Exploring Everett - Tygart Media

Category: Exploring Everett

Everett, Washington is in the middle of something big. A $1 billion waterfront transformation. A Boeing workforce that built the world’s largest commercial jets. A port city with a downtown that’s finally catching up to its potential. A Navy presence at Naval Station Everett. A comedy and arts scene punching above its weight. And neighborhoods — Riverside, Silver Lake, Downtown, Bayside — each with their own identity and story.

Exploring Everett is Tygart Media’s hyperlocal coverage vertical for Snohomish County’s largest city. We cover the waterfront redevelopment, Boeing and Paine Field, city hall, the food and arts scene, real estate, neighborhoods, and everything in between — written for people who live here, work here, or are paying attention to what’s coming.

Coverage categories include: Everett News, Waterfront Development, Boeing & Aerospace, Business, Arts & Culture, Food & Drink, Real Estate, Neighborhoods, Government, Schools, Public Safety, Events, and Outdoors.

Exploring Everett content is also published at exploringeverett.com.

  • The 5,200-Worker Aerospace Shortage Is an Everett Story: Here’s What Snohomish County’s Training Pipeline Has to Close

    The 5,200-Worker Aerospace Shortage Is an Everett Story: Here’s What Snohomish County’s Training Pipeline Has to Close

    What is the projected aerospace worker shortage in Washington state? The Aerospace Futures Alliance projects a net shortage of 5,200 skilled aerospace manufacturing workers across Washington state by the end of 2026, concentrated in CNC machining, composite fabrication, and quality inspection. Boeing alone has committed to adding more than 10,000 workers in Washington to restore production flow, and Snohomish County’s training pipeline — anchored by the Washington Aerospace Training & Research Center at Paine Field and IAM 751’s Machinists Institute — is the front line for closing that gap.

    The number that should be the headline coming out of every aerospace earnings call this spring isn’t a delivery total or a backlog figure. It’s 5,200.

    That’s the net shortage of skilled aerospace manufacturing workers the Aerospace Futures Alliance projects across Washington state by the end of 2026 — concentrated in exactly the disciplines Everett’s factories need most: CNC machining, composite fabrication, and quality inspection. It’s a hard number, and it lands in the middle of the largest aerospace hiring push the Puget Sound has seen in years.

    Boeing has committed to adding more than 10,000 workers in Washington to restore production flow and meet tightened FAA quality mandates. Blue Origin grew from 3,500 employees to over 4,000 by late 2025 and is projecting another 1,500 hires through 2026. The 600-plus aerospace suppliers across Snohomish County — the companies that quietly keep Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, and others flying — are competing for the same skilled tradespeople.

    The math doesn’t work yet. And the front line for fixing it is in Everett.

    Where the Shortage Actually Hits

    The 5,200-worker shortfall is not evenly distributed across roles. The Aerospace Futures Alliance’s analysis points to three concentrations:

    CNC machining. Computer-numerical-control machinists turn engineering designs into precise metal parts. Every airframe in the Everett factory contains thousands of CNC-machined components. Skilled CNC operators take 18 to 36 months of focused training before they can run complex jobs unsupervised, and the pipeline of new entrants has not kept pace with retirements.

    Composite fabrication. Modern widebodies — including the 777X being readied for first production flight at Paine Field — depend on composite structures for weight savings and durability. Composite work requires specialized training in layup, autoclave operation, and damage inspection that traditional metal-shop training does not provide.

    Quality inspection. The single discipline Boeing has emphasized most since the 2024 quality push and the FAA’s tightened oversight requirements. Inspectors verify that every part, every join, every wire run meets specification. They are also among the most experienced people on any factory floor — which makes the inspector retirement wave especially hard to backfill.

    Boeing’s hiring teams know this. Across all its Washington programs, the company has been onboarding more than 100 new assembly workers a day at peak. But “assembly workers” and “skilled CNC machinists” are not interchangeable. A new mechanic can become productive on a final-assembly line in months. A skilled inspector or machinist takes years.

    The Snohomish County Training Pipeline

    Almost every credible answer to the shortage runs through a small geographic radius around Paine Field. Snohomish County hosts the densest cluster of aerospace training infrastructure in the country, and most of it sits within five miles of the Boeing factory.

    Washington Aerospace Training & Research Center (WATR). Operated by Edmonds College on the Paine Field site, WATR has trained more than 4,300 students through its 12-week certificate programs since 2010. About 90% of graduates work in manufacturing, with 86% of those in aerospace. The center’s hybrid-delivery model — online coursework plus in-person lab time on industry-grade equipment — has produced consistently high placement rates. Edmonds College added a fuselage lab in 2024 built around a real Boeing 767 tanker fuselage, giving students hands-on experience with structures they will see on Boeing programs.

    IAM 751 Machinists Institute. Across the street from the Boeing factory at 8729 Airport Road, the Machinists Institute is the union-run skilled trades training center IAM 751 has been building out as Boeing’s 737 North Line ramps. Earlier coverage by this desk has detailed how the Institute pairs apprenticeship-style training with the family-wage compensation framing that makes aerospace careers a viable alternative to four-year college paths.

    Everett Community College and Edmonds College credit programs. Both colleges run aerospace-aligned associate degrees and certificate stacks that feed directly into the WATR Center’s lab time and into Boeing’s apprenticeship programs.

    Paine Field’s Aerospace Training Complex. The complex brings WATR, Everett Community College, Edmonds College, and the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee together to serve more than 200 aerospace employers in the region. It is the closest thing the country has to a one-stop aerospace workforce hub.

    Why the Pipeline Still Cannot Close the Gap

    The training infrastructure is excellent. The numbers still don’t work. There are three reasons.

    Time-to-productivity. A WATR graduate completing the 12-week program is hireable, but not yet a master machinist or a senior inspector. Boeing’s most acute shortages are in roles that require five to ten years of experience. Training pipelines can only feed the entry point. The gap at the senior end has to be closed through retention, not new hires.

    Retirement velocity. The aerospace workforce in the Puget Sound is older than the regional average. Boeing has acknowledged that an unusual share of senior mechanics, inspectors, and machinists are at or near retirement age. Every senior departure that’s not replaced by a senior peer represents capability loss that a 12-week certificate cannot replace.

    Housing economics. Aerospace family-wage jobs in Everett used to mean buying a house in Everett. That equation has shifted. Median home prices have run well above what an entry-level aerospace technician can afford, and many new hires commute from farther out — Marysville, Lake Stevens, Arlington, and beyond. That commute friction shows up as higher turnover, especially in the first 18 months when retention is most fragile.

    What Snohomish County Is Doing About It

    The county and its partners have not been passive. Over the past two years:

    The Future Workforce Alliance — Snohomish County’s federally designated workforce development board — has aligned its 2024-2028 plan around aerospace and advanced manufacturing as primary investment areas, with a specific focus on apprenticeship pathways for high-school graduates who don’t pursue four-year degrees.

    Economic Alliance Snohomish County has made aerospace its lead industry vertical, sending delegations to the Paris Air Show and preparing for the 2026 Farnborough Air Show specifically to court international suppliers and investment that diversifies the local aerospace base beyond Boeing dependence.

    Boeing itself has reopened expanded apprenticeship slots, partnering more deeply with IAM 751’s Machinists Institute and with Edmonds College’s WATR Center. The company has signaled that pre-hire training partnerships will be a meaningful part of how it closes its 10,000-worker Washington commitment.

    Blue Origin, Aviation Technical Services, and the broader supplier base in Snohomish County have all increased their training partnerships with WATR and Everett Community College — a quiet but important shift away from “we’ll just hire from Boeing’s overflow.”

    Why It Matters for Everett’s Economy

    Aerospace isn’t just one industry in Snohomish County. It’s the largest single private-sector economic driver, supporting roughly 42,000 direct jobs in the Boeing factory and tens of thousands more across the supplier network. Family-wage aerospace jobs underwrite home purchases, school funding through property taxes, restaurant spending downtown, and the youth-sports economy that fills Funko Field, Angel of the Winds Arena, and every grass field from Forest Park to Silver Lake.

    A 5,200-worker shortage isn’t a Boeing problem. It’s an Everett problem and a Snohomish County problem. If the gap stays open, suppliers move work to other regions. If it closes — through training, through retention, through housing policy that lets aerospace technicians live near where they work — the city gets stronger.

    What to Watch Next

    Boeing’s quarterly hiring pace. The company has been disclosing aggregate Washington hiring numbers in earnings calls. The pace through 2026 will tell us whether the 10,000-worker commitment is on track.

    WATR Center enrollment. The 12-week program’s throughput is a public proxy for how quickly the entry-level pipeline is growing. Edmonds College and the WATR Center publish enrollment data through the state community-college system.

    Apprenticeship slots at IAM 751’s Machinists Institute. The Institute’s expansion plans are publicly tracked through union communications and through Snohomish County’s workforce reporting.

    Snohomish County housing policy. Whether the county and its cities can produce enough workforce-aligned housing — for technicians, inspectors, and machinists — to keep aerospace families living within commute range of Paine Field.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the projected aerospace worker shortage in Washington state?
    The Aerospace Futures Alliance projects a net shortage of 5,200 skilled aerospace manufacturing workers across Washington state by the end of 2026, concentrated in CNC machining, composite fabrication, and quality inspection.

    How many workers does Boeing plan to hire in Washington?
    Boeing has publicly committed to adding more than 10,000 workers in Washington state to restore production flow and meet FAA quality mandates. The hiring is spread across multiple programs and locations, with Everett a major share.

    What is the Washington Aerospace Training & Research Center?
    WATR is an Edmonds College training center at Paine Field that has trained more than 4,300 students through 12-week certificate programs since 2010. About 90% of graduates work in manufacturing, with 86% of those in aerospace.

    How long does WATR’s program take?
    The core certificate is a 12-week hybrid program — online coursework plus in-person lab time on industry-grade aerospace equipment at the Paine Field campus.

    What is IAM 751’s Machinists Institute?
    A union-run skilled-trades training center across the street from the Boeing Everett factory at 8729 Airport Road, operated by Machinists Union District 751. It pairs apprenticeship-style training with family-wage compensation pathways.

    Where are the biggest skill shortages?
    CNC machining, composite fabrication, and quality inspection. These roles take longer to train into and have a higher concentration of workers nearing retirement, which makes the shortage harder to close than entry-level assembly hiring.

    How many people work in aerospace in Snohomish County?
    The Boeing Everett factory alone supports approximately 42,000 direct jobs. The broader aerospace ecosystem — Boeing plus 600+ suppliers and adjacent firms — represents nearly half of Washington state’s world-leading aerospace workforce.

    How does the worker shortage affect Everett’s economy?
    Aerospace is Snohomish County’s largest single private-sector economic driver. A 5,200-worker shortage risks suppliers relocating work to other regions. Closing the gap, through training and retention, supports family-wage jobs, housing demand, school funding, and the local services economy across Everett.

  • Boeing 777X Rework Disclosed: Roughly 30 Stored Jets at Paine Field Need a Multi-Year Change Incorporation Before Delivery

    Boeing 777X Rework Disclosed: Roughly 30 Stored Jets at Paine Field Need a Multi-Year Change Incorporation Before Delivery

    How many Boeing 777X jets need rework before delivery? Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg confirmed on the company’s April 23, 2026 Q1 earnings call that roughly 30 already-built 777X widebodies — most of them parked at Paine Field in Everett — will need a “change incorporation” process before they reach customers. Older airframes will get more extensive structural work; newer jets need only minor updates. First delivery is still targeted for 2027, with Lufthansa as the launch customer.

    Boeing’s Q1 2026 earnings call on April 23 surfaced a number that caught a lot of Everett by surprise: roughly 30 already-built 777X jets, most of them sitting at Paine Field, will go through a multi-year rework before they can be handed to airlines. CEO Kelly Ortberg called it a “pretty massive activity” — a phrase that doesn’t usually show up in scripted earnings remarks unless the work behind it is real.

    For people who live in Everett, this isn’t an abstract program update. It’s a story about the airplanes parked north of the factory, the workers who will do the rework, and the timeline that everything else on the Boeing Everett site — including the 737 North Line opening this summer — has to fit around.

    What Ortberg Actually Said

    On the Wednesday morning earnings call, Ortberg told investors: “We’ve got roughly 30 777s that’ll go through this change incorp process over several years. For the airplanes that we have built, [we need] to incorporate all the changes that have happened since they’ve been built.”

    “Change incorporation” is industry shorthand for retrofitting an aircraft built to an earlier configuration to match the design that will actually get certified and delivered. The 777X program’s first flight test airframe rolled out in 2018. Eight years of design refinements, certification feedback, and production-process updates have piled up since then. Every airplane built before those changes were finalized now has to be brought up to the common configuration.

    The reason this matters in Everett: those 30 airplanes are the ones that have been visible on the south side of the Boeing factory for years. They’re not concept art. They’re real metal, real wiring, real galleys. And the rework is real work for real people on the Everett site.

    Why the Newer Jets Get Delivered First

    Boeing has confirmed it will deliver its newest 777Xs first — the airplanes coming off the line right now — and circle back to the older stored airframes afterward. That’s the opposite of how aircraft deliveries usually flow, and it’s a meaningful signal about the scope of the work.

    Newer 777Xs need only minor adjustments because they were built closer to the production-standard configuration. Older airframes, including some that have been parked since 2018 or 2019, will need more comprehensive structural changes — the kind of work that takes months per airplane, not days.

    The launch customer order matters here too. Lufthansa is still the planned first delivery in 2027, but the specific airframe Lufthansa receives will be one of the newer-built jets that needs less rework, not one of the originals from earlier in the build run.

    The Paine Field Production Flight Connection

    This rework disclosure landed two days after another major 777X update from Everett. Boeing has been targeting April 2026 for the first flight of a production-standard 777X out of Paine Field — the airframe destined for Lufthansa, which was undergoing engine and fuel tests at Paine Field through late winter and early spring.

    That production flight is a hard requirement for FAA Type Inspection Authorization on the production-configured aircraft. If the flight goes well, FAA pilots can join the cockpit later this year for the final certification flights, with type certification expected in late 2026 and Lufthansa delivery in 2027.

    The rework news doesn’t change that timeline directly. The certification path is a separate workstream from the change-incorporation work on stored airframes. But it does tell airline customers something Boeing hasn’t always said out loud: the airplanes already built are not the airplanes that will arrive first.

    What This Means for Everett’s Aerospace Workforce

    Here’s the part the national coverage has mostly skipped. A multi-year change-incorporation program on 30 widebodies is a significant amount of skilled labor — the kind of work that needs experienced mechanics, structures technicians, electrical specialists, and quality inspectors. That’s the same talent pool Boeing is racing to grow for the 737 North Line ramp this summer, the KC-46 program, and the ongoing 767 freighter run-out.

    Industry observers, including the Aerospace Futures Alliance, have flagged a projected net shortage of 5,200 skilled aerospace manufacturing workers across Washington state by the end of 2026, concentrated in CNC machining, composite work, and quality inspection. The 777X rework adds demand to that picture without solving it. It pulls experienced mechanics into rework bays that might otherwise be on production lines.

    For Boeing’s hiring teams, the math gets more complicated rather than simpler. Across all programs in Everett, the company has been onboarding more than 100 new assembly workers a day at peak. Some of that capacity will need to flow to the rework effort. None of it shows up as fewer total people on the Everett site.

    Why It Matters for the City

    Everett’s economy is downstream of how many airplane build hours run through Paine Field. A “pretty massive” multi-year rework activity is, on net, more build hours, not fewer — even if it’s not the kind of build that produces a delivery announcement. Hotels, contractors, suppliers, and the broader Snohomish County aerospace ecosystem of 600-plus companies all benefit when there is steady, complex, high-skill work in town.

    It also reinforces the pattern that has defined the last 18 months at Boeing Everett: the headline programs — 777X first flight, 737 North Line activation, KC-46 deliveries — sit on top of a base layer of unglamorous, expensive, schedule-defining work. The rework program is a clean example. It won’t make a press release. It will employ a lot of people for a long time.

    The Larger 777X Cost Picture

    The 777X program has accumulated $15 billion in total charges since launch, including a $4.9 billion charge taken in Q3 2025 when the program slipped to 2027. The April 2026 rework disclosure adds incremental cost to that running total but does not, based on what Ortberg said publicly, represent a new charge of similar magnitude. The change-incorporation work is being absorbed into the program’s existing baseline.

    That’s a meaningful distinction for investors and for Everett. A multi-billion-dollar surprise charge would have raised legitimate questions about Boeing’s commitment to the program. Steady, expected rework — folded into existing reserves — looks more like the late-stage normalization of a hard development program than a new wound.

    What to Watch Next

    Three things to track from Everett over the next 90 days:

    The Lufthansa production flight from Paine Field. Boeing has been targeting April for first flight of the production-standard airframe. As of this week, that flight had not yet occurred. Watch for the announcement.

    FAA Type Inspection Authorization. If the production flight goes well, FAA pilots are expected to join certification flights later in 2026. That’s the next visible regulatory gate.

    Where the rework actually happens. The workforce question is whether change incorporation gets done at Everett, at Boeing’s San Antonio Modification & Engineering Services site, or some combination. The answer affects how many local jobs the program supports through 2027 and beyond.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How many 777X jets need rework before delivery?
    Roughly 30, according to Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg on the company’s April 23, 2026 Q1 earnings call. The exact number varies by how Boeing categorizes the airframes, but “roughly 30” was the public figure.

    Why do they need rework?
    The earliest 777X airframes were built before all the design changes, certification updates, and production-process improvements were finalized. Boeing has to bring those airplanes up to the production-standard configuration before delivering them.

    Where are these jets stored?
    Most of the stored 777X airframes have been at Paine Field in Everett, where the 777X is built. They’ve been visible on the south side of the Boeing factory site for years.

    Will Lufthansa still get the first 777X?
    Yes. Lufthansa is still the planned launch customer for first delivery in 2027. But the specific airframe Lufthansa receives will be one of the newer-built jets that needs less rework, not one of the originals from earlier production.

    Does this delay the 777X first flight from Paine Field?
    No. The production flight from Paine Field — the Lufthansa airframe — is a separate workstream from the change-incorporation work on stored aircraft. Boeing has been targeting April 2026 for that flight.

    How much will the rework cost Boeing?
    Boeing did not disclose a separate charge on the April 23 call. The 777X program has accumulated $15 billion in total charges since launch. The rework is being absorbed into existing program reserves rather than triggering a new charge of similar size.

    How many people work on the 777X in Everett?
    Boeing does not break out program-specific headcount publicly. The 777X is one of several Everett programs (alongside the 767/KC-46 and the upcoming 737 North Line) that share the factory’s broader workforce of more than 30,000.

    What does this mean for the Everett economy?
    It means more sustained build hours at Paine Field over the next several years, even if the work is rework rather than new production. That supports hotels, contractors, suppliers, and the broader 600-plus-company aerospace ecosystem in Snohomish County.

  • The New Mexicans on Hewitt Is the Only Restaurant in Snohomish County Doing Real Hatch Green Chile

    The New Mexicans on Hewitt Is the Only Restaurant in Snohomish County Doing Real Hatch Green Chile

    What is The New Mexicans in Everett? The New Mexicans is a New Mexican (not Mexican) restaurant at 1416 Hewitt Avenue serving Hatch green chile, posole, sopaipillas and famous in-house cinnamon rolls. The restaurant was founded in 2012 by Chrystal Handy whose family is from New Mexico, and is now run by Evie and Vince De Simone, who hail from Hatch, NM. It’s the only restaurant in Snohomish County serving genuine New Mexican cuisine, and locals call it the perfect pre-Silvertips game stop.

    The New Mexicans on Hewitt Is the Only Restaurant in Snohomish County Doing Real Hatch Green Chile — And the Cinnamon Rolls Are the Best in Everett

    Let’s clear up the most common mistake first. The New Mexicans is not a Mexican restaurant. It’s a New Mexican restaurant — the cuisine of the state of New Mexico, which is its own thing, with its own ingredients, its own flavor profile, and its own argument about whether red or green is better. (At The New Mexicans you can order “Christmas,” which means both, and that is the move.)

    If you’ve never had real New Mexican food, the easiest way to think about it is: take Mexican food, give it to a high-altitude region built around Hatch chile peppers and Pueblo culture, let it sit in there for 400 years, and you’ll get something that tastes nothing like the Tex-Mex or California-Mex or Sonoran-Mex you’re used to. The chile is the foundation. The sopaipilla is the bread. And the green chile cheeseburger is its own American food group.

    The New Mexicans, at 1416 Hewitt Avenue in downtown Everett, is the only place in Snohomish County doing this cuisine for real. It’s been there since 2012. Most of Everett still treats it like a discovery.

    Who’s Behind It

    The restaurant was opened in 2012 by Chrystal Handy, whose family is from New Mexico. As of February 2017, ownership transitioned to Evie and Vince De Simone, who are from Hatch, New Mexico — yes, that Hatch, the chile-pepper Hatch — and they kept the menu and the philosophy intact. They bake their own bread, their own sopaipillas, and their own cinnamon rolls in-house. That last detail is going to come up again.

    The Hatch Chile Question

    If you walk into a New Mexican restaurant and the question “red or green?” doesn’t show up on your menu or your server’s lips, it’s not really a New Mexican restaurant. At The New Mexicans, that question shows up everywhere. Order Christmas. That’s the local-knowledge answer — half red chile sauce, half green chile sauce, both made from real Hatch chile shipped up from the source.

    The dishes that show off the chile best:

    • Posole / Pozole — the deeply savory hominy stew with pork. The version here runs spicier than most Mexican-restaurant versions and the broth has the richness that says it’s been simmering longer than a normal Tuesday-night soup. Order it on a cold Everett day. You’ll get it.
    • Green chile cheeseburger — the New Mexico state sandwich, built on the official Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail philosophy: Hatch green chile, melted cheese, no apologies. This is the one to order if you’ve got a friend who refuses to try “weird food.”
    • Stuffed sopaipillas — fried bread pillows stuffed with carne adovada (red chile pork), beans, and cheese. The sopaipilla itself is the star — light, hot, faintly sweet, used to sponge up the chile sauce.
    • Carne adovada — pork slow-cooked in red chile sauce. The textbook New Mexican dish. Order it as an entrée or as the filling in something else.

    Now About Those Cinnamon Rolls

    Here’s the thing nobody preps you for: The New Mexicans makes the best cinnamon rolls in Everett. Plate-sized. Warm. House-baked. Glazed, not over-iced. They’re not a side dessert. They’re a destination order. People walk in for a cinnamon roll and a coffee and walk out fully justified.

    The why-cinnamon-rolls-at-a-Southwest-restaurant question has a real answer. New Mexican breakfast traditions absolutely include sweet baked goods, and the De Simones bake all of their bread in-house. But functionally? They’re just the best cinnamon rolls on Hewitt Avenue, and that’s reason enough.

    Why It Matters Where It Sits

    The New Mexicans is on Hewitt Avenue, two blocks from Angel of the Winds Arena. It’s the perfect pre-Silvertips game stop and the locals know it. Get there 90 minutes before puck drop, eat a green chile cheeseburger, walk to the arena, sit through three periods of WHL hockey, walk back for a cinnamon roll if the place is still open. That’s a downtown Everett night that costs less than a single ticket to a Mariners game and tastes better than 90% of what’s on the lower bowl concourse at T-Mobile Park.

    Logistics

    Address: 1416 Hewitt Avenue, Everett, WA 98201
    Cuisine: New Mexican (not Mexican). Hatch chile, sopaipillas, posole, green chile cheeseburgers, carne adovada, in-house cinnamon rolls.
    Phone / Reservations: Reservations are accepted; the restaurant offers take-out and delivery.
    Website: thenewmexicanseverett.com
    Parking: Street parking on Hewitt and the side streets; the city lot at Hewitt and Rockefeller is a block east.
    Price range: $$ — most plates run $14–$22, breakfast and burgers cheaper, cocktails and house margaritas extra.
    Pre-game tip: 90 minutes before any Silvertips, AquaSox, or Angel of the Winds Arena event.
    Happy hour: Real one. Locals show up for it.

    What to Order Your First Time

    For a true introduction: Order a stuffed sopaipilla “Christmas” (red and green chile both), with a side of posole. If you’re a burger person, do the green chile cheeseburger and an order of the in-house chips and salsa. Either way, save room for a cinnamon roll. Take the second half home.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is The New Mexicans a Mexican restaurant? No. It’s a New Mexican restaurant — the cuisine of the state of New Mexico, which is distinct from Mexican food. The two cuisines share roots but use different ingredients (especially Hatch chile) and different preparations.

    Where is The New Mexicans in Everett? 1416 Hewitt Avenue, Everett, WA 98201, in downtown Everett a couple of blocks west of Angel of the Winds Arena.

    Who owns The New Mexicans? Evie and Vince De Simone, who are originally from Hatch, New Mexico, took over from founder Chrystal Handy in 2017 and have run it since.

    What is “Christmas” on a New Mexican menu? Christmas means both red and green chile sauce on the same dish, half-and-half. It’s the standard local-knowledge order at any real New Mexican restaurant.

    Are the cinnamon rolls really that good? Yes. They’re house-baked, plate-sized, and consistently one of the best baked goods in downtown Everett. They sell out on weekends.

    Is The New Mexicans good before a Silvertips game? It’s the local pre-game stop. Two blocks from Angel of the Winds Arena. Get there 90 minutes before puck drop.

    Does The New Mexicans have happy hour? Yes. The happy hour menu is real, with lower-priced cocktails and small plates, and locals know about it.

    What should a first-timer order at The New Mexicans? A stuffed sopaipilla “Christmas,” a side of posole, and a cinnamon roll to share or take home. If you want the most New Mexican thing on the menu in one bite, order the green chile cheeseburger.

  • Luca Italian Restaurant on Hewitt Avenue Is Doing Real Florentine Cooking in the Old Chianti Room

    Luca Italian Restaurant on Hewitt Avenue Is Doing Real Florentine Cooking in the Old Chianti Room

    Where can I get authentic Italian food in Everett? Luca Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar at 1712 Hewitt Avenue is run by owner Bepi from Florence and head chef Vincenzo from Sicily. Pasta, tomatoes, cheese and meats come from Italy; produce comes from Washington farms. Hours are Tuesday–Sunday 5 p.m. to close, closed Mondays. The carbonara, bucatini alla siciliana, and the burrata-and-shrimp salad are the orders. The wine list runs deep into Italian reds.

    Luca Italian Restaurant on Hewitt Avenue Is Doing Real Florentine Cooking — And It Took Over the Old Chianti Space, Which Was Always Going to Be the Test

    Anybody who lived in Everett for any length of time has a Chianti story. The old Italian spot at 1712 Hewitt Avenue was a downtown anchor for years — birthdays, anniversaries, that one work dinner you remember. So when Chianti closed and a new Italian restaurant moved in to that exact room in July 2023, every Everett food obsessive had the same question: is this guy serious, or is he just renting the chairs?

    He’s serious. He’s from Florence. His name is Bepi, he runs the floor with his wife, and after almost three years of watching this kitchen, we’ll say it directly: Luca Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar is now the best Italian dinner room in Everett, and it’s not particularly close.

    The Setup

    Luca opened in July 2023 in the old Chianti space. Bepi grew up in Florence — actual Florence, not “I-took-a-trip-to-Tuscany Florence” — and he brought in a head chef from Sicily, Vincenzo, who’d already spent a decade cooking at Italian restaurants in Seattle. That pairing matters. Bepi controls the room, the wine, the temperature; Vincenzo controls the line.

    The ingredient sourcing is the tell. Most of the produce is from Washington farms (Snohomish County in season, when they can pull it). The pasta, the tomatoes, the cheese, the meats — those come from Italy. The ricotta is shipped in from Palermo. That’s not a marketing line. You can taste it the second the burrata-and-shrimp salad hits the table.

    What to Order

    The pasta menu is where Luca makes its case. Three orders that we’d send anyone to first time:

    • Carbonara — guanciale, egg, pecorino. No cream. The way it’s supposed to be made. A balance of fat and salt and the egg-yolk silk that most American “carbonara” misses by a mile. This is a tier-one Italian dish anywhere on the I-5 corridor.
    • Bucatini alla Siciliana — Vincenzo’s room. Tomato, eggplant, ricotta salata. Bucatini is a difficult pasta to cook well at home and this is what it’s supposed to taste like.
    • Burrata and shrimp salad — the appetizer that becomes the dinner-conversation moment. The burrata is the star. The shrimp is the supporting actor. Order it for the table.

    The thin-crust pizza menu is real, not a courtesy menu. The wood-fired pies come out crisp at the edge and properly slack in the middle. Margherita, prosciutto e rucola, and the seasonal special are all worth attention. There’s also a meat-and-fresh-seafood section of the menu — that’s where Bepi’s Florentine background shows up most clearly.

    The Wine Bar Half

    The full name is “Luca Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar” and Bepi takes the second half of that seriously. The list is heavily Italian, leaning into Tuscan reds (Chianti, Brunello), Sicilian reds (Nero d’Avola — pair it with the bucatini), and a working selection of whites that go with the seafood and lighter pastas. The by-the-glass program is meaningful, not the four-bottle afterthought you sometimes get at neighborhood spots.

    If you go in not knowing what you want, ask Bepi. He’ll find you the right pour for what you’re eating in under two minutes. That’s the difference between a restaurant with a wine list and a restaurant with a wine bar.

    The Room

    Luca kept the bones of the old Chianti space — the L-shaped dining room, the wood-warm interior, the corner-table romance — but cleaned up the lighting and tightened the layout. It’s the date-night room downtown Everett didn’t have a clean version of. It’s also the small-celebration room — birthdays, anniversaries, “we got the offer accepted.” Reservations are essential on Friday and Saturday and a smart move any night you actually need a table.

    Logistics

    Address: 1712 Hewitt Avenue, Everett, WA 98201
    Hours: Tuesday–Thursday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 5 p.m. to close; Sunday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; closed Mondays.
    Phone: (425) 789-1279
    Website: luca-restaurant.com
    Reservations: Take them. Use them. Toast online or by phone.
    Parking: Street parking on Hewitt and the side streets; the city lot at Hewitt and Rockefeller is two blocks away.
    Price range: $$$ — pasta entrées land roughly $22–$32, mains higher, wine pours $12–$18.
    Best time to go: Tuesday or Wednesday for the quiet room; Friday or Saturday with a reservation if you want the energy.

    One Honest Note

    Luca is not a quick weeknight dinner. The kitchen takes its time the way a real Italian dinner is supposed to take its time. Show up expecting a 90-minute meal, not a 45-minute meal. If that’s not the night you’re trying to have, go to Brooklyn Bros for pizza or the New Mexicans up the street for a quicker bowl. Luca is for the dinner you actually want to sit through.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is Luca Italian Restaurant in Everett still open in 2026? Yes. Luca opened in July 2023 and is operating regular hours at 1712 Hewitt Avenue. Closed Mondays.

    Who owns Luca Italian Restaurant? Owner Bepi and his wife are from Florence; head chef Vincenzo is from Sicily and previously spent a decade cooking at Italian restaurants in Seattle.

    What was at 1712 Hewitt Avenue before Luca? The space was Chianti, a longtime downtown Everett Italian restaurant, until Luca took it over and reopened in July 2023.

    Does Luca take reservations? Yes. Use them on Friday and Saturday. Online via Toast or by phone at (425) 789-1279.

    Is Luca expensive? Mid-range to upper-mid for downtown Everett. Pasta entrées land around $22–$32, mains higher, by-the-glass wine pours roughly $12–$18.

    What should I order at Luca for the first time? The carbonara is the no-debate first order. Add the bucatini alla siciliana for a second pasta to share, and the burrata-and-shrimp salad as a starter.

    Does Luca have pizza? Yes — thin-crust, wood-fired. The margherita and prosciutto e rucola are both honest Italian-style pies.

    Where do I park near Luca Italian Restaurant? Street parking is usually findable on Hewitt and the side streets; the city lot at Hewitt and Rockefeller is two blocks away.

  • Heritage African Restaurant Has Been Quietly Serving the Best Jollof in Snohomish County for Two Years

    Heritage African Restaurant Has Been Quietly Serving the Best Jollof in Snohomish County for Two Years

    Where can I get African food in Everett? Heritage African Restaurant at 2019 Hewitt Avenue, on the corner of Hewitt and Broadway in downtown Everett, serves West African staples like jollof rice, egusi soup, suya grilled lamb and oxtail stew alongside burgers and soul food. Co-owner Fatou Dibba and her aunt Mama Saho opened the restaurant in late February 2024 in the multicolored building that used to house Sol De Mexico. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

    Heritage African Restaurant Has Been Quietly Serving the Best Jollof in Snohomish County for Two Years — And Most of Everett Still Doesn’t Know

    The multicolored building on the corner of Hewitt and Broadway used to be Sol De Mexico. We drove past it for years. Then in early 2024 the murals got freshened up, the windows changed, and a name we’d never seen in Everett before went up over the door: Heritage African Restaurant.

    It is, two years in, the most underrated restaurant in downtown Everett. We’re not going to be subtle about that.

    What Heritage Actually Is

    Heritage African Restaurant is the work of Fatou Dibba and her aunt, Mama Saho. Dibba moved to the Pacific Northwest as a teenager. She started cooking the food of her childhood — Senegalese, Gambian and broader West African dishes — for events around Snohomish County, and the response was immediate. People who’d never tried African food were asking how to pay her to make more of it. Her aunt, who already runs Diva’s Beauty Supply in Lynnwood with her, suggested they open a real restaurant.

    They spent a year hunting for a space and several months retooling the inside of 2019 Hewitt Avenue before they opened the doors in late February 2024. The colors on the outside of that building are a tell. So is the warmth inside.

    The Move: Order the Jollof. Then Order More Jollof.

    If you’ve never had West African food, here’s the orientation. Jollof rice is the dish you build a meal around. Long-grain rice cooked in tomato, onion, scotch bonnet pepper and a stock that’s been built up for hours until the rice itself tastes like the bottom of a pan that’s been working all day. Heritage’s version is exactly that — savory, smoky from the bottom of the pot, with the kind of low heat that warms you up rather than punishes you.

    From there, the menu opens up:

    • Egusi soup — ground melon-seed stew, deeply savory, served with fufu or rice. This is the one that tells you whether a kitchen is serious. Heritage’s is.
    • Suya / Dibi Afra — grilled lamb with a spice rub built around peanut, ginger and chili. Order it. Don’t think about it. Order it.
    • Oxtail stew or oxtail soup — tender, rich, the broth gelatinous in the way oxtail broth is supposed to be.
    • Suppa Kanja (okra stew) — Senegalese-style, deep green, served over rice.
    • Fataya pies — stuffed hand pies, perfect appetizer, share them.

    The menu also runs sideways into burgers and soul food — wings, fried catfish, sandwiches — which makes Heritage one of the easier “first African meal” introductions for anyone you’re trying to bring along. Nobody at the table gets stuck without an order they recognize.

    Why This Spot Matters

    Everett’s downtown food scene has gotten genuinely interesting in the last three years. Hewitt Avenue alone now anchors Italian (Luca, two blocks east), New Mexican (The New Mexicans, three blocks west), pizza (Brooklyn Bros), Korean (K Fresh), and African (Heritage). That’s a downtown stretch that used to lean heavily into bar food and now reads like a small city’s actual restaurant row.

    Heritage is the most distinctive of those rooms. There’s no other restaurant in Snohomish County serving jollof, egusi and suya from a Gambian and Senegalese kitchen. The closest equivalents are in Seattle, Tukwila or Tacoma. For a 100,000-person city to have a restaurant this specific and this good, on its main drag, is the kind of thing locals should be louder about.

    Logistics

    Address: 2019 Hewitt Avenue, Everett, WA 98201 (corner of Hewitt and Broadway).
    Hours: Monday–Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
    Phone: (425) 374-7728
    Website: heritageafricanrestaurant.com
    Delivery: Yes — DoorDash and Postmates both carry it.
    Parking: Street parking on Hewitt and Broadway, plus the city lot a block south. We’ve never had a problem at lunch. Friday and Saturday dinner gets busier.
    Price range: $$ — most plates land in the $14–$22 range; oxtail and lamb plates push higher.
    Best time to go: Tuesday or Wednesday lunch if you want the room mostly to yourselves; Friday after 7 p.m. if you want it lively.

    What to Order Your First Time

    For two people: one large jollof rice, the egusi soup, a side of suya. Split a fataya pie up front. Get the hibiscus drink (zobo) if it’s on the day’s menu — it’s the right sweet/tart to balance the spice. That gets you out the door for around $50–$60, and you’ll leave knowing whether you’re a Heritage regular yet. (You will be.)

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is Heritage African Restaurant open in 2026? Yes. Heritage opened in February 2024 and is operating regular hours at 2019 Hewitt Avenue in downtown Everett as of April 2026.

    What kind of African food does Heritage serve? The kitchen leans West African, anchored in Gambian and Senegalese traditions — jollof rice, egusi soup, suya grilled lamb, oxtail stew, suppa kanja okra stew, and fataya hand pies — with a soul-food and burger sideline.

    Who owns Heritage African Restaurant in Everett? Co-owners Fatou Dibba and her aunt Mama Saho. They also run Diva’s Beauty Supply in Lynnwood.

    Is Heritage African Restaurant spicy? The food has heat, but most dishes sit in the warming-not-burning range. Anything built on scotch bonnet (jollof, certain stews) carries real spice; the kitchen will adjust on request.

    Does Heritage take reservations? Walk-ins are normal at lunch. For larger parties or weekend dinner, call ahead at (425) 374-7728.

    Where can I park near Heritage African Restaurant? Street parking on Hewitt Avenue and Broadway, plus the city parking lot one block south. Free in the evenings.

    Does Heritage deliver? Yes — DoorDash and Postmates both deliver from 2019 Hewitt Avenue.

    What should I order at Heritage African Restaurant if I’ve never had African food? Start with jollof rice and a side of suya grilled lamb. Both are approachable, deeply flavored, and a good window into how the kitchen handles spice and seasoning.

  • Everett Just Approved $3.1M to Design a Pedestrian Bridge Over Broadway: What the New EvCC + WSU Everett Crossing Actually Solves

    Everett Just Approved $3.1M to Design a Pedestrian Bridge Over Broadway: What the New EvCC + WSU Everett Crossing Actually Solves

    What did Everett approve for the Broadway pedestrian bridge? On April 23, 2026, the Everett City Council approved a $3.1 million contract with engineering and planning consultancy Kimley-Horn to design a pedestrian bridge over Broadway in north Everett. The bridge will connect Everett Community College’s main campus to the Learning Resource Center on the east side of Broadway, with a connection that also serves the WSU Everett campus. The design is expected to be complete by the end of 2028. The bridge will likely be located just north of 10th Street.

    There is a six-lane road in north Everett called Broadway that thousands of college students cross every weekday — most of them on foot, most of them on a tight schedule between classes, almost all of them at street level with cars. On April 23, the Everett City Council took the first step toward fixing that.

    The council approved a $3.1 million contract with engineering firm Kimley-Horn to design a pedestrian bridge over Broadway connecting Everett Community College’s main campus to the Learning Resource Center, the campus library and study building that sits across the road on the east side. The same bridge will also tie into the WSU Everett campus, which shares the same general area on Broadway just north of downtown.

    This is one of those projects that does not get covered the way a stadium vote or a waterfront groundbreaking gets covered, but that quietly shapes daily life for thousands of Everett residents. We watched the contract approval and dug into the scope to figure out what is actually being built and on what timeline.

    What the $3.1 million does, and what it does not do

    The first thing to understand about the April 23 vote is that it does not build a bridge. It pays for the design of a bridge.

    The $3.1 million contract with Kimley-Horn — a national engineering and planning firm with a Northwest office — covers the design phase only. That includes the structural engineering, the architecture, the geotechnical work, the traffic analysis, the utility coordination, the permitting work, the public outreach process, and the construction documents that a future contractor will need to actually build the structure.

    A pedestrian bridge over a six-lane arterial like Broadway is not a small piece of engineering. It has to clear traffic with adequate vertical clearance, accommodate emergency vehicle heights, meet ADA accessibility requirements end to end, handle Pacific Northwest weather and seismic loading, and connect cleanly to existing pedestrian paths on both campuses. Kimley-Horn’s contract covers all of that work.

    The design phase is expected to wrap up at the end of 2028. That is the realistic timeline for a piece of infrastructure of this complexity, and it accounts for the public engagement, environmental review, and permit process that has to happen before construction can be put out to bid.

    Once the design is complete, a separate council vote will approve the construction contract. That is a different ordinance, a different price tag, and a different timeline — and right now the city has not announced a target construction start date or estimated total cost for the build.

    Why a bridge here, specifically

    Everett Community College is one of the larger institutions in the city by daily population. The main campus sits on the west side of Broadway between roughly 22nd Street and Tower Street. The Learning Resource Center — which houses much of the library, study, and student services functions — is on the east side of Broadway. The WSU Everett campus sits in the same area, sharing facilities and a daily student population with EvCC.

    Today, students moving between buildings cross Broadway at street-level signalized intersections. Broadway in this stretch is a six-lane arterial that carries significant car traffic between north Everett and downtown, and the at-grade crossings introduce real conflicts between pedestrian flow and vehicle movement. During class change times — the 10-minute windows when several thousand students simultaneously try to get from one building to the next — the crossings get crowded, the wait times for cars stack up, and pedestrians and drivers end up in the same intersections under time pressure.

    A grade-separated pedestrian bridge eliminates the conflict. Students walk over the road. Cars do not stop. Class change becomes faster, safer, and more predictable for everybody.

    The likely location north of 10th Street puts the bridge close to the natural foot traffic between the main campus and the Learning Resource Center. The exact siting will be one of the design phase decisions over the next two and a half years.

    Why this fits Everett’s broader pattern

    The Broadway pedestrian bridge is part of a noticeable shift in how Everett is thinking about its right-of-way. The city has spent the last several years putting more weight on pedestrian and bike infrastructure as a deliberate policy choice — the new Edgewater Bridge that opens to traffic April 28 includes wide sidewalks and 5-foot bike lanes on each side, the Pacific Avenue Gateway project includes a public art installation at the Pacific entrance from I-5, and the multi-year work on downtown streetscapes has prioritized pedestrian-friendly design over pure vehicle throughput.

    The Broadway bridge fits the same pattern. North Everett is one of the densest pedestrian environments in the city — between EvCC, WSU Everett, the residential neighborhoods around them, and the commercial strips on either side of Broadway, this is a part of the city that is genuinely walked. Investing $3.1 million in design now signals that the city is willing to put real capital into making that walkability safer.

    It is also a partnership story worth noting. The bridge serves the EvCC and WSU Everett campuses primarily. The design and construction are being led by the city. That kind of city-and-institution coordination is the only way a piece of infrastructure like this gets built — campuses cannot construct in city right-of-way on their own, and the city cannot prioritize a single-purpose pedestrian crossing without a clear partner. The fact that the project moved from concept to a $3.1 million design contract suggests that all the parties involved have aligned on what they want and how to pay for it.

    What to watch over the next two and a half years

    A few specific things will tell us how this project actually evolves between now and the end of 2028.

    Watch the public engagement process. The city and Kimley-Horn will run multiple rounds of public input on the bridge design — siting, aesthetics, lighting, public art elements, how it connects to existing pedestrian paths, how it handles weather. Students, faculty, neighbors, and broader Everett residents will all have a chance to weigh in. The dates and meeting formats will be posted on the city’s project page as they firm up.

    Watch the alignment selection. Kimley-Horn will likely produce two to four candidate alignment options early in the design process. The exact location north of 10th Street, the angle of the bridge, the column placement and the connection points to existing campus paths are all decisions that will be made publicly. Each option has trade-offs around cost, traffic disruption during construction, sightlines, and how cleanly it ties into existing buildings.

    Watch the construction cost estimate when it lands. The $3.1 million is design only. The construction estimate will not be public until the design phase produces a real, biddable scope — likely in late 2027 or 2028. When it does land, it will be the number that determines whether the bridge actually moves to construction or whether the project stalls for funding reasons. Pedestrian bridges over six-lane arterials are not cheap, and the city will need to decide where the construction money comes from.

    Watch what happens to the on-the-ground experience for EvCC and WSU Everett students between now and the end of 2028. The bridge does not exist yet, and will not for several more years. In the meantime, signal timing improvements, crosswalk markings, and other interim safety measures at the existing at-grade crossings are within the city’s reach right now. The Broadway pedestrian bridge is the long-term answer. Better at-grade crossings are the bridge between now and the bridge.

    The honest read

    This is the kind of city-shaping decision that does not move the news cycle but moves a piece of the city. By the end of 2028, north Everett will have a fully designed pedestrian bridge over one of its busiest arterials, ready to put out to bid. By some point in the early 2030s, depending on construction funding and timing, that bridge will be carrying students between EvCC’s two main building groups every weekday.

    For a $3.1 million design vote that did not make a single regional headline, that is a meaningful piece of how the city actually changes over the next decade.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What did the Everett City Council approve on April 23, 2026?

    The Everett City Council approved a $3.1 million contract with engineering consultancy Kimley-Horn to design a pedestrian bridge over Broadway in north Everett. The contract covers the design phase only — including engineering, permitting, public engagement, and construction documents. A separate future council vote will be needed to approve the construction contract.

    Where will the Broadway pedestrian bridge be located?

    The bridge will likely be located just north of 10th Street on Broadway, connecting Everett Community College’s main campus on the west side of Broadway to the Learning Resource Center on the east side. The bridge will also connect to the WSU Everett campus, which shares the same area. The exact siting will be determined during the design phase.

    When will the Broadway pedestrian bridge be built?

    The design phase is expected to be complete by the end of 2028. After design is finalized, the city will need to put the construction phase out to bid and approve a separate construction contract. A specific construction start date and overall project completion date have not yet been announced.

    Who is designing the bridge?

    Kimley-Horn, a national engineering and planning consultancy, was awarded the $3.1 million design contract by the Everett City Council on April 23, 2026.

    Why does Everett need a pedestrian bridge over Broadway?

    Broadway in this stretch is a six-lane arterial carrying significant traffic between north Everett and downtown. Today, students moving between Everett Community College’s main campus and the Learning Resource Center on the east side of the road cross at street-level signalized intersections. A grade-separated pedestrian bridge eliminates the conflict between pedestrians and vehicles and improves safety and flow during class change times.

    How much will the Broadway pedestrian bridge cost in total?

    The $3.1 million approved on April 23 covers only the design phase. The construction cost estimate will not be public until the design phase produces a biddable scope, likely in late 2027 or 2028. Pedestrian bridges over multi-lane arterials are significant infrastructure projects and the construction cost will be set by the design once it is complete.

    What about students who need to cross Broadway right now?

    The bridge will not exist for several years. In the meantime, EvCC and WSU Everett students continue to cross Broadway at the existing signalized intersections. The city has tools for improving safety at those at-grade crossings — signal timing, crosswalk markings, signage — that are within reach in the near term while the bridge design and construction process plays out.

  • Everett Just Approved $113 Million for the Biggest Pipe Project in Years: Here’s What’s Going Under West Marine View Drive

    Everett Just Approved $113 Million for the Biggest Pipe Project in Years: Here’s What’s Going Under West Marine View Drive

    What is the $113 million Everett pipeline project? On April 2, 2026, the Everett City Council approved a $113 million ordinance funding the construction phase of new combined stormwater and sewer pipes plus a 48-inch water main replacement along West Marine View Drive, from the Grand Avenue Bridge in the north down to Hewitt Avenue in the south. The pipes will feed the planned $200 million-plus Port Gardner Storage Facility, a state-mandated combined sewer overflow project that will temporarily hold excess stormwater so it can be treated rather than dumped into Port Gardner Bay or the Snohomish River.

    There is a kind of Everett project that does not get a ribbon cutting and does not show up on most people’s mental map of the city, but that quietly determines what the waterfront looks like, smells like, and is allowed to be used for. Combined sewer overflows are at the top of that list. And on April 2, the Everett City Council voted to spend $113 million on the largest single piece of infrastructure addressing them in years.

    We have been watching this one for months because the dollar figure is enormous, the construction footprint runs along one of the most-driven roads in the city, and the underlying problem — sewage and stormwater dumping into Port Gardner Bay during heavy rains — is something the state has ordered Everett to fix on a schedule that does not move.

    Here is what the council actually approved, and what it means for the city.

    What the $113 million buys

    The ordinance allocates $113 million to the construction phase of new water, stormwater, and sewer pipelines along West Marine View Drive. The route runs from the Grand Avenue Bridge at the north end of the corridor down to Hewitt Avenue in the south — that is the entire length of the waterfront frontage road that connects the north end of the city to the downtown waterfront, the marina, and the port.

    Inside that corridor, the project includes:

    • A new combined stormwater and sewer pipe sized to carry significantly more flow than the existing system
    • Replacement of an existing 48-inch water main that runs along the same corridor
    • The connections needed to tie the new pipes into the upstream Port Gardner Storage Facility, which is the catchment basin the new pipes feed

    The pipe work itself is the visible part. The whole point of the pipe work is to feed the Port Gardner Storage Facility, which is a separate, much larger project — currently estimated at more than $200 million — that will hold excess flows during heavy rain events and meter them out for treatment instead of letting them overflow into the bay.

    The $113 million pipeline is the connective tissue. Without it, the storage facility is a giant tank with no way to fill it.

    Why the state is making Everett build this

    Combined sewer systems are an artifact of the way American cities built their underground infrastructure between roughly 1880 and 1950. In a combined system, stormwater and sanitary sewer share the same pipe. On a normal day that works fine. During a heavy rain, the system gets overwhelmed, and the pipes do what they were designed to do as a safety valve — they overflow at designated points, sending a mix of rainwater and untreated wastewater into the nearest body of water.

    In Everett, those nearest bodies of water are Port Gardner Bay and the Snohomish River.

    The Washington Department of Ecology has been requiring cities with combined sewer systems to reduce their overflow events for decades. Everett’s combined sewer overflow reduction program has been ratcheting down the number of allowed overflow events year by year. The Port Gardner Storage Facility — and the pipes that feed it — is the city’s response to the most recent compliance requirements.

    This is not an optional project. The state has ordered it. The schedule is enforceable. The $113 million spend is the price of that compliance.

    Where the money is coming from

    This is the part that often gets lost in the headline. The $113 million does not come out of Everett’s general fund. It cannot be used for parks, police, libraries, or anything else the city’s general budget covers.

    The money comes from the city’s water and sewer utility fund. That fund is fed by what residents and businesses pay on their water and sewer bills. It is legally restricted to water and sewer system uses, which is exactly what this project is.

    What that means in practice is that the pressure point for ratepayers is not now — the funds for this construction phase are being drawn from existing utility reserves and previously authorized borrowing — but over the long term as the utility recapitalizes those reserves through future rate decisions. Everett residents have already seen incremental increases in their water and sewer bills tied to the broader combined sewer overflow program over the last several years. This $113 million approval is consistent with the trajectory the utility has been on.

    It is also separate from the proposed utility tax increase that has been moving through council on a different track. That is general fund money. This is restricted utility fund money. Two different conversations, both important, easy to confuse.

    What construction looks like on the ground

    If you drive West Marine View Drive — the frontage road that connects the north end of the city, past the Naval Station gates, down past Legion Park and toward downtown — you are going to spend a lot of time over the next two years driving past construction.

    The pipe corridor runs underneath that road. Trenching a 42-inch combined pipe and replacing a 48-inch water main means digging significant sections of the right-of-way, staging materials, and managing traffic through a corridor that already carries Naval Station traffic, marina traffic, downtown commuters, and freight to the port.

    The city’s public works department has not yet released the full lane closure schedule for the West Marine View work tied to this approval, but the size of the spend and the length of the corridor make it almost certain that residents in north Everett, port users, and Naval Station personnel will see real impacts on their commutes once construction mobilizes.

    The Pacific Avenue pipeline work — a separate but related $1,000 linear foot, 42-inch pipe project between Pine Street and Chestnut Street that is scheduled to begin in summer 2026 — adds to the picture downtown. Together, these are the largest underground infrastructure projects the city has had in motion at one time in years.

    Why this matters beyond plumbing

    A few reasons this is worth paying attention to even if the words “combined sewer overflow” make your eyes glaze over.

    First, water quality. Every overflow event that does not happen is wastewater that does not enter Port Gardner Bay. The Port Gardner shoreline is the single most-used recreation corridor in the city — Howarth Park, Jetty Island, the marina promenade, the swimming and paddling that families do at the waterfront. Cleaner water there is a public health and quality-of-life issue, not just a regulatory checkbox.

    Second, the waterfront economy. The Port of Everett’s $1 billion Waterfront Place redevelopment, the Millwright District buildout, the new restaurants and apartments and the planned hotel expansion — all of it depends on Port Gardner Bay being a clean, swimmable, fishable waterfront. Combined sewer overflows are the single biggest threat to that economic story. The state knows it. The port knows it. The city knows it. The $113 million pipeline is part of the long unsexy work of protecting the asset that everything else is built around.

    Third, regulatory exposure. If Everett misses the state’s compliance schedule on combined sewer overflow reduction, the consequences are not abstract. Cities that fall behind on Ecology’s CSO orders face escalating enforcement actions, mandated additional spending under tighter timelines, and in extreme cases consent decrees that take spending decisions out of local hands entirely. Spending $113 million on a pipeline now is much less expensive than the alternatives a few years down the road.

    What to watch

    Three things to keep an eye on as this project moves into construction.

    Watch the construction schedule and lane closure announcements for West Marine View Drive. The city will publish them on its public works project page as they firm up. North Everett residents and Naval Station commuters in particular will want to plan around them.

    Watch the Port Gardner Storage Facility procurement and construction milestones. The pipe project is feeding a much larger storage facility, and the two have to land on a coordinated timeline for either to function. The storage facility is the bigger spend, the longer construction window, and the project that will most determine when Everett actually achieves its compliance targets.

    Watch the long-term utility rate trajectory. This $113 million is funded from existing utility reserves and authorized debt, but the cumulative cost of the city’s combined sewer overflow program — across this project, the storage facility, the Pacific Avenue work, and other planned upgrades — will eventually show up in water and sewer rates in the years ahead.

    The pipeline goes in the ground. The water gets cleaner. The waterfront keeps growing. That is the deal Everett is signing up for, and on April 2 the council put $113 million behind it.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What did the Everett City Council approve on April 2, 2026?

    The Everett City Council voted to allocate $113 million to the construction phase of new combined stormwater and sewer pipes, along with the replacement of an existing 48-inch water main, running along West Marine View Drive from the Grand Avenue Bridge in the north to Hewitt Avenue in the south.

    What is the Port Gardner Storage Facility?

    The Port Gardner Storage Facility is a planned, more than $200 million city-built underground tank designed to temporarily hold excess flows from Everett’s combined sewer system during heavy rain events, so the wastewater can be treated rather than overflow into Port Gardner Bay. The $113 million pipeline project will carry flows to the storage facility.

    Why does Everett have combined sewer overflows?

    Like many older American cities, Everett’s underground infrastructure includes a combined sewer system where stormwater and sanitary sewer flow through the same pipes. During heavy rain events, the pipes can be overwhelmed and overflow at designated points into the nearest body of water — in Everett’s case, Port Gardner Bay and the Snohomish River. The Washington Department of Ecology requires cities with combined sewer systems to reduce these overflow events on a state-enforced compliance schedule.

    Who pays for the $113 million pipeline project?

    The $113 million comes from the city’s water and sewer utility fund, which is funded by what residents and businesses pay on their water and sewer bills. Utility funds are legally restricted to water and sewer system uses and cannot be redirected to general government services like parks, police, or libraries.

    Will this project affect my commute?

    Construction will require significant trenching along West Marine View Drive, which is the frontage road between north Everett and the downtown waterfront. The city has not yet released the full lane closure schedule, but the size and length of the corridor make traffic impacts likely for north Everett residents, marina and port users, and Naval Station commuters once construction mobilizes.

    Is this related to the Pacific Avenue pipeline project?

    The two projects are part of the same broader combined sewer overflow program but are technically separate. The Pacific Avenue Pipeline Improvements project is a roughly 1,000 linear foot, 42-inch pipe between Pine Street and Chestnut Street downtown, with construction scheduled to begin in summer 2026. The West Marine View pipeline approved April 2 is a much larger, much longer corridor project on the waterfront frontage road.

    When will construction start?

    The April 2 approval funded the construction phase of the project. Specific groundbreaking and mobilization timing will be set as the city completes contractor procurement and finalizes lane closure and traffic plans for West Marine View Drive.

  • The Hub @ Everett Is Half-Open and Topgolf Is Stuck: An April 2026 Status Check on the Old Everett Mall Redevelopment

    The Hub @ Everett Is Half-Open and Topgolf Is Stuck: An April 2026 Status Check on the Old Everett Mall Redevelopment

    What is The Hub @ Everett? The Hub @ Everett is the new name and design for the redeveloped Everett Mall — an outdoor walkable shopping district replacing the former indoor mall, anchored by a planned three-level Topgolf, with Ulta Beauty and At Home moving into the former Sears box. The relocated $2 million Mall Station opened in December 2025, and the broader redevelopment is targeted to open in 2026, though Topgolf’s exact opening date is on hold pending the company’s corporate restructuring.

    If you have driven past the Everett Mall in the last six months, you have already noticed it: the old indoor mall is becoming something else. The interior food court is gone, the central building has been carved up, and the walls between the parking lot and the storefronts are coming down. What is going up in its place has a new name — The Hub @ Everett — and a very different idea of what a shopping center is supposed to do in 2026.

    We have been watching this one for a while because it is one of the largest physical transformations happening anywhere in the city right now, and it is the rare Everett project that is changing what the south end of town actually looks like — not just adding apartments, but completely rethinking 11 acres at the corner of Everett Mall Way and the Mall Station bus loop.

    Here is where things actually stand in April 2026.

    The Hub @ Everett, in plain English

    The Hub @ Everett is the rebrand and redesign of the former Everett Mall. The owner, Brixton Capital, announced the transformation in August 2022 and has spent the years since working through demolition, permitting, transit relocation, and tenant negotiations.

    The big idea is to flip the model. Instead of an indoor mall with everything pointed inward and a parking moat around the outside, The Hub is an outdoor walkable shopping street that runs through the middle of the property. Storefronts open to the sidewalk. Restaurants get patios. The center spine becomes the front door. Brixton’s design team at AD Collaborative described it as turning the mall inside out.

    The result is roughly a 20% reduction in overall retail square footage, traded for outdoor walkways, gathering space, restaurant patios, and the new entertainment anchor that is supposed to give the whole district a reason to exist after 8 p.m.

    That entertainment anchor is Topgolf.

    The Topgolf piece

    The Topgolf at The Hub is going up on the southeast side of the property, next to the Regal Cinemas and LA Fitness. The permitted plan is a three-level, 68,000 square foot building with restaurant, bar, event space, and the chain’s signature outfield with electronic targets that golf balls embed RFID tags to score. Everett approved the building permits for the Topgolf project in January 2025.

    That is the good news. The complicated news is that the opening date is no longer a sure thing.

    Topgolf’s parent company has been working through a corporate restructuring since late 2024 that has affected new construction starts across the country. As of late December 2025, Brixton Capital said publicly that they look “forward to working with them further as they solidify their timing,” which is the polite way of saying nobody has a confirmed opening date for the Everett location. A Topgolf spokesperson confirmed at the same time that the company has no updates to share on the Everett project specifically.

    So the permits are in. The site is ready. The financing on the broader Hub project is moving forward. The question is when Topgolf the company is in a position to actually start vertical construction on a 68,000 square foot building in south Everett. That answer has not arrived yet.

    What is actually open and moving

    While Topgolf waits, the rest of The Hub is not waiting on it. Two big tenant moves are reshaping the rest of the property right now.

    The first is Ulta Beauty. The second is At Home. Both are relocating into the former Sears building on the north side of the mall — a 100,000-plus square foot box that has been vacant since Sears closed and that has been the single biggest empty space on the property. Putting two anchor-scale national tenants into that building is the most important leasing event the redevelopment has had to date, because it solves the dead-anchor problem that hollowed out so many American malls in the late 2010s.

    The third big move is one most people have already used without thinking about it. Everett Transit’s Mall Station — the bus loop where Everett Transit and Community Transit routes meet on the south side of the property — relocated about 500 feet west of its original location and reopened in December 2025. The City of Everett funded the $2 million station relocation specifically because the old station was sitting on a piece of land that Brixton needed to redevelop. Now riders board from a rebuilt facility, and the redevelopment got the parcel back.

    That is the kind of unsexy infrastructure handshake that has to happen before private redevelopment can actually move forward, and the fact that it closed cleanly is one of the reasons the rest of The Hub is on schedule.

    Why this matters for Everett’s south end

    The Everett Mall has been the center of gravity for retail south of 41st Street for about 45 years. When it opened in 1980, it pulled shoppers from every direction. By the late 2010s, it was doing what almost every American indoor mall has done — bleeding tenants, struggling on Saturday traffic, and watching anchor stores close and not get replaced. Sears, Macy’s, JCPenney — the cycle was familiar.

    What is happening at The Hub is the bet that the cure for an old indoor mall is not a slightly nicer indoor mall but a fundamentally different kind of place: an outdoor district with food, entertainment, and walkable retail that gives people a reason to stay for hours instead of running in for one errand.

    If that bet works, the practical effect for Everett residents is significant. The Hub sits at one of the most accessible spots in the city — Everett Mall Way, with direct freeway access from I-5 and SR 526, and the relocated Mall Station for transit riders. A redeveloped center with Topgolf, two new anchor tenants, restaurants, and outdoor space puts a real entertainment-and-retail destination on the south end of town for the first time since the original mall’s heyday.

    If the bet does not work — if Topgolf’s restructuring drags on, if the outdoor format does not pull Saturday traffic the way Brixton expects — then south Everett gets a partially redeveloped property with empty pad sites for years. That is the version every city in the country is trying to avoid right now with mall redevelopments.

    The honest read on the timeline

    The original target for The Hub was a 2026 opening for the redeveloped portions, with Topgolf as part of that opening. As of April 2026, the realistic read is more nuanced:

    The mall station is open. The non-Topgolf tenant moves are progressing. Ulta and At Home moving into the former Sears is real. The outdoor walkable design is being built out in the central portion of the property. The Topgolf opening is the part that has slipped, and nobody is publicly committing to a new date.

    That makes The Hub one of those projects where the headlines and the ground truth are pulling in different directions. The headline version is “mall redevelopment opens in 2026.” The ground truth version is “the mall redevelopment is opening in pieces over the next 18 to 24 months, with the Topgolf piece on its own timeline that depends on a national chain’s restructuring.” Both are true.

    What to watch

    A few specific things will tell us where The Hub actually lands over the next year:

    Watch when Ulta and At Home actually open in the former Sears box. Permits, signage, and hiring announcements are the leading indicators. Both tenants closing the gap between “moving in” and “open for business” is the most important leasing milestone for the redevelopment.

    Watch for any movement on the Topgolf vertical construction. Right now the site is permitted and ready. A Topgolf groundbreaking would change the conversation about The Hub immediately. Right now there is silence.

    Watch the rest of the central spine. The reason the outdoor walkable design works — or does not — is the smaller restaurants and shops that fill in between the anchors. Brixton has not announced a complete tenant lineup yet for the central walkway portion of the project. Each new lease announcement is a real signal about how attractive the redevelopment is to mid-size national and regional tenants.

    We will keep watching. The Hub @ Everett is one of those projects where the version of south Everett that exists in 2030 is going to be meaningfully different depending on how this redevelopment lands. Worth paying attention to.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Where is The Hub @ Everett located?

    The Hub @ Everett is the redevelopment of the former Everett Mall at 1402 SE Everett Mall Way in south Everett, on roughly 11 acres at the intersection of Everett Mall Way and the relocated Mall Station bus loop.

    Is the old Everett Mall closed?

    Parts of the original indoor mall have been demolished as part of the redevelopment, including the central food court area. Some existing tenants are still operating, and others — including Ulta Beauty and At Home — are relocating to the former Sears building as the new outdoor walkable design is built out around them.

    When will Topgolf in Everett open?

    The City of Everett approved the building permits for the three-level, 68,000 square foot Topgolf in January 2025. As of April 2026, Topgolf has not announced a confirmed opening date. The chain’s parent company is working through a corporate restructuring that has affected new construction starts nationally, and Brixton Capital — the mall’s owner — has said publicly that the timing is still being worked out.

    What is replacing the old Sears at the Everett Mall?

    Ulta Beauty and At Home are relocating into the former Sears building on the north side of The Hub @ Everett. Putting two national anchor-scale tenants into that space is the biggest leasing event the redevelopment has had to date.

    Why was the Mall Station moved?

    Everett Transit’s Mall Station was relocated about 500 feet west of its original location to clear the parcel for Brixton Capital’s redevelopment. The new $2 million station opened in December 2025 and serves Everett Transit and Community Transit routes.

    Who owns the Everett Mall?

    The Everett Mall is owned by Brixton Capital, a private real estate investment firm, which announced the redevelopment plan and rebrand to The Hub @ Everett in August 2022.

    What does The Hub @ Everett look like compared to the old indoor mall?

    The Hub flips the indoor mall model into an outdoor walkable shopping district. A central pedestrian street runs through the property with storefronts, restaurants with patios, and gathering spaces opening directly to it. The redesign reduces overall retail square footage by about 20% in exchange for outdoor walkways, restaurant patios, and the entertainment anchor space for Topgolf.



  • Moving to Port Gardner in Everett: A 2026 Relocating Resident’s Guide to Rucker Hill, the Bluff Bay Views, and a Neighborhood Built in 1890

    Moving to Port Gardner in Everett: A 2026 Relocating Resident’s Guide to Rucker Hill, the Bluff Bay Views, and a Neighborhood Built in 1890

    If you’re considering Port Gardner, this is the relocation read. What the bluff bay views actually mean day to day, what the architecture stock looks like in a 1890-platted neighborhood, how the walkability to downtown and the marina works, and how the neighborhood compares to Northwest Everett, Bayside, and Boulevard Bluffs.

    What Port Gardner Is

    Port Gardner is Everett’s second-oldest neighborhood — the original 50-acre townsite the Rucker brothers platted in 1890 as the founding act of the Everett Land Company. The boundaries are clear: Possession Sound and Port Gardner Bay to the west, the Snohomish River to the east, a combination of Hewitt and Pacific avenues to the north, and 41st Street to the south. That puts you immediately south of Northwest Everett and immediately west of Bayside, with downtown Everett at the neighborhood’s northern edge.

    Architecture Stock — What You’re Actually Buying

    Port Gardner has one of the most architecturally diverse housing stocks in the city for its size. On a single block you can find:

    • Queen Anne mansions from the 1890s — turrets, wraparound porches, ornate trim. Many are still in original-family ownership; supply at any given time is limited.
    • Craftsman bungalows from the 1910s and 1920s — smaller in scale, deep porches, built with care for materials. The most plentiful category in the neighborhood.
    • Mid-century cottages infilled during Everett’s wartime housing crunch — often the most affordable entry point into the neighborhood.
    • Maritime-influenced homes near the bluff — designed to capture water views, often with renovations that have preserved historic exterior detail while modernizing the interior.

    The practical implication for a buyer: the inspection conversation in Port Gardner is different from the inspection conversation in a 2010s subdivision. Older homes mean older systems, which means budget for some combination of foundation, electrical, plumbing, or insulation work depending on when the home was last updated. The flip side is that these are homes built when materials were better and craftsmanship was the assumption — many Craftsman bungalows in Port Gardner have outlasted three generations of newer construction.

    The Bluff Bay View, Honestly

    Almost everyone north of Hewitt has some kind of water view. Honest framing: bay views in Port Gardner are not the unobstructed open-water views of, say, an oceanfront in California. They take in Possession Sound, Port Gardner Bay, and — closer in — the Port of Everett’s working waterfront with its cargo cranes, marina, and (on weekdays) the cargo barges loading oversized Boeing parts. Some buyers find that working-waterfront foreground charming. Others want the postcard-clean view and end up choosing Boulevard Bluffs or another neighborhood instead. Walk both before deciding.

    Walkability — What’s a Real Walk From Here

    Port Gardner is one of the more walkable historic neighborhoods in Everett:

    • Downtown Everett: a short walk to the north — restaurants, the Historic Everett Theatre, Hewitt Avenue retail.
    • Grand Avenue Park: inside the neighborhood, with bay views and an active community use pattern.
    • Waterfront Place: a flat fifteen-minute walk down the hill to the Port of Everett marina, Boxcar Park, and the new Fisherman’s Harbor restaurants.
    • Everett Station / transit: a longer walk or short drive to the regional bus and Sound Transit hub, including the post-merger Community Transit network.

    Schools, Services, Amenities

    Port Gardner is in the Everett Public Schools district. Specific school assignments depend on the home’s address — verify with the district before contracting. There are no commercial corridors inside the neighborhood; restaurants, grocery, and most services are reached either north (downtown Everett) or down the hill (Waterfront Place). For most relocating buyers, that pattern is a feature, not a bug — the neighborhood stays residential and quiet.

    Comparing to the Neighbors

    How Port Gardner stacks up against the neighborhoods relocating buyers most often weigh against it:

    • Northwest Everett: The closest comparable. Slightly larger geographically, anchored by Everett Community College and Grand Avenue Park. Newer-resident energy. Our Northwest Everett guide covers the comparison in depth.
    • Bayside: Directly east of Port Gardner, between the neighborhood and the river. Different residential character; less of the historic-architecture density.
    • Boulevard Bluffs / View Ridge–Madison: Newer, family-oriented neighborhoods further south. Newer schools, newer parks, newer construction. The trade-off: less of the original-Everett story.

    The Right-Buyer Profile, Honestly

    Port Gardner is the right neighborhood if you:

    • Value historic architecture and want the inspection-conversation reality of older homes.
    • Want walkability to downtown and to the waterfront more than walkability to schools.
    • Like the working-waterfront character of the bay view rather than wanting an unobstructed open-water view.
    • Plan to invest in your home over time — many Port Gardner homes reward sustained restoration work with both lifestyle and resale upside.

    It’s the wrong neighborhood if you want new construction, family-oriented school catchments at the doorstep, or a neighborhood with commercial conveniences inside its boundaries. Both Boulevard Bluffs and View Ridge–Madison are better fits for those buyers.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Are most Port Gardner homes original?

    Many are, particularly the Craftsman bungalow stock from the 1910s and 1920s and the Queen Anne mansions from the 1890s. Mid-century cottages were infilled during Everett’s wartime housing crunch.

    How does pricing compare to Northwest Everett?

    Pricing is comparable to Northwest Everett at the historic-bluff level, with Port Gardner often slightly more for premium Rucker Hill addresses and slightly less for blocks further from the bluff. Our three-submarket Everett housing guide walks through the broader comparison.

    What’s the schools situation?

    Port Gardner is in the Everett Public Schools district. Specific assignments depend on the home’s address; verify with the district before contracting.

    Can I walk to the marina from a Port Gardner home?

    Yes. From Rucker Hill or the bluff streets, the walk to Waterfront Place at the Port of Everett is flat (well, downhill on the way out) and runs about fifteen minutes. The walk back is uphill.

    What’s the commute like?

    Downtown Everett is short. Paine Field and the Boeing complex are 10–20 minutes by car depending on traffic. Seattle is 30–45 minutes most days; Everett Station provides Sound Transit and bus connections. The post-merger Everett/Community Transit network covers the regional bus side.

    Is HOA membership required?

    The Port Gardner Neighborhood Association is a voluntary residents’ association — not an HOA in the legal/contract sense. Most Port Gardner homes have no HOA dues; verify on a property-by-property basis through the seller’s disclosure.

    Related Exploring Everett Coverage

  • Visiting Port Gardner: A 2026 Day-Trip Guide to Rucker Hill, the Architecture Walking Tour, and Everett’s Founding Neighborhood

    Visiting Port Gardner: A 2026 Day-Trip Guide to Rucker Hill, the Architecture Walking Tour, and Everett’s Founding Neighborhood

    If you have one afternoon in Everett and you want to see the city’s founding chapter, Port Gardner is the route. A 2026 day-trip guide to Everett’s second-oldest neighborhood — the Rucker Mansion, the Historic Everett walking tour, the Grand Avenue Park bluff, and the flat fifteen-minute walk down to Waterfront Place at the Port of Everett.

    The One-Afternoon Itinerary

    Port Gardner is one of those neighborhoods that rewards the visitor who comes in on foot and takes their time. The whole route is walkable in three to four hours; you can also do it in two if you skip the marina detour. A practical sequence:

    1. Park near Grand Avenue Park at the north end of the neighborhood. Grand Avenue between Pacific and 23rd has the most parking and is the easiest entry point.
    2. Pull up the Historic Everett walking tour at historiceverett.org/walkingtour/PortGardner.html on your phone. It is a self-guided route that hits the most significant homes.
    3. Walk south toward Rucker Hill, taking in 1890s Queen Anne mansions, 1910s and 1920s Craftsman bungalows, and the maritime-influenced homes along the bluff.
    4. Stop at the Rucker Mansion (13,000 square feet, 1905, Federal Revival, $40,000 to build). The exterior is visible from the public right-of-way; the home is privately owned and not open inside.
    5. Optional detour: walk down to Waterfront Place. A flat fifteen-minute walk takes you from Rucker Hill to the Port of Everett marina, Boxcar Park, and the new Fisherman’s Harbor restaurants. Eat. Walk back up.

    Why Visit Port Gardner Specifically

    Most visitors to Everett come in for the waterfront, AquaSox baseball, or Boeing’s Future of Flight. All three are worth doing. None of them tells the founding story. Port Gardner does — it is the original 50-acre townsite the Rucker brothers platted in 1890 to start the Everett Land Company. Walking the streets the Ruckers laid out is the fastest way to understand why Everett looks the way it does.

    The architectural density is the second reason. In one block of Port Gardner you can stand in front of a Queen Anne mansion built when Grover Cleveland was president, walk five doors down to a Craftsman bungalow built when Calvin Coolidge was, and end the block at a postwar cottage built during the wartime housing crunch. Few neighborhoods in the Pacific Northwest layer their architectural history that visibly.

    The Bay View, in Plain Language

    From Grand Avenue Park and the bluff that runs west of the avenue, you get one of the best public-access water views in Snohomish County. On a clear day you can see Whidbey Island across Possession Sound, the Olympics behind it, and — directly below — the Port of Everett’s working waterfront, where Boxcar Park, the marina, and the cargo terminals all sit. It is a fifteen-minute walk down the hill from the bluff to Waterfront Place if you want to put boots on the marina deck.

    Where to Eat (And Where Not to Walk Hungry)

    Port Gardner is residential. The places to eat are downtown to the north (a short walk uphill from the neighborhood’s north edge) or down the hill at Waterfront Place at the Port of Everett, where Bluewater Distilling, Lombardi’s Italian Restaurants, Salty’s at Waterfront Place, and Menchie’s are all within a one-minute walk of one another.

    The visitor mistake to avoid: assuming there are restaurants inside Port Gardner itself. There aren’t. Plan to start hungry uphill or eat downhill at the marina.

    What to Time Your Visit Around

    Three things make a Port Gardner visit better:

    • Daylight. The architectural detail is what you came for. Mid-day to late afternoon is best.
    • Clear weather. The bluff bay views are the second reason to come, and clear days take in Whidbey Island and the Olympics.
    • Saturday morning. The Historic Everett walking-tour route is most rewarding on a quiet weekend morning when you can take your time on each home without traffic on Rucker, Hoyt, and Grand.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How long does the Port Gardner walking tour take?

    The Historic Everett self-guided walking tour at historiceverett.org/walkingtour/PortGardner.html takes about an hour at a normal pace. Add another hour if you do the Waterfront Place detour. Add another hour if you stop for lunch.

    Can I tour the inside of the Rucker Mansion?

    No. The Rucker Mansion is privately owned. The exterior remains visible from the public right-of-way and is a regular stop on the Historic Everett walking tour.

    Where do I park?

    Grand Avenue and side streets between Pacific and 23rd offer the easiest parking and put you at the north end of the neighborhood for the walking tour.

    Is the neighborhood family-friendly for a visit?

    Yes. Sidewalks are good, traffic is light by Pacific Northwest standards, and Grand Avenue Park inside the neighborhood is a working public park with views over the bay. The walking tour pace works well for families with school-aged kids, especially if you frame it as a treasure-hunt for architectural details.

    Combine with what?

    The most natural pairings are Waterfront Place at the Port of Everett (down the hill, fifteen minutes on foot) or downtown Everett to the north for lunch and shopping.

    Related Exploring Everett Coverage