3)
52.8
(11.6)
58.1
(14.5)
63.6
(17.6)
68.3
(20.2)
72.6
(22.6)
72.7
(22.6)
67.8
(19.9)
59.5
(15.3)
50.9
(10.5)
45.7
(7.6)
58.8
(14.9)
Average low °F (°C) 33.1
(0.6)
34.4
(1.3)
36.8
(2.7)
40.4
(4.7)
45.3
(7.4)
50.2
(10.1)
52.9
(11.6)
52.8
(11.6)
48.3
(9.1)
43
(6)
37.6
(3.1)
34.3
(1.3)
42.4
(5.8)
Record low °F (°C) 1
(−17)
2
(−17)
10
(−12)
23
(−5)
29
(−2)
36
(2)
37
(3)
38
(3)
30
(−1)
22
(−6)
0
(−18)
5
(−15)
0
(−18)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 4.51
(115)
3.25
(83)
3.57
(91)
2.7
(69)
2.34
(59)
2.12
(54)
1.04
(26)
1.2
(30)
1.98
(50)
3.39
(86)
4.65
(118)
4.96
(126)
35.71
(907)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 3.3
(8.4)
1.2
(3.0)
0.6
(1.5)
0.2
(0.51)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.6
(1.5)
1.4
(3.6)
7.3
(19)
Average precipitation days 19 16 18 15 12 10 6 6 9 15 18 19 163

Cityscape

Downtown

Everett Mutual Tower (18345199053)
Key Bank Tower, the tallest building in Everett, Washington

Downtown Everett is generally defined by the area north of Pacific Avenue, east of West Marine View Drive, south of Everett Avenue, and west of Broadway. Downtown is home to the government campuses of Snohomish County and the City of Everett, multiple high-rise office and residential buildings, as well as the Xfinity Arena at Everett, Everett Public Library and other city amenities.

The tallest building in Everett, Key Bank Tower, is located in Downtown.

Historic district

Henry M. Jackson's Home-1
Henry M. Jackson's home in Everett, Washington

The Everett historic district runs from around 8th Street to 25th Street, north to south and from Broadway to Grand Avenue, east to west. The district contains many old and stately homes, including the home of the former U.S. Senator Henry M. Jackson on Grand Avenue.

Waterfront

Port Gardner Wharf
View from Everett Yacht Club on Port Gardner Wharf

Situated at the mouth of the Snohomish River on Possession Sound, the Everett waterfront is home to Naval Station Everett and the Port of Everett (est. 1918). The Port of Everett includes both a deep-water commercial seaport and a marina with over 2,000 slips, which it claims to be the largest on the west coast of the United States.

The waterfront is also home to the Everett Yacht Club, which was founded in 1907, although it existed in some form as early as 1895. During summer months, the marina is home to the Everett Farmer's Market (Sundays) and the Waterfront Concert Series (Thursday nights), part of a citywide free concert series which, in 2006, attracted over 26,000 visitors. Each September, Tenth Street Park on the waterfront is home to the annual Everett Coho Derby, while each August the marina promenade is gowned in local art during the Fresh Paint Festival of Artists.

Parks and gardens

Everett - Grand Ave Park
Grand Ave. Park

Everett is home to 40 parks. The biggest parks are Walter E. Hall Park at 137 acres (0.6 km2), Forest Park at 111 acres (0.4 km2), Langus Riverfront Park at 96 acres (0.39 km2), Kasch Park at 60 acres (0.24 km2), Howarth Park at 28 acres (0.11 km2), and Thornton A. Sullivan Park at 27 acres (0.11 km2). Walter E. Hall Park, near the Boeing plant, sports a golf course and a skate park; Forest Park, a swimming pool, hockey, horseshoes, miles of trails and an animal farm; Langus Park, a boat launch; Kasch Park, four softball fields; Howarth Park, a sandy beach on Puget Sound; and Thornton A. Sullivan Park hosts a sandy swimming beach on Silver Lake as well as public docks for fishing.

Forest Park

Forest Park is the oldest public park in Everett. As its name suggests, the park is heavily wooded. It is home to miles of trails, a playground, and a popular public swimming pool.

Jetty Island

Jetty Island is a man-made island and park located in the Puget Sound, just off the Everett, Washington waterfront. The island is two miles long and half a mile wide, approximately 1,800 acres. The island has no plumbing, electricity or structures. During the summer months, a ferry becomes operational, allowing transportation to and from the island. A floating restroom also becomes operational off the island's shore. Jetty Island's unique features provide excellent habitat for birds and juvenile salmon. The island is home to more than 45 bird species including osprey, shorebirds, hawks, eagles, cormorants and ducks. Visitors may see seals surfacing or lounging near the water's edge, or even witness gray whales swimming past during spring migration.

Nishiyama Garden

Nishiyama Garden is a traditional Japanese garden located at the Nippon Business Institute at Everett Community College. It features Sukiya-style wooden gates, gravel paths, stones, trees, a small stream and a portion of the famous Kintai Bridge from Iwakuni, Japan, one of Everett's sister cities.

Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens

Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens (2.4 acres (9,700 m2)) is an arboretum and park located at the south end of Legion Park, at the intersection of Alverson and Marine View Drive. Gardens include sculpture and vistas of Puget Sound, as well as:

Neighborhoods

The city of Everett maintains an Office of Neighborhoods which facilitate communication between the city and the 19 established neighborhood associations. Each of the officially recognized neighborhood associations operate independently to better their established geographic areas within the city. The neighborhoods are:

  • Bayside – comprising much of the central business district, the waterfront, and the surrounding residential areas.
  • Boulevard Bluffs – primarily residential area of the city bordering Mukilteo.
  • Cascade View – residential area in South Everett, north of Everett Mall
  • Delta – primarily residential area north of downtown Everett
  • Evergreen – primarily residential area in South Everett.
  • Glacier View – older residential area south of downtown.
  • Harborview-Seahurst-Glenhaven – older residential areas south of downtown.
  • Holly – a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial areas on the southern edge of the city.
  • Lowell – formerly an independent town, Lowell is a primarily residential area southeast of downtown.
  • Northwest – older residential areas northwest of downtown.
  • Pinehurst-Beverly Park – mix of residential and commercial developments in South Everett.
  • Port Gardner – residential neighborhoods south of downtown.
  • Riverside – areas just northeast of downtown.
  • Silver Lake – residential and commercial areas surrounding Silver Lake in the extreme southeastern part of the city.
  • South Forest Park – residential neighborhood near downtown.
  • Twin Creeks – the area surrounding Everett Mall, a mix of residential and commercial areas.
  • Valley View-Sylvan Crest-Larimer Ridge – residential areas in southeast Everett.
  • View Ridge-Madison – residential areas west and southwest of Forest Park.
  • Westmont – primarily multi-family housing in the southwestern part of the city.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 7,838
1910 24,814 216.6%
1920 27,644 11.4%
1930 30,567 10.6%
1940 30,224 −1.1%
1950 33,849 12.0%
1960 40,304 19.1%
1970 53,622 33.0%
1980 54,413 1.5%
1990 69,961 28.6%
2000 91,488 30.8%
2010 103,019 12.6%
2020 110,629 7.4%
Sources: U.S. Decennial Census

Everett is the largest city in Snohomish County and the seventh largest in Washington state by population, ranking between Kent and Renton. It had a population of 110,629 at the time of the 2020 U.S. census. The city's urban growth area has a population of 44,596 residents as of 2016 that are part of unincorporated Snohomish County. Everett's population grew by 47 percent from 1990 to 2000 and 13 percent from 2000 to 2010, due to annexations and increased housing development. It is projected to increase by 40,000 to 60,000 residents by 2035 as part of state-mandated growth plans. The city's population growth since 1990 has largely been driven by non-Caucasian racial groups, with the white majority decreasing from 92 percent in 1990 to 75 percent in 2010.

The city had 16,394 housing units in 2010, 9,181 of which were single-family homes and 7,213 of which were in multi-family housing. Everett's homeownership rate is among the lowest in Washington, with 44 percent of homes occupied by their owners, and its residents have a low median income relative to the county and Seattle metropolitan area. The average monthly rent for housing units in Everett in 2013 ranged from $700 for a studio apartment to $2,723 for a five-bedroom home. The city also has several affordable housing complexes that provide 2,461 units to low-income households through federal and local grants.

2010 census

As of the 2010 U.S. census, there were 103,019 people, 41,312 households, and 23,282 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,079.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,189.1/km2). There were 44,609 housing units at an average density of 1,333.6 per square mile (514.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 74.6% White, 4.1% African American, 1.4% Native American, 7.8% Asian, 0.7% Pacific Islander, 6.1% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 14.2% of the population.

There were 41,312 households, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.6% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.09.

The median age in the city was 34.4 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.6% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.9% male and 49.1% female.

Culture

Media

The Everett Daily Herald newspaper has been published in print continuously since February 11, 1901 and online since January 5, 1997, providing local and international news for Everett and the greater Snohomish County area. It was purchased by The Washington Post Company in 1978 and sold to Black Press subsidiary Sound Publishing. The Herald also publishes the monthly Herald Business Journal and has a sister publication, La Raza del Noroeste, which is a weekly Spanish-language newspaper founded in 2006 to serve the greater Puget Sound area.

Everett is home to five radio stations. KRKO and KKXA are jointly operated along with the EverettPost.com from facilities in downtown Everett. KRKO 1380 AM (est. 1922) is a locally owned 50,000 Watt sports radio station affiliated with FOX Sports Radio and it is the broadcast home for the Seattle Mariner's affiliate Everett AquaSox,the Western Hockey League Everett Silvertips and NCAA Division I Football and Basketball. KKXA 1520 AM (est. 2011) is also a locally owned 50,000 Watt radio station. The KKXA format is classic country. KSER 90.7 FM (est. 1991) is an independent public radio station broadcasting a wide range of music, as well as Democracy Now!, BBC News, The Takeaway, and other nationally syndicated programming. KSER also provides north Puget Sound regionally focused news and information. KXIR 89.9 FM (est. 2013) is the sister station to KSER and is produced in Everett, but licensed in Freeland, WA. KWYZ 1230 AM (est. 1940s) is a Korean language station.

KONG-TV, which broadcasts from Seattle, is licensed to Everett.

Arts

Everett Theater 02
Historic Everett Theatre

Downtown Everett is home to the Xfinity Arena, the Everett Performing Arts Center (home to the Village Theatre theatre company), The Historic Everett Theatre (built in 1901 and is one of the oldest active theatre West of the Rockies), the Imagine Children's Museum, the Arts Council of Snohomish County, and an array of street sculptures. The Everett Symphony (established 1935) performs at the Everett Civic Auditorium. The city is also home to the Everett Chorale, which holds their concerts at the Everett Performing Arts Center.

Founded as the Arts Council of Snohomish County, the Schack Art Center opened in downtown Everett in April 2011 and was named for John and Idamae Schack, in honor of their steadfast support of Everett's cultural institutions. It is the place to look at, learn about, and create art in the region. Village Theatre has produced musical theatre since 1979. Through its Village Originals program, Village Theatre contributes to the development of new musicals, having launched over 145 new works to date. Its youth education programs, Pied Piper and KIDSTAGE, serving over 55,000 young people, families, and schools annually.

Since the end of the Great Recession (2009), Seattle has seen its cost of living rise exponentially, largely due to large-scale economic development and the growth of the tech industry. As its perception as a working class community has diminished, many musicians and artists have found it increasingly difficult to live within Seattle proper. This has led to an "artistic flight" toward neighboring communities, most notably Everett which is often cited as possessing the "true grit and soul of the 90's."

Libraries

The historically and architecturally significant Everett Public Library is a cornerstone of Everett's downtown and a beacon to its citizens. Additionally, the Evergreen Branch, situated on busy Evergreen Way in south Everett, serves an ever-increasing, ethnically diverse neighborhood.

Sports teams

Club Sport Founded League Venue Championships
Everett AquaSox Baseball 1984 Northwest League Everett Memorial Stadium 1985, 2010
Everett Silvertips Hockey 2003 Western Hockey League Xfinity Arena
Washington Stealth Lacrosse 2010 National Lacrosse League Xfinity Arena 2010
Puget Sound Gunners FC Soccer 2010 USL Premier Development League Goddard Memorial Stadium

Sister cities

Everett has the following sister city relationships:

Gallery

Economy

Aerial Boeing Everett Factory October 2011
The Boeing Everett Factory, the largest employer in Snohomish County

Everett has a workforce population of 88,146 people with 59,599 who are employed, according to a 2018 estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau. The city also had an estimated 7,335 registered businesses in 2012 providing 94,000 jobs. Everett's economy is centered around aerospace manufacturing, maritime activities, the technology sector, and the service industry. The largest employer in the city is airplane manufacturer Boeing, with 31 percent of all jobs. The company's main manufacturing plant near Paine Field is the world's largest building by volume. The local economy of Everett and Snohomish County is heavily affected by Boeing's performance, with layoffs and strikes causing downturns in other industries.

The city's economy in the 19th and early 20th centuries was tied to the lumber trade and maritime industries, including fishing and boat manufacturing. Everett's last remaining wood pulp mill, owned by Kimberly-Clark, shut down in April 2012 and was demolished a year later, marking the end of the lumber economy's dominance. The aerospace industry in Everett began growing in the late 1960s after Boeing began constructing its assembly plant at Paine Field, bringing suppliers and subcontractors to the area. Since the 1990s, the city government has encouraged economic development in other industries to add diversity, particularly in the technology sector. The Port of Everett has also developed its own industrial park in North Everett that is home to an aerospace supplier and distribution centers for Amazon and FedEx.

As of 2018, the largest industry in Everett is manufacturing, with 18 percent of residents employed there, followed by educational services (18%), retail (12%), professional services (11%), and entertainment (11%). Electronics manufacturer Fluke Corporation (now part of Fortive) is based in Everett and has 1,000 employees in Washington state. Toymaker Funko is also headquartered in Downtown Everett, where it has its own retail store that opened in 2017, and operates a distribution center in the city. Other large employers in Everett include the Providence Regional Medical Center with 4,900 employees, the U.S. Navy with 2,900 employees, and Everett Public Schools with 2,440 employees.

Approximately 28 percent of Everett workers are employed at businesses within the city limits, while 15 percent commute to Seattle. The majority of the city's employed residents (70%) commute to work in single-occupant vehicles, while 14 percent use carpools and 6 percent use public transportation. Everett workplaces have employees who live across Snohomish and King counties, with 15 percent from within the city, 7 percent from Marysville, 5 percent from Seattle, and 4 percent from Lake Stevens. The changing of first shift at the Boeing facility in Everett causes a spike in traffic congestion during the mornings and early afternoons that spills out from freeways onto local streets.

The city's retailers had total sales of $2 billion in 2012 and are concentrated along two major highways, Evergreen Way and Everett Mall Way, in strip malls and standalone big-box stores. The intersection of the two corridors is home to a large auto row that developed in the 1980s after dealerships relocated from Downtown Everett. The Everett Mall opened in 1974 and has over 100 stores. The mall was expanded in 2005, adding a movie theater and a new set of stores, but has since lost two major retailers and several other tenants.

Largest employers

Largest employers in Everett, Washington (as of 2018)
Rank Employer Number of employees
1 Boeing 35,000
2 Providence Regional Medical Center Everett 4,906
3 State of Washington 3,000
4 Naval Station Everett 2,900
5 The Everett Clinic 2,871
6 Snohomish County 2,759
7 Everett Public Schools 2,443
8 Fluke Corporation (Fortive) 1,200
9 City of Everett 1,198
10 Snohomish County Public Utility District 1,004

Education

Everett High School-1
Everett High School, opened in 1910 and part of Everett Public Schools

The city's public education system is managed by Everett Public Schools (officially the Everett School District), which has 26 schools, 2,000 staff members, and an enrollment of 20,000 students. The school district is managed by a five-member elected board and covers 52 square miles (130 km2), including most of Everett, the city of Mill Creek, and the unincorporated area of Silver Firs. The southern and western neighborhoods of Everett are served by the Mukilteo School District, which also has its own high school (Mariner) in the area.

Everett Public Schools has three high school campuses: Everett High School near downtown, Cascade High School near Casino Corner, and Henry M. Jackson High School in Mill Creek. The school district was recognized in 2016 for its high graduation rates of 90 percent for four-year students and 94.5 percent for five-year students. A fourth high school campus, planned to cost $220 million to build, was part of a bond measure in February 2018 that was rejected by voters, resulting in boundary changes for the existing schools. The school district also has five middle schools and 18 elementary schools in Everett and Mill Creek. The city is also home to two alternative schools: Sequoia High School, operated by Everett Public Schools, and ACES High School, operated by the Mukilteo School District.

The Everett area is also home to several private school systems operated by religious organizations and independent educators, including those that cater to commuters from around the county. The largest private high school in the county is Archbishop Murphy High School, a Catholic school in southeastern Everett, with an enrollment of 500 students. Other major private religious schools include the Everett Christian School, Cedar Park Christian School, and Northshore Christian Academy.

Higher education

Everett Community College (EvCC) is a two-year public community college that has enrolled 19,000 students from around Snohomish County and 463 total faculty members. The college's main campus is in North Everett on the south side of Legion Memorial Golf Course. It was established in 1941 at a former downtown elementary school and moved to its North Everett location in 1958, where it has since expanded several times.

Civic and business leaders from the Everett area began lobbying the state legislature for a four-year college in the 1990s, proposing a branch of an existing state college to serve Snohomish, Island, and Skagit counties. A site in Bothell was instead chosen for a northern branch campus for the University of Washington (UW), but only 27 percent of its students were from Snohomish County. In 2007, the state legislature authorized planning funds for a UW branch campus in Snohomish County and a site near Everett Station was named as a finalist alongside candidates in Lake Stevens and Marysville. The branch campus project was shelved by the state legislature in 2008 amid a funding shortfall for the education system.

Washington State University Everett opened in 2017 as a branch campus of WSU and is adjacent to the EvCC campus in North Everett. The branch campus was conceived as a replacement for the UW proposal and included a WSU takeover of the University Center of North Puget Sound, an alternative degrees program at EvCC, in 2014. The EvCC campus also houses a branch of Western Washington University, which it established in 1986.

Everett is also home to several private and specialized colleges, including City University and Everest College near the Everett Mall. The city also has branch campuses for Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University near the Boeing assembly plant and Columbia College at Naval Station Everett. Everett's two major Lutheran churches operated a pair of short-lived private colleges in the early 20th century, Bethania College and Columbia College. Henry Cogswell College, a private institution, moved from Kirkland to Everett in 1996 and closed in 2006. In the 2010s, Bryman College and Trinity Lutheran College both closed their Everett campuses.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Everett Station from Smith Ave, April 2020
Everett Station, the city's Amtrak and Sounder commuter rail station that also serves local and express buses

The city is bisected by Interstate 5 (I-5), a major north–south freeway that connects Everett to Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. The Everett–Seattle section of I-5 is rated as one of the most congested in the United States during commuting hours, with an average of 94 minutes to travel 24 miles (39 km) and 182,000 daily vehicles in South Everett. The city also has several major highways with intercity connections, including U.S. Route 2 to Wenatchee via Stevens Pass; State Route 99 from the Everett Mall to Seattle; State Route 526 to Mukilteo; State Route 527 from the Everett Mall to Mill Creek; and State Route 529 from the waterfront to Marysville.

Everett has several public transit and intercity transport services that intersect at Everett Station, a multimodal train and bus station that opened in 2002. The station is served by two Amtrak routes: Cascades, which connects Vancouver to Seattle and Portland, Oregon; and the Empire Builder, which travels from Seattle to Chicago. Everett is also the northern terminus of the Sounder commuter rail system, which is operated by Sound Transit and travels south to Seattle during peak hours with stops in Mukilteo and Edmonds. The station is served by intercity buses from Greyhound Lines, BoltBus, and Northwestern Trailways, which connect Everett to cities in the Pacific Northwest. The passenger trains operate on tracks owned by BNSF Railway, which operates freight service and maintains a major railyard in Northeast Everett.

The city-run Everett Transit system was established in 1969, replacing a private operator that had opened the first streetcar lines in the city in 1893. The countywide Community Transit system, based in Everett, connects to surrounding cities and operates a commuter bus network. Its bus rapid transit system, Swift, has two lines that travel through the city: the Blue Line from Downtown Everett to Shoreline via State Route 99; and the Green Line, which connects the Boeing plant to Mill Creek and northern Bothell. Sound Transit also provides express bus service to Bellevue during peak hours and Downtown Seattle at all hours. The agency plans to extend its Link light rail service to Downtown Everett in 2036, as part of the Sound Transit 3 plan passed by voters in 2016. Everett was connected with Seattle by an interurban railway from 1910 to 1939, with the right-of-way later used for the Interurban Trail.

Everett's airport, Paine Field, is operated by Snohomish County primarily for aerospace businesses and general aviation. The airport was opened in 1936 and was used as a military base and commercial airport until 1966, when Boeing selected it for the site of a major assembly plant. Commercial passenger service to Paine Field resumed on March 4, 2019, after the construction of a new terminal operated by a private company. The nearest major airports are Boeing Field in Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in southern King County. A private passenger ferry from the Port of Everett provides access to Hat Island in Possession Sound.

Utilities

Electric power for Everett is provided by the Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD), a consumer-owned public utility that serves all of Snohomish County and derives 90 percent of its electricity from hydropower. The privately run Puget Sound Energy provides natural gas service to the city's residents and businesses. The city government contracts with Rubatino Refuse Removal and Waste Management for curbside garbage, recycling, and yard waste collection and disposal. Everett's municipal wastewater and sewage system, which is combined with stormwater treatment, includes 145 miles (233 km) of pipes that primarily feed into the Everett Water Pollution Control Facility on Smith Island and empties in the Snohomish River delta.

The City of Everett maintains a tap water system that supplies 80 percent of Snohomish County through interlocal agreements with other municipalities and water districts. The system primarily sources its water from Spada Lake, an artificial reservoir on the Sultan River created by the Culmback Dam and located 25 miles (40 km) east of Everett in the Cascade Mountains. The water is treated at a filtration plant at Lake Chaplain, the system's secondary water source, which has a capacity of 134 million US gallons (510,000 kl) per day and typically handles 50 million US gal (190,000 kl) per day. The Sultan River basin has been used as the main source of the city's water since 1917 and uses a 25-mile (40 km) network of pipes to reach Everett; the modern Spada Lake reservoir was formed in 1965 by the construction of the Culmback Dam, co-owned by Everett and the Snohomish County PUD.

The city is covered by several telecommunications companies that provide telephone, broadband internet, and other services. Ziply Fiber (formerly part of Frontier Communications) is the largest telecommunications provider in the city and inherited its legacy system from GTE Northwest and Verizon. The company is based in Everett at a building near the Boeing Factory that was completed in 1981 for GTE. Other major providers in the Everett area include Comcast Xfinity, CenturyLink, and Wave Broadband.

Healthcare

Everett, WA - Providence Regional Medical Center (49701695111)
The original building and main tower at the Colby campus of the Providence Regional Medical Center

Everett is home to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, a system of two general hospitals operated by Providence Health & Services. The hospital system was formed in 1994 by the merger of two existing hospitals in Everett: the Everett General Hospital, opened in January 1894 as the city's first hospital; and Providence Hospital, established in 1905 near Downtown Everett. The existing Providence Hospital was renamed the Providence Pacific Campus, while the former General Hospital became the Colby Campus, which was expanded in 2011 with a 12-story medical tower. The Providence campuses have a combined 3,300 employees and 571 beds, and are rated as a Level II trauma center.

The city also has several medical services with clinics and specialized facilities operated by Providence and other providers. Kaiser Permanente has a five-story medical tower in Downtown Everett with a walk-in clinic, specialty services, and an urgent care clinic. The building originally opened for Group Health in 1994 to consolidate its three clinics in Everett and is being expanded with a new building that began construction in 2020. The Everett Clinic is based in the city and operates medical facilities across Snohomish County, serving 320,000 patients. The system was founded in 1924 and acquired in 2016 by DaVita Inc.; it was then sold to UnitedHealth Group's Optum a year later. The non-profit Community Health Center of Snohomish County operates four medical clinics in Everett, providing services to primarily low-income and uninsured patients.

Notable people

The city's residents are known as Everettites. Among them are U.S. Senator Henry M. Jackson, Washington governors Roland H. Hartley and Monrad Wallgren, and several other members of the U.S. Congress and Washington state legislature. The city has also produced several American football coaches under the tutelage of Everett High School coach Jim Ennis, including Jim Lambright, Mike Price, and Dennis Erickson.

Images for kids

See also

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