Everett is the base city for Naval Station Everett — Snohomish County's largest, on Port Gardner, with the station right on the waterfront. Its defining feature beyond the Navy is Boeing's Everett plant at Paine Field, the world's largest building by volume (it built the 747, 767, 777, and 787) — which makes Everett a real aerospace economy with jobs for working spouses. For an NS Everett sailor, living in the city is the shortest, no-ferry commute of any option.
The honest trade is it's a full city, on the mainland. You get everything — but also city traffic and a higher cost of living than the smaller suburbs north. Unlike the Kitsap bases, though, there's no ferry between you and base, and Seattle is reachable by I-5 and Sounder commuter rail.
Where it fits in the commute
Everett is the base city — the station is on the north waterfront, minutes from most of the city. I-5 and Sounder rail connect you south to Seattle. It's across Puget Sound from the Kitsap bases — not a commute to those.
Neighborhoods
- Everett (north / downtown) — Closest to the station — the historic downtown, the waterfront, the most urban and walkable.
- Silver Lake — A suburban south-Everett area around the lake — newer apartments and homes, family-friendly, a short drive to base.
- Lowell — A quieter riverside neighborhood on the Snohomish — older homes, a small-town feel inside the city.
What to verify before you sign
- The commute, driven — north Everett is minutes to base; south Everett adds time on I-5/Broadway.
- The Everett SD feeder at GreatSchools.
- Rent vs BAH — run the BAH Budget tool. Washington has no state income tax.