Living in
Everett.

If you're seriously weighing a move here, know that Everett is fundamentally a working city tied to Boeing's fortunes—the aerospace giant employs about a third of all jobs and sets the economic rhythm of life. That's both a strength and a reality check: when Boeing thrives, the whole area hums; when they cut staff, it ripples through everything from restaurants to retail. Beyond that dependency, though, there's a real community with solid employment options across manufacturing, healthcare, tech, and education, plus a median household income of $83,512 that reflects the stability many residents rely on.

The waterfront location is genuinely nice—you're sitting on a peninsula with 22 miles of combined freshwater and saltwater shoreline, mountain views of the Cascades and Olympics, and actual public access to the water through parks and boat ramps, which makes weekend recreation feel integrated into daily life rather than something you have to drive toward. Weather-wise, expect the Pacific Northwest deal: dry-ish summers (average high of 73°F in August) and wet winters that really pile on between October and March, with 36 inches of rain annually and almost no snow—it's mild but grey, and you either make peace with that or you don't. Cost of living is moderate for the Seattle region (median rent around $1,740, median home price $565,300), but you're paying for proximity to Seattle while keeping a bit more breathing room than the city itself, and your commute into Seattle runs 26 minutes on average via I-5 or the Sounder train.

The job market is diverse enough that you're not entirely at Boeing's mercy—Providence Regional Medical Center, the Navy (at Naval Station Everett), the school district, Funko, and emerging tech firms like MagniX offer real alternatives. Neighborhood-wise, the city has 19 recognized associations ranging from the revitalized Downtown Bayside area with new apartments and waterfront access to quieter residential pockets in Glacier View, Lowell, and Riverside, so there's actually texture here depending on what appeals to you. The downtown has been aggressively redeveloped in recent years with over 650 new apartment units completed in the early 2020s and plans for 25-story buildings, which signals genuine urban investment.