If you’re reading this, you’re probably somewhere between “we’re just curious” and “we drive up on weekends and look at houses we have no business touring yet.” I see both kinds of people every week, and I want to tell you something before you scroll any further. Everett is having a moment, and it might be time for you to make the move.
I’m Tessa Poyner. I’m a Realtor at eXp here in Everett, a firefighter’s wife, and someone who has spent enough Saturday mornings at waterfront and enough Sunday afternoons walking the farmer’s market downtown to tell you what this city actually feels like to live in. This is the guide I wish people had when they first started Googling “is Everett, WA a good place to live.” It’s the long version. Pour a cup of coffee or a glass of wine before you dive in.
Everett at a Glance
Everett sits about 25 miles north of Seattle, perched on the bluffs above Port Gardner Bay where the Snohomish River meets Puget Sound. It’s the county seat of Snohomish County, and it’s the largest city north of Seattle until you cross into Canada. About 113,000 people call it home, give or take a few thousand depending on which year’s census you’re reading.
What that data doesn’t tell you is the texture of the place. Everett feels like a city that’s still figuring out who it wants to be when it grows up, and that’s exactly what makes it interesting right now. There’s a working waterfront with shipyards and Boeing on one side, a historic downtown with original early-1900s brick buildings on the other, and neighborhoods in between where you can buy a craftsman with a yard for less than the cost of a 1-bedroom condo in Capitol Hill. It’s the kind of place where the barista at your coffee shop knows your dog’s name by week three.
Why people are moving to Everett WA in 2026
The honest answer is the math.
The median home price in Everett is hovering in the mid-$600,000s, with the broader Snohomish County median sitting around $680,000 as of April 2026. Compare that to Seattle proper, where the median is north of $850,000 and a starter home in a desirable neighborhood is rarely under a million. For a lot of families, especially the ones who hit the part of life where they want a yard and a garage and a school district they can plan around, Everett is the math problem that finally adds up.
The market itself shifted in 2026. Inventory jumped about 70% over last year, which means buyers actually have options for the first time in a long time. Homes still sell quickly (the average is around 11 days), and well-priced listings still see multiple offers. But the panic has lifted. You can actually tour a few houses before you write an offer, which is a small luxury that a 2021 buyer would have killed for.
The Neighborhoods, in 90 Seconds Each
Everett is small enough to know well and big enough to have real neighborhood differences. Here’s the high-level map. (For the full deep-dive, my neighborhood guide post goes street by street.)
Bayside is the waterfront-adjacent pocket on the bluffs, with Olympic mountain views, and walkable streets. It feels like Ballard if Ballard had been left alone for a decade.
Port Gardner and Downtown is where the historic brick buildings live, where the arts scene happens, and where you can walk to dinner. Older housing stock, more character, less yard.
Northwest Everett is the quieter cousin to downtown. Tree-lined streets, slightly larger lots, the kind of pocket where families settle in for fifteen years.
View Ridge and Madison is the bluff-top neighborhood with stunning views over Possession Sound. Mid-century modern homes mix with newer custom builds.
Silver Lake is the family pick. Good schools, lake access, parks, a mix of newer developments and established homes.
Lowell is where you go when you want more house for the money. Bigger lots, slightly farther from downtown, a more rural feel.
Boulevard Bluffs is the high end. Historic Craftsman homes, mature trees, large lots, and beautiful views.
If you’re trying to narrow down where to look, my honest advice is to drive each one on a Saturday morning and on a Tuesday at 5 p.m. You’ll feel which one is yours.
Everett WA Cost of Living: What it Actually Costs to Live Here
Beyond the home price, here’s the real picture.
Property taxes in Snohomish County run about 0.9 to 1.1% of assessed value, which is gentle compared to a lot of the country. Washington has no state income tax, which is a meaningful number when you’re moving from California or New York and doing the side-by-side. Sales tax is 9.9% in Everett, so you’ll feel that one at the register.
Utilities are reasonable. Water and sewer through the city, electricity through Snohomish County PUD (which is publicly owned and one of the more affordable utilities in the region), and internet through Ziply, Xfinity, or Astound depending on your block.
Groceries are middle-of-the-road for the West Coast. Childcare is the line item that surprises most relocating families. Plan for $1,500 to $2,400 per child per month for full-time care, depending on the program. Public schools through the Everett School District and the Mukilteo School District (depending on neighborhood) are solid.
Commute and Connection
The Sounder commuter train runs from Everett Station to King Street Station in Seattle in about an hour. I-5 will get you there in 35 to 75 minutes depending on what time you leave the house. Link Light Rail is extending north and the Lynnwood station opened in 2024, so a lot of buyers are now driving to Lynnwood and hopping on light rail to avoid the I-5 stretch.
Paine Field is right here. You can fly to most West Coast cities without ever setting foot in SeaTac, which is one of those quality-of-life upgrades you don’t realize you needed until you have it.
Schools, Parks, and the Quiet Good Stuff
Everett has more park land per capita than most cities its size. Forest Park alone is 197 acres, with trails and picnic areas and a seasonal pool. Howarth Park gives you beach access. Legion Park has the views.
The Everett Public Library has two locations, and they actually run programming you’d want to attend. The Schack Art Center downtown is a small gem. The Historic Everett Theatre books surprisingly good touring acts.
For families, the school question always comes up. Silver Lake, View Ridge, and the Mukilteo School District (which serves the southwestern parts of Everett) are the three I get asked about most. Each has its own personality, and good schools live in pockets across all three districts.
Who Everett is For
Everett is for the family that wants Seattle proximity without Seattle prices. It’s for the couple who’s tired of apartment life and ready for a yard. It’s for the first responder family who needs to be a reasonable distance from a station. It’s for the grandparents who want to be close to grandkids in Mill Creek or Lake Stevens but don’t want to live in a subdivision.
It’s also for the person who values neighbors over noise. Everett still has block parties. People still wave from their porches. There’s a softness to it that the bigger cities have priced out.
Who Everett Isn’t For
Everett isn’t a walking city in the way Seattle proper is. Most of the neighborhoods need a car to get around. If you’ve been living car-free in Capitol Hill or Belltown, that’s an adjustment.
It also isn’t a nightlife city. There are good restaurants and there’s a real arts scene, but if you’re looking for 2 a.m. options seven nights a week, you’ll find yourself driving south on the regular.
And while the median price is friendlier than Seattle, it’s still a Pacific Northwest market. If you’re moving from the Midwest, the sticker shock is real. I tell my Midwest buyers to give themselves two weeks to recalibrate before writing an offer.
What to do Before You Move
Three things, in order.
First, get pre-approved with a local lender. Out-of-state lenders work, but local lenders know our county’s quirks (the appraisal contingencies, the inspection norms, the timeline expectations) and your offer is taken more seriously when the listing agent recognizes the lender’s name. I have lenders I can introduce you to if you want them.
Second, come visit on a non-tour weekend. Drive the neighborhoods you’re considering at three different times of day. Sit in a coffee shop. Walk a park. Notice how it feels.
Third, find a Realtor who actually lives here. Someone who’s at the same Saturday coffee shops you’ll be at, who knows which side of Colby Avenue gets the morning light, who can tell you which inspector to call and which lender to skip. Local-on-paper isn’t the same as local-in-life, and you’ll feel the difference the first time something gets weird in escrow.
A Note on Working With Me
When I take a listing, I pour the same energy into your house that I’d pour into mine. Photos that make the home look like itself on its best day. Pricing that wins instead of sits. A negotiation strategy I build before the first showing, not after the first offer comes in.
When I’m on the buy side, I read the listing agent before I read the listing. I know what’s been on the market in your price range for the last 18 months, which agents we can squeeze on terms, which ones won’t budge on price but will throw in a credit, and which inspection items actually matter in a 1947 craftsman versus a 2018 build. The work I do before we tour is what makes the offer land.
If you’re moving up here in the next six to twelve months, my contact form is on the homepage. Or just send a DM. I read everyone.
FAQs About Moving to Everett WA
Is Everett, WA a good place to live in 2026? For families and couples who want Seattle access without Seattle prices, yes. The neighborhoods are walkable, the parks are great, and the city has a steady, intentional energy.
How long is the commute from Everett to Seattle? 35 to 55 minutes by car depending on traffic, about an hour on the Sounder train, or a Lynnwood-station-plus-light-rail combo for many downtown commuters.
What’s the median home price in Everett right now? As of spring 2026, the median is in the mid-$600,000s, with the broader Snohomish County median around $735,000.
Is Everett on the water? Yes! The waterfront in Everett is stunning and now has 17 restaurants and more are coming!
Does Washington have a state income tax? No, which makes a real difference when you’re comparing a California or New York move.
Welcome to Everett. I think you’re going to like it!
