What is the Riverside neighborhood in Everett?
Riverside is Everett’s oldest neighborhood, running from 19th Street south to Pacific Avenue and from Broadway east to the Snohomish River. It was first platted in 1891 and is home to Garfield Park, Riverside Park, Summit Park, JJ Hill Park, and Judd & Black Park — more public green space per square block than almost any other Everett neighborhood. Residents are automatically members of the Riverside Neighborhood Association and pay no dues.
Everett’s first neighborhood, still writing its story
Most Everett guides start downtown. Riverside was there first.
The eastern-most part of the neighborhood was platted by the Mitchell Land Company and filed on September 23, 1891 — the third plat in Everett, just weeks behind the first two, and months before the main plat of the city itself. Everything east of Broadway and west of the Snohomish River that sits between 19th and Pacific traces its street grid back to that filing. By the time Everett incorporated in 1893, Riverside was already a neighborhood with a name, streets, and a working river on its eastern edge.
That matters, because Riverside is the neighborhood that most directly connects modern Everett to its sawmill-and-railroad origin story. The Snohomish River isn’t a view from Riverside — it’s the eastern property line. Stand at the top of Summit Avenue and you’re looking at the same ridge workers climbed home to after a shift at the waterfront mills a hundred and thirty years ago.
Where Riverside actually is
If you’re new to Everett, the boundaries are easy to hold in your head:
- North: 19th Street
- South: Pacific Avenue
- East: the Snohomish River
- West: Broadway
Broadway is the western artery — the wall that separates Riverside from the Bayside grid to the west. Everything between Broadway and the river is Riverside. That’s a rectangle roughly a mile wide and a mile and a half tall, cut through by Everett Avenue, Hewitt Avenue, Pacific Avenue, and a whole lot of quiet residential streets that most Everett residents have driven past without ever knowing they were there.
Six parks in one neighborhood
Riverside’s quiet superpower is parks. For a neighborhood this small, the park inventory is remarkable — and most of them are the kind of parks only locals know about.
Garfield Park (23rd & Walnut)
The anchor park. Baseball fields, a playground, a walking track, pickleball courts, basketball, tennis courts — all in one footprint. Garfield is the park where Riverside kids grow up, Little League seasons happen, and pickleball players have been quietly organizing for years. The city has an active renovation plan in motion, and we’ve covered the Garfield makeover separately.
Riverside Park (Everett Avenue & East Grand)
A viewpoint park at the east end of Everett Avenue overlooking the Snohomish River and the Cascade foothills beyond. There’s a little free library here. The view at sunrise is arguably the best unofficial viewpoint in Everett — and one that almost no tourist guide mentions.
Summit Park (Summit Avenue)
The highest point in Riverside. On a clear day you can see the Cascade Mountains from Summit, which is why generations of Riverside families have walked up there to watch the Fourth of July fireworks.
JJ Hill Park (Hewitt & Broadway)
A pocket park at the western edge — small, but it does the job of breaking up the Hewitt-Broadway intersection with a patch of green.
Judd & Black Park (Hewitt Avenue & Maple)
Another small neighborhood park — the kind of place where locals walk their dogs on the way back from the grocery store and nobody else stops.
The Snohomish Riverfront
Technically not a city park, but functionally one — the Snohomish Riverfront Trail system runs along the eastern edge of the neighborhood, and the Lowell Riverfront Trail extension sits a short walk south. Snohomish County has been acquiring former Puget Sound Energy corridor parcels since 2020 for the Snohomish River Trail Phase 1, which will eventually knit the whole riverfront together from Everett to Snohomish.
The neighborhood association that actually runs things
The Riverside Neighborhood Association is one of Everett’s most active. Residents are automatically members — no sign-up, no dues. The association uses mini-grants from the City of Everett to fund community programs, organize events, and lobby on neighborhood infrastructure questions.
That “automatically a member” structure matters. It means the neighborhood association isn’t a small club of the same ten people — it’s a framework that lets anyone on any Riverside block show up to a meeting and count. If you just moved in, you already belong.
What it’s like to live here
Riverside’s housing stock is older than almost anywhere else in Everett, which means you get the good and the quirky. Craftsman houses with original woodwork. Mid-century ramblers. The occasional Victorian holdout. Streets that don’t quite line up with the rest of the city because they were laid out before the modern grid was imposed. Mature trees that give the neighborhood a canopy most Everett neighborhoods haven’t had time to grow.
It’s also one of the most walkable non-downtown neighborhoods in the city. Hewitt Avenue runs through it. Everett Avenue runs through it. You can walk from central Riverside to downtown Everett in fifteen minutes and to the riverfront in ten.
The demographic profile tilts toward a mix of long-time residents and younger households who’ve figured out that Riverside offers Everett’s most house for the money once you get east of Rucker. Rentals make up about half the housing stock, but owner-occupancy is higher here than in many central Everett neighborhoods.
What long-timers say
The thing longtime Riverside residents repeat, almost verbatim, is that the neighborhood is underrated — and they’d prefer to keep it that way. It doesn’t have the waterfront cachet of Bayside. It doesn’t have the lake of Silver Lake. What it has is history, parks, the river, and a neighborhood association that actually meets and actually gets things done.
If you’re reading a Riverside neighborhood guide, you’re probably already the kind of person who would fit in here.
Getting around
Broadway and Rucker handle the north-south traffic. Hewitt, Everett, and Pacific handle the east-west. I-5 is a five-minute drive west. The Snohomish Riverfront Trail is a walk east. The Everett Transit Station is a mile south, which puts commuters on a Sound Transit bus to Seattle without needing to drive to a park-and-ride.
For the riverfront trail connection specifically, the Mill Town Trail loop ties the Port of Everett waterfront to Riverside Park via East Grand Avenue — a continuous six-plus-mile walking loop that uses Riverside as its eastern anchor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Riverside neighborhood in Everett?
Riverside sits between 19th Street and Pacific Avenue on the north-south axis, and between Broadway and the Snohomish River on the east-west axis. It’s directly east of Bayside and directly north of the Port Gardner / Pacific Avenue corridor.
Is Riverside really Everett’s oldest neighborhood?
Yes. The first plat in what is now Riverside was filed in September 1891 — earlier than the main plat of Everett itself. The neighborhood’s eastern blocks trace directly back to that filing.
How many parks are in Riverside?
Five official city parks sit inside the neighborhood: Garfield Park, Riverside Park, Summit Park, JJ Hill Park, and Judd & Black Park. The Snohomish Riverfront Trail corridor runs along the eastern edge, adding a sixth functional green space.
Does Riverside have a neighborhood association?
Yes. The Riverside Neighborhood Association covers the entire boundary area. Residents are automatically members, there are no dues, and the association uses City of Everett mini-grants to fund neighborhood programs.
Is Riverside a good place to live in Everett?
For buyers and renters who value walkability, older housing stock, mature trees, and proximity to both downtown Everett and the Snohomish River, Riverside is among the strongest options in the city. It sits outside the price pressure of the waterfront and the density of downtown while keeping a short walk to both.
What’s the history of Garfield Park?
Garfield Park is one of Everett’s oldest named parks, anchored at 23rd and Walnut. It has grown into a multi-use facility with baseball fields, a playground, a walking track, pickleball, basketball, and tennis — and the city is currently advancing a formal renovation plan for the park.
How do I join the Riverside Neighborhood Association?
You already did. If you live inside the Riverside boundaries — 19th Street to Pacific Avenue, Broadway to the river — you are automatically a member and can attend any association meeting or event without signing up or paying dues.
