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Shortly after Seattle was named America’s ‘most livable city’ by Money magazine for the first time, scores of young, affluent people settled the suburbs just outside the city, searching for that prize of prosperity known as ‘quality of life.’ From the northern frontier of Seattle at 145th Street to the city of Everett, 25 miles (40km) north on Gardner Bay, a stretch of satellite communities with award-winning parks and progressive public schools seem to offer the modern suburban idyll. The presence of the Boeing plant and the aerospace industry doesn’t hurt, either.
With a population of more than 600,000 people and rising, the commuter communities on these great expanses of verdant rolling hills, lakes, and sparkling streams on the northern tip of King County and the southern stretch of Snohomish County are among the nation’s fastest-growing regions. Thanks to improvements along Interstate 5 and the Sounder commuter rail services, it’s easy to get to these communities.
A Puget Sound ferry from Edmonds beach.
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Technology Corridor
The very earliest European settlers – mill owners, homesteaders, and land developers – relied on the Mosquito Fleet steamship line for transportation up and down Puget Sound, but railroads and electric trolleys soon followed to speed the flow of goods and passengers. Today’s commuters head to jobs in downtown Seattle or, more likely, to one of the business parks in the Technology Corridor, a path of commercial communities stretching along Interstate 405 between Bothell and Everett. Hundreds of businesses in electronics, software, telecommunications, and computing cluster in campus-like neighborhoods where high-tech execs cycle along groomed cycle paths at lunch or work out in the company gym after hours.
At Kenmore Air Harbor.
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Bothell @ [map] is the gateway to the corridor, a town of 32,000 people northeast of Lake Washington and nestled in the winding Sammamish River Valley, only 30 minutes’ drive from Seattle or the Boeing plant in Everett. The Sammamish River biking and hiking trail joins the Burke-Gilman Trail in Bothell and curves along 33 acres (13 hectares) of a natural wildlife habitat south of the river, and continues uninterrupted to Marymoor Park on the east side of Lake Washington. The trail connects by a pedestrian bridge to the north side of the river, where Bothell Landing, with its historic buildings, serves as a focal point for the community.
Bothell’s biking and hiking trail.
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Kenmore Air Harbor
Also in the vicinity is Kenmore £ [map], known for water sports, a spectacular view of Lake Washington, and the Kenmore Air Harbor (6321 NE 175th Street; tel: 425-486 1257), the country’s largest seaplane base, with scenic flights over Seattle and scheduled flights to Victoria and Vancouver in British Columbia.
Tip
See Seattle from the air on one of Kenmore Air Harbor’s tours. Highlights include the Space Needle, Green Lake, and the campus of the University of Washington (tel: 425-486 1257; www.kenmoreair.com).
Mill Creek $ [map] began as a designed community in 1976, with almost 3,000 homes developed around a country club, a private 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, swimming pools, and a nature preserve. It was incorporated as a city in 1983, and remains very popular.
Mountlake Terrace
The National Park Service awarded a commendation for the parks of Mountlake Terrace % [map] – a lavish sprinkling of little neighborhood parks and a 9-hole golf course (23000 Lakeview Drive; tel: 425-697 GOLF; www.ballingerlakegolf.com) on Lake Ballinger. The largest and one of the fastest-growing commercial and manufacturing centers in the north is Lynnwood ^ [map], with a large middle-class population, a good percentage of whom are commuters to Seattle.
The only truly rural community is Brier & [map], a small town of approximately 6,100 people. A strict no-growth policy keeps stores and traffic to a minimum.
Brackett’s Landing in Edmonds.
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Flower boxes and hanging planters dot the main street of Edmonds * [map], the self-proclaimed ‘Gem of Puget Sound,’ a modern community of around 40,000 on the shore 11 miles (18km) north of Seattle.
Property values here are such that few people under 40 can afford the taxes, much less the mortgage payments. Few big business interests bother with this growth-resistant town either, but artsy-craftsy Edmonds doesn’t mind. Residents know that their prestigious Amtrak station, ferry terminal, waterfront shops, restaurants, and stylish parks draw plenty of weekend visitors. Travel writer, broadcaster, and general celebrity Rick Steves also makes Edmonds his home; his Travel Center is at 130 4th Avenue N.
One of three waterfront parks in Edmonds’ Brackett’s Landing (just north of the Edmond/Kingston Pier) includes the oldest and most popular underwater park in Washington, dedicated as a Marine Preserve in 1970. Divers can explore the 300ft (90-meter) -long De Lion dry dock, which dropped to the sandy bottom in 1935, and a number of other sunken structures. The dock is a maze-like haven for schools of fish and aquatic plant life.
Visitors are encouraged to feel the texture of leaves, needles, and tree bark at Sierra Park (190th and 81st avenues W). The park was innovatively designed around the aroma and fragrance of plants, and created with the blind in mind, providing braille signs for sight-impaired visitors.
Views from Marina Beach include the Unocal oil refinery loading dock at Edwards Point just off the beach to the south and the port of Edmonds to the north. At Olympic Beach, be sure to see the sea-lion sculpture and watch the activities at the Edmonds Fishing Pier, open year-round for fishing.
Other parks along this stretch of waterfront include the woodsy Meadowdale Beach Park (6026 156th SW) and the high, sandy cliffs of Norma Beach Boathouse. In an old supermarket building across from the ferry tollbooth is the Waterfront Antique Mall (190 Sunset Avenue; tel: 425-670 0770; Mon–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun noon–6pm), with over 200 dealers offering a wide range of jewelry, books, glassware, and other treasures. Among Edmonds’ cultural attractions are a community theater and a symphony orchestra.
Tacoma lumberman Henry Hewitt hoped the Great Northern Railroad would site its western terminus where Everett ( [map] sits today. He persuaded investors to develop an industrial lumber site on Port Gardner Bay, and although the town boomed in 1891, it went bust almost immediately. This cycle continued to haunt the lumber mill town through the next century. In 1966, the Boeing Assembly Plant was constructed in Everett. Boeing was the world’s largest maker of commercial aircraft in the second half of the 20th century, and the area’s prime employer; for some time, Seattle’s economy was intimately linked to Boeing’s – the company still employs 32,000 workers in Everett and the Everett plant remains the world’s largest building by volume.
Starting with Boeing, Everett’s emphasis on lumber shifted to an economy based on technology, and while Boeing remains the largest employer, the city has a vibrant mix of public and private industry. There is also a significant military presence, thanks to the state-of-the-art Naval Station Everett. The base is home to the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and six other ships. Everett is the county seat of Snohomish County, and also home to the AquaSox minor-league baseball team.
Address: 8415 Paine Field Boulevard, Mukilteo; www.futureofflight.org
Tel: 425-438 8100
Opening Hrs: daily 8.30am–5.30pm; tours 9am–3pm
Entrance Fee: charge (includes aviation center and tour)
Upon entering the main lobby of Boeing’s Future of Flight ‚ [map], the first sight is of an aircraft flying directly above, while further along the runway, a 727 is poised nose-up for takeoff. Interactive programs explain the finer points of the design and technology.
Visitors are given the opportunity to digitally design and test an airplane of their own. Other interactive exhibits include flight simulators, a virtual tour of the 787 flight deck, plane components to touch and examine, a multimedia presentation of the 787, and more.
This is also the place to join the 90-minute Boeing Tour, which gives a firsthand view of the company’s planes – including the 787 Dreamliner – in construction. Visitors see airplanes at various stages, including manufacture and flight testing. Please note that Boeing does not allow photography, reservations are suggested, and children must be at least 4ft (1.2-meters) tall to go on the tour.
Heading North: Restaurants, Bars and Cafes
Price Categories
Prices for a three-course dinner per person with half a bottle of wine:
$ = under $20
$$ = $20–45
$$$ = $45–60
$$$$ = over $60
Bothell
Grazie Restaurant
23207 Bothell-Everett Highway, Canyon Park. Tel: 425-402 9600. www.grazierestaurant.com Open: L Mon–Fri, D daily. $$
Classic Northern Italian food and authentic wood-fired pizzas are served at this highly rated restaurant, with a warm and friendly atmosphere. Live jazz music is provided most weekends.
Edmonds
Anthony’s HomePort Edmonds/Anthony’s Beach Café
456 Admiral Way N. Tel: 425-771 4400. www.anthonys.com Open: L & D daily, Brunch Sun. $$
Anthony’s, a local chain, serves only wild salmon and seasonal fish in its consistently comfortable, view-centric restaurants. The Edmonds location is no exception.
Chanterelle
316 Main Street. Tel: 425-774 0650. www.chanterelle.com Open: B & L daily, D Mon–Sat. $$
Occupying a historic building in downtown Edmonds, Chanterelle offers American and global comfort food in a casual setting. On the menu are inventive salads, sandwiches, soups (tomato bisque is a favorite), and meatloaf.
Everett
Scuttlebutt Brewing Company
1524 W Marine View Drive Tel: 425-257 9316. www.scuttlebuttbrewing.com Open: L & D daily. $
Pop in for a house-made brew and a cup of clam chowder or fish and chips. Or pick from their fairly extensive list of sandwiches and classic American favorites.
Bars and Cafés
The Anchor Pub
1001 Hewitt Avenue, Everett. Tel: 425-252 2288. www.anchorpubeverett.com
The Anchor Pub (established in 1907) is a great spot for a pint and a bratwurst or ‘jack pot pie.’ A rotating roster of bands and acts come through, so grab a bar stool and enjoy.
Main Street Alehouse and Eatery
17121 Bothell Way, Bothell. Tel: 425-408 1306. http://alehousebothell.com
This pub features a good range of local beers and American food.
Walnut Street Coffee
410 Walnut Street, Edmonds. Tel: 425-774 5962. www.walnutstreetcoffee.com
A light and airy place for baked goods, soups, and burritos.
Boeing
The world’s largest commercial airline manufacturer started right here in Seattle. Though its headquarters moved to Chicago in 2001, Boeing still plays a significant role in the area’s economy
Bill Boeing, the company’s founder, was a prosperous Seattle lumberman who developed a fascination with planes. In 1916 he asked Navy engineer George Westervelt to design one – the resulting spruce-and-linen pontooned biplane was called the B&W for the two men’s initials. Only two B&Ws were built, but they impressed the government and earned the fledgling Boeing Company new contracts to build military trainers in World War I.
During World War II, Boeing supplied huge numbers of the successful B-17 and B-29 bombers. Over the following decades, the company moved from strength to strength, and in 1958 unveiled the 707, the first commercial airliner in the United States. By the 1970s an airline recession and severe cutback of the Apollo program had a profound impact on Boeing and the area’s economy. Thousands of families packed up and left. A billboard on the outskirts of Seattle exhorted ‘Will the last person leaving Seattle please turn off the lights?’
Challenging times
Boeing won back commercial dominance in the 1980s but lost its lead to the European consortium Airbus by the end of the 1990s. For three decades, Boeing and Airbus have battled for supremacy in the global market. Downturns have been the result of a number of influences, significantly including the 1990s meltdown of the Asian economies, and the impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001.
With soaring oil prices and mounting pressure over the need to reduce carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions, the battleground is increasingly over fuel efficiency. To this end Boeing introduced the 787 Dreamliner, first rolled out in 2007, which is made from lighter composite materials, resulting in reduced fuel use and CO² emissions. Airbus, meanwhile, added the A350 as a direct rival to the 787.
By late 2008 and 2009, the worldwide economic downturn caused a slump in air travel, shrinking orders for new airplanes while Boeing’s defense unit felt the pinch as the Pentagon cut back on spending. The local machinists strike in 2009 led to strained relations between the company and unions. However, the future is looking brighter and Boeing continues its research and development into new technologies, including nanosatellite research. This, coupled with the popularity of the 787, keeps Boeing at the forefront of aerospace engineering.
In Everett you can see for yourself one of the world’s biggest industrial enterprises. The original airplane hangar, built in 1968 for the 747, enclosed 200 million cubic feet (5.7 million cubic meters). At that time, it was the world’s largest building; it has since doubled in size. Tours are offered daily at the Future of Flight.
Boeing 747 jets in production.
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