Everett is the county seat and largest city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is 25 miles (40 km) north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett is the seventh-largest city in the state by population, with 110,629 residents as of the 2020 census. The city is primarily situated on a peninsula at the mouth of the Snohomish River along Port Gardner Bay, an inlet of Possession Sound (itself part of Puget Sound), and extends to the south and west.
The Port Gardner Peninsula was historically inhabited by the Snohomish people, who had a winter village named Hibulb near the mouth of the river. Modern settlement in the area began with loggers and homesteaders arriving in the 1860s, but plans to build a city were not conceived until 1890. A consortium of East Coast investors seeking to build a major industrial city acquired land in the area and filed a plat for “Everett”, which they named in honor of Everett Colby, the son of investor Charles L. Colby. The city was incorporated in 1893, shortly after the arrival of the Great Northern Railway, and prospered as a major lumber center with several large sawmills. Everett became the county seat in 1897 after a dispute with Snohomish contested over several elections and a Supreme Court case. The city was the site of labor unrest during the 1910s, which culminated in the Everett massacre in 1916 that killed several members of the Industrial Workers of the World.
The area was connected by new interurban railways and highway bridges in the 1920s, transforming it into a major commercial hub, and gained an airport at Paine Field in 1936. The city’s economy transitioned away from lumber and towards aerospace after World War II, with the construction of Boeing‘s aircraft assembly plant at Paine Field in 1967. Boeing’s presence brought additional industrial and commercial development to Everett, as well as new residential neighborhoods to the south and west of the peninsula that was annexed by the city. Boeing remains the city’s largest employer, alongside the U.S. Navy, which has operated Naval Station Everett since 1994.
Everett remains a major employment center for Snohomish County, but has also become a bedroom community for Seattle in recent decades. It is connected to Seattle by Interstate 5 and various public transit services at Everett Station, including the Sounder commuter train, Amtrak, and commuter buses. Everett stages several annual festivals and is also home to minor league sports teams, including the Everett Silvertips at Angel of the Winds Arena and Everett Aquasox at Funko Field.
Boeing Future of Flight is located at Paine Field (Snohomish County Airport) in Mukilteo, Washington, 25 miles north of Seattle. Boeing Future of Flight is the gateway for the Boeing Everett Factory Tour.
The Boeing Everett Factory Tour is currently closed, and has been since March 2020. We don’t have a projected reopening date at this time. Please visit our website for the latest updates.
Boeing Future of Flight is one of Washington state’s premier aerospace attractions. Boeing Future of Flight is located adjacent to the Boeing Everett Factory and features its Gallery, Sky Deck, Boeing Backstage Pass experience and Boeing Store.
The Boeing Everett Factory is home to the 747 (production of the iconic 747 will be completed in 2022), 767, 777 program production lines and is the world’s largest building by volume.
Of the 3,000 acres of waterfront property owned by the Port of Everett, more than half is dedicated to public access. Everett’s destination waterfront features a variety of recreational opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy.
The area boasts more than four miles of continuous waterfront trail system, picnic shelters, parks and plazas, a splash fountain, and year-round special events including waterfront concerts, outdoor movies, car shows, art festivals, half marathons and more. The area is also well known for bird and wildlife watching, kite flying, kayaking and stand up paddleboarding.