Mill Creek is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located between the cities of Everett and Lynnwood, approximately 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Seattle. The city has a population of 18,244 as of the 2010 census, and is estimated to have over 20,000 residents as of 2018. The city lies along State Route 527 and North Creek, a tributary of the Sammamish River, on the east side of Interstate 5.

The city is one of the wealthiest suburbs in the Seattle metropolitan area and was originally a planned community conceived in the 1970s. The planned development was centered around a country club and golf course, with other development occurring nearby in later phases. It was incorporated as a city in 1983, shortly after the completion of the first phase of development, and underwent major population growth due to continued suburban development and annexation of nearby areas. The city's downtown area is centered around the Mill Creek Town Center, a mixed-use lifestyle center and retail complex that opened in 2004.

History
Geography
- Climate
Demographics
- 2010 census
Parks and recreation
Economy
Education
Infrastructure
- Transportation
- Utilities
Images for kids
See also

History

Mill Creek was officially incorporated on August 30, 1983. The city has rapidly grown with large number of families and jobs and now contains a mixed-use, city-sponsored complex called Mill Creek Town Center. Before the turn of the 21st century much of Mill Creek was woods, but recently many apartment complexes have been built all along Bothell-Everett Highway and some other roads throughout the city. This has attributed to a much larger High school, going from a 2A school at its inception (1994) to a 4A school at around 2,000 students. It contains a large part of the green belt in the south-eastern part of town.

Geography

Mill Creek is located at 47°51′42″N 122°12′16″W / 47.86167°N 122.20444°W / 47.86167; -122.20444 (47.861763, -122.204408).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.69 square miles (12.15 km²), of which, 4.67 square miles (12.10 km²) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km²) is water.

Several creeks flow through the city, including North Creek, Penny Creek, and Nickel Creek. There is also a creek located entirely within city limits called Mill Creek, though it was not officially given this name until 2001. Prior to that, it was known informally as Smokehouse Creek.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Mill Creek has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1990	7,172	—
2000	11,525	60.7%
2010	18,244	58.3%
2019 (est.)	20,897	14.5%
U.S. Decennial Census U.S. Census Estimate (2019)

Mill Creek is the eighth largest city in Snohomish County, with an estimated population of 20,897 in 2019. It is one of the most affluent suburbs of Seattle and has a median household income of $86,965 and a per capita income of $42,858, ranking 22nd of 281 areas within the state, just behind nearby Mukilteo. Approximately 4.1 percent of families and 6.4 percent of the overall population were below the poverty line, including 14.9 percent of those under the age of 18 and 2.5 percent aged 65 or older. Mill Creek was ranked 36th on a 2013 Money magazine list of best places to live, based on its quality of life, housing affordability, and school system.

The city's population has steadily grown from 3,549 at the time of its incorporation in 1983 to over 19,000 in 2016, due to several annexations. From 1983 to 1990, it increased by 298 percent to 7,172 residents.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 18,244 people, 7,551 households, and 4,921 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,906.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,508.3/km²). There were 7,923 housing units at an average density of 1,696.6 per square mile (655.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.2% White, 2.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 16.7% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.6% of the population.

There were 7,551 households, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.8% were non-families. Of all Mill Creek households, 27.4% 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 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99.

The median age in the city was 38.9 years, with 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.4% were from 25 to 44; 28.6% were from 45 to 64; and 12.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

Parks and recreation

Mill Creek contains several neighborhood and community parks and recreational facilities, including Nickel Creek Park, Heron Park, Highland Park, Cougar Park, and the Mill Creek Sports Park. There is also the private golf course around which the original community was built, as well as a nature preserve through which Penny Creek flows. County parks located near the city include McCollum Park and North Creek Park.

In addition to parks, the city has various public and private walking and cycling trails. The major public trail is the North Creek Trail which runs from McCollum Park south to 164th Street SE and approximately parallels North Creek.

	Everett, Washington	Snohomish, Washington

	Mill Creek, Washington

Lynnwood, Washington	Bothell, Washington

Economy

As of 2015^[update], Mill Creek has an estimated workforce population of 10,227 people and an unemployment rate of 2.2 percent. The largest industry of employment for Mill Creek residents is in educational services and health care, at over 21 percent, followed by manufacturing (16%), professional services (15%), and retail trade (12%). Approximately 3 percent of the city's workers have jobs located within city limits, with the majority commuting to employers in other cities, with an average commute time of 31 minutes. Over 21 percent of workers commute to Seattle, the largest destination, followed by Everett (16%), Bellevue (8%), and Bothell (5%).

The Puget Sound Regional Council estimated that the city had a total of 6,262 jobs as of 2018^[update], with the largest sectors being professional services and construction. Mill Creek's largest employers include Albertsons, Central Market, The Everett Clinic, Lowe's, Safeway, and the Mill Creek County Club. The city was formerly the headquarters of video games developer Handheld Games and food manufacturer Dream Dinners.

Education

Public education in Mill Creek is provided by Everett Public Schools, which serves the adjacent city of Everett and several unincorporated neighborhoods. The school district covers 52 square miles (130 km²) and has a total enrollment of more than 20,200 students. Mill Creek and its surrounding urban growth area is home to seven of the school district's 32 schools: Henry M. Jackson High School, Heatherwood Middle School, Gateway Middle School, and four elementary schools. The area also has several private schools, including Archbishop Murphy High School and Cedar Park Christian School. The nearest post-secondary institution is University of Washington Bothell, which draws students from southern Snohomish County.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Mill Creek lies east of Interstate 5, the main north–south freeway through the Seattle metropolitan area with connections to Downtown Seattle and Everett. The city is bisected from north to south by State Route 527 (the Bothell–Everett Highway), which continues to Bothell. The two highways are connected by a pair of east–west streets, 164th Street and 128th Street (State Route 96), which continue further east into the residential neighborhoods of Mill Creek and towards State Route 9.

The city's public transportation is provided by Community Transit, which also serves most of the county, and consists of several local and commuter bus routes. The county's second bus rapid transit route, the Swift Green Line, travels along State Route 527 and has several stops in Mill Creek, connecting the city to Paine Field and northern Bothell; a third bus rapid transit route, the Orange Line, is planned to open in 2024 to connect Mill Creek to Link light rail at Lynnwood Transit Center. Other local routes connect Mill Creek to Everett, Lynnwood, Silver Firs, and Snohomish. During rush hours, two commuter routes connect the State Route 527 and 132nd Street corridors to Downtown Seattle. The Ash Way Park and Ride is located west of the Mill Creek Town Center and has additional connections to Community Transit and Sound Transit Express routes. A Link light rail extension to Everett is planned to open in 2036 with stations at Ash Way and Mariner Park and Ride near Mill Creek.

A private airfield, Martha Lake Airport, operated west of modern-day Mill Creek from 1953 to 1998. It has since been converted into a county park, after the owners rejected a proposal to develop it into a housing subdivision. The nearest commercial airport is Paine Field, located 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest in Everett.

Utilities

Electric power in Mill Creek is provided by the Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD), a consumer-owned public utility that serves all of Snohomish County. Puget Sound Energy provides natural gas service to the city's residents and businesses. The city government has a contract with Waste Management for curbside garbage, recycling, and yard waste collection and disposal.

The city's tap water and sewage systems are split between the Alderwood Water and Wastewater District and the Silver Lake Water and Sewer District, two independent municipal corporations. Both water districts use the Spada Lake reservoir, the main source of water for Snohomish County, and send wastewater to the Brightwater plant in Maltby and a facility in Everett.

Images for kids

The Mill Creek library, operated by Sno-Isle Libraries

Mill Creek, Washington facts for kids

Contents