Snohomish County () is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

and Pierce counties, and the 72nd-most populous in the United States. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and largest city is Everett. The county forms part of the Seattle metropolitan area, which also includes King and Pierce counties to the south. The county's western portion, facing

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...

and other inland waters of the Salish Sea, is home to the majority of its population and major cities. The eastern portion is rugged and includes portions of the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...

, with few settlements along major rivers and most of it designated as part of the Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest. Snohomish County is bound to the north by Skagit County, to the east by Chelan County, to the south by King County, and to the west by Kitsap and

Island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

counties. Snohomish County was created from a portion of Island County on January 14, 1861, and is named for the indigenous

Snohomish people The Snohomish people (, , ) are a List of Lushootseed-speaking peoples, Lushootseed-speaking Coast Salish, Southern Coast Salish people who are Indigenous peoples, indigenous to the Puget Sound region of Washington (state), Washington State. Mo ...

. It includes the Tulalip Indian Reservation, which was established by the 1855 Point Elliott Treaty, by which several indigenous

Coast Salish The Coast Salish peoples are a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak on ...

groups were required to cede their lands and relocate to the reservation. The county seat was originally at the city of Snohomish. An 1897 election moved it to Everett. Since the mid-20th century, areas of Snohomish County have developed into an

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial, and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astron ...

manufacturing center, largely due to the presence of

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

in Everett. There are also bedroom communities for people who work in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. Snohomish County now has 18 incorporated cities and two towns with their own local governments, in addition to developed

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

s. It is connected to nearby areas by roads (including

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

), railways, and transit systems. The county government is led by a five-member

county council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Australia In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...

and

chief executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

, all elected by voters to four-year terms.

Etymology

"Snohomish" comes from the name of what was the largest Native American tribe in the area when European-American settlers arrived in the 19th century. The name is spelled ''Sduhubš'' (Sdoh-doh-hohbsh) in the Lushootseed language and its meaning is disputed with unclear origins. Federal Indian agent Dr. Charles M. Buchanan, who spent 21 years with the Tulalip, once said that he had "never met an Indian who could give a meaning to the word Snohomish". Chief William Shelton, the last hereditary

tribal chief A tribal chief, chieftain, or headman is a leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies There is no definition for "tribe". The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of weste ...

of the Snohomish tribe, claimed that it meant "lowland people", a name associated with the tribe's location on the waters of the

. Other scholars have claimed it meant "a style of union among them", "the braves", or "Sleeping Waters". The name is also used for the Snohomish River, which runs through part of the county, and the City of Snohomish, the former

that was renamed after the formation of the county. The current spelling of the name was adopted by the Surveyor General of Washington Territory in 1857, replacing alternative spellings used in some earlier documents and accounts. John Work of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

recorded the name as "Sinnahmis" in 1824, while the Wilkes Expedition of 1841 used "Tuxpam" to describe the Snohomish River. The same river was named "Sinahomis" by Captain Henry Kellett in 1847, and was accepted in that spelling by the U.S. government for several years.

History

Snohomish County was originally inhabited by several

groups, predominantly settled along the western coastline and near the region's rivers. The Snohomish were the largest group and occupied an area from present-day Warm Beach to

Shoreline A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

, while Stillaguamish lived in the Stillaguamish River basin. The region was first charted and named by European explorers in the late 18th century, beginning with Captain

George Vancouver Captain (Royal Navy), Captain George Vancouver (; 22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for leading the Vancouver Expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern West Coast of the Uni ...

and his British expedition. Vancouver arrived in

and Port Gardner Bay on June 4, 1792, landing near present-day Everett. The Treaty of Point Elliott was signed at present-day Mukilteo on January 22, 1855, marking the cession of Coast Salish territories in the Puget Sound lowlands. The Tulalip Indian Reservation was established to house the remaining tribes, including the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, and Skykomish. Snohomish County was created out of Island County's mainland areas and the northernmost portion of King County on January 14, 1861. The separation from Island County was the result of a petition by settlers to the territorial legislature that cited the difficulty of travel to Coupeville on Whidbey Island, the county seat at the time. The new county was the first in Washington to have its boundaries defined by a land survey rather than natural boundaries. The territorial legislature designated Mukilteo, the area's largest settlement, as the temporary

in January 1861. The county government was permanently moved to Cadyville, later Snohomish, following an election on July 8. Residents north of the Snohomish River later proposed to be moved into Skagit County due to difficult travel to the county seat at Snohomish. After the incorporation of the city of Everett in 1893, the city's leaders attempted to move the county seat from Snohomish. A countywide general election on November 6, 1894, chose to relocate the county seat to Everett, amid controversy and allegations of illegal votes. After two years of litigation between the cities of Snohomish and Everett, the county seat was officially relocated to Everett in December 1896. One of the first county censuses was taken in 1862 by Sheriff Salem A. Woods. Early important pioneers in the Snohomish County region included E. F. Cady of Snohomish, Emory C. Ferguson of Snohomish and Isaac Cathcart. The early economy of Snohomish County relied on natural resources, namely timber and mining, alongside agriculture. The region was connected by railroads at the end of the 19th century, which also created new towns that experienced major population booms as emigrants arrived from other parts of the United States. The county was among the largest

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

aid beneficiaries in Washington due to its troubled economy during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

; the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

built major projects around Snohomish County, while the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

developed wilderness and recreational areas around several work camps. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the county had several shipyards and airplane factories established to supply the United States Armed Forces. Several existing and new airfields were converted into military use, which would continue beyond the war. A post-war population boom brought new suburban development to Snohomish County, where bedroom communities were built alongside new highways to Seattle. In 1967,

began construction of an aircraft assembly plant—the world's largest building—in Everett for its

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...

program. The U.S. Navy located a major homeport in Everett that opened in 1994.

Geography

Snohomish County is part of the

Puget Sound region The Puget Sound region is a coastal area of the Pacific Northwest in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, including Puget Sound, the Puget Sound lowlands, and the surrounding region roughly west of the Cascade Range and east of the ...

Western Washington Western Washington is a region of the United States defined as the area of Washington State west of the Cascade Mountains. This region is home to the state's largest city, Seattle, the state capital, Olympia, and most of the state's residents. ...

, bordered to the south by King County, to the west by

and other inland waters, to the north by Skagit County, and to the east by the Chelan County at the crest of the

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total square area of approximately , of which is land and , or 5.0%, is water. It is the 13th largest county in Washington by land area and is larger than the states of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

and

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. The county's surface is covered by plains and rolling hills in the west, where the majority of settlements are, and mountainous terrain in the east. The Cascade Range passes through the eastern part of the county and is largely protected from development as part of the Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest. The mountain range includes the highest point in Snohomish County:

Glacier Peak Glacier Peak or Dakobed (known in the Sauk-Suiattle dialect of the Lushootseed language as "Tda-ko-buh-ba" or "Takobia") is the most isolated of the five major stratovolcanoes (composite volcanoes) of the Cascade Volcanoes, Cascade Volcanic Arc ...

, at above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. Several major rivers originate in the Cascades and flow west towards Puget Sound and other parts of the Salish Sea, including the Stillaguamish and Snohomish (fed by the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers). These rivers form several

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

s used for agriculture that occasionally flood during major weather events, such as

atmospheric river An atmospheric river (AR) is a narrow corridor or filament of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere. Other names for this phenomenon are tropical plume, tropical connection, moisture plume, water vapor surge, and cloud band. Atmospheric rivers ...

Climate

The lowland areas of western Snohomish County generally has a temperate

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

similar to the rest of the central Puget Sound region with dry summers and wet winters. The county's weather is heavily influenced by maritime systems, pushed by prevailing westerly winds but dampened by the

Olympic Mountains The Olympic Mountains are a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are not especially high – Mount Olympus (Washington), Mount Olympus is the high ...

. The mean monthly temperatures for the county range from during the winter and in the summer. The record highest temperatures were set during a June 2021 heat wave, with highs of up to recorded in several areas. Annual precipitation ranges from in the west to in the upper elevations of the Cascades; the majority of the region's precipitation falls between October and March. The county's lowlands also has an average annual snowfall ranging from . The Puget Sound Convergence Zone, a known meteorological phenomenon, runs through southwestern Snohomish County and causes narrow bands of precipitation.

Flora and fauna

Approximately 68 percent of land in Snohomish County is classified as forestland, which is predominantly located in the eastern portions. These forests are dominated by conifer species such as

Douglas fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is the tallest tree in the Pinaceae family. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Or ...

s, hemlocks, and cedars, with pockets of deciduous species in logged areas.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 827,957 people, 306,828 households, and 211,519 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 321,523 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 66.1% white, 12.3% Asian, 3.54% black or African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 5.4% other races, and 10.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 11.6% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 713,335 people, 268,325 households, and 182,282 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 286,659 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 78.4% white, 8.9% Asian, 2.5% black or African American, 1.4% Indigenous, 0.4% Pacific islander, 3.8% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 9.0% of the population. In terms of ethnicity, 20.3% reported

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

ancestry, 12.6% Irish, 12.2% English, 8.2% Norwegian, and 3.6% American heritage. Of the 268,325 households, 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.1% were non-families, and 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.12. The median age was 37.1 years. The median income for a household in the county was $66,300 and the median income for a family was $77,479. Males had a median income of $56,152 versus $41,621 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,635. About 5.9% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

Snohomish County is a

home rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...

charter county with three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial. The county government's powers and structure is defined by a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

that is updated every 10 years with amendments that are presented to voters for approval. The county executive and

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

seats are

partisan Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

positions with four-year terms; other positions elected by voters are generally

non-partisan Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...

. Most county offices have a

term limit A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, w ...

of three terms.

County Executive

The county executive is Dave Somers, a Democrat. Somers is a former

Snohomish County Council The Snohomish County Council is the legislative body of Snohomish County, Washington. The county council was created in 1979 and consists of five members serving four-year terms. Members :' ;Notes History The county council was created on ...

member and took office as county executive on January 4, 2016, having won the seat from incumbent and fellow Democrat John Lovick. The county executive seat was chartered in the 1979. The first county executive was conservative Democrat Willis Tucker of Snohomish from 1980 to 1992. Following Tucker, the next county executive was Democrat

Bob Drewel Robert J. Drewel (born 1945–46) is an American retired politician from Washington (state), Washington state. Drewel served as the Snohomish County Executive, county executive of Snohomish County, Washington from 1992 to 2004 and as the exe ...

from 1992 to 2004, followed by Democrat Aaron Reardon from 2004 to 2013. Reardon resigned on May 31, 2013, amid a series of

political scandal In politics, a political scandal is an action or event regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing general public outrage. Politicians, government officials, Political party, party officials and Lobbying, lobbyists can be accused of various ...

s, and was replaced by former Snohomish County Sheriff and state legislator John Lovick for the remainder of his term.

County Council

The county council has five members who are elected to four-year terms, each representing a geographical district that is redrawn every 10 years. , its members are: * Nate Nehring (R) – district 1 * Megan Dunn (D) – district 2 * Strom Peterson (D) – district 3 *

Jared Mead Jared Michel Mead (born June 23, 1991) is an American politician serving as a member of the Snohomish County Council, representing the 4th district since 2020. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously ser ...

(D) – district 4 * Sam Low (R) – district 5

Courts

The judicial branch of the county government is divided between two courts: the Superior Court and District Court. The number of judges in each court is set by the state legislature as recommended by a panel of judges and analysis of the courts. The Superior Court has 17 judges elected to four-year terms and primarily handle major cases, including those that involve felonies and juveniles, as well as some civil cases. The District Court has nine judges that handle infractions, small claims, and domestic violence; it is divided into four geographical divisions.

Politics

Snohomish County has been a reliably Democratic county in recent presidential elections (albeit to a lesser degree than neighboring King County and

). It has voted Democratic all but four times since 1932, with those four occasions being national Republican landslides in which the GOP candidate won over 400 electoral votes. It has not voted for a Republican since

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

in 1988. The county's primary elections were historically held in June, but were moved to August in 2008. In the years since, turnout has been under 45% except for 2020; during odd-numbered years with municipal and local races, turnout has been under 27%.

Education

Snohomish County has 15

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...

s that provide public

K–12 education K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

to over 100,000 pupils across the county as of the 2022–23 school year. The number of school districts in the county has declined as consolidations have eliminated smaller rural ones; the remaining rural districts have seen growth since the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

began in 2020 while enrollment in urban and suburban districts declined. The largest school district in Snohomish County is the Edmonds School District, followed closely by the Everett School District; both have an enrollment of over 20,000 students. The smallest district is the Index School District, which had 21 enrolled students in 2022–23 and does not have its own

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

. Snohomish County also had 68

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

s in 2018, of which many were affiliated with religious organizations or offered alternative education methods. The county has 15 colleges and university programs that provide

post-secondary education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational school ...

. Three

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

s serve students in Snohomish County and offer two-year degrees and other programs: as of the 2023–24 school year,

Cascadia College Cascadia College is a Public college, public community college in Bothell, Washington, on a shared campus with the University of Washington Bothell. Established in 2000, Cascadia was built to serve the cities of Bothell, Woodinville, Washington ...

in Bothell has 1,826 enrolled students; Edmonds College in Lynnwood has 5,159 enrolled students; and Everett Community College in North Everett has 5,301 enrolled students. Everett was established in 1941 and is the oldest community college in the county; it was followed in 1967 by Edmonds and 1994 by Cascadia. The county also hosts off-site campuses for other institutions: the

Northwest Indian College Northwest Indian College (Xwlemi Elh>Tal>Nexw Squl) is a Public college, public Tribal colleges and universities, tribal Land-grant university, land-grant community college in Bellingham, Washington, United States. It was established by the Lum ...

has a branch campus on the Tulalip Indian Reservation; and Columbia College has classes at Naval Station Everett's support complex in Marysville.

Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...

(WSU), a major public university, opened their Everett campus in 2017. The campus is co-located with Everett Community College and the Everett University Center, which was transferred to WSU control in 2012 and offers bachelor's and master's degree programs for regional universities. Snohomish County had previously been one of the most populous counties in the U.S. without a post-secondary institute that offered four-year baccalaureate and advanced degree programs. The Seattle-based

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

(UW) had previously accepted a 2007 proposal from the state legislature to study and develop a branch campus in the county. UW selected finalist sites in Everett and Marysville, but halted further planning in 2008 due to the state government's inability to fund the $800million project. Local officials approached WSU in 2011 with a proposal to gradually develop an Everett campus, which was authorized by the state legislature after UW backed out. UW also has a Bothell campus that it shares with Cascadia College and was established in 1990 and underwent major growth in the 2010s. The Bothell campus draws up to 30 percent of its students from Snohomish County. Since 1975, Edmonds College has been the host of the Lynnwood branch of Central Washington University, which offers bachelor's degrees for transferring students. The branch moved into Snoqualmie Hall, a dedicated building on the Edmonds College campus, in 2002. Edmonds College launched the first of its four-year

Bachelor of Applied Science A Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS or BASc) is an undergraduate academic degree of applied sciences. Usage In Canada, the Netherlands and other places the Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) is equivalent to the Bachelor of Engineering, and is cl ...

degree programs in 2017.

Media

Residents receive much of their information from Seattle-based media, the most prominent of which include ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

'' and regional TV news stations. '' The Everett Herald'' is the county's most popular daily newspaper, while weekly newspapers such as the '' Snohomish County Tribune, Stanwood Camano News and Edmonds Beacon'' serve their respective communities. The county is part of the Seattle broadcast television market and is served by several regional

television news News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or tel ...

stations, including KOMO,

KING King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

, KIRO, KCTS, and

KCPQ KCPQ (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Tacoma, Washington, United States, serving the Seattle area. It is owned and operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network through its Fox Television Stations division alongside KZJ ...

. Local radio stations based in the county include KKXA, KRKO,

KSER KSER (90.7 FM broadcasting, FM) is a non-commercial radio station and airs a mix of music and news/public affairs. The station, which is owned and operated by the non-profit KSER Foundation, broadcasts at 90.7 MHz with an ERP of 5.8 ...

, and KWYZ. There are also smaller local publications, with significant online presences: ''My Edmonds News'', ''My Everett News'', ''The Mountlake Terrace News'', ''News of Mill Creek'', ''Mill Creek View, Lynnwood Today'' and ''Lynnwood Times.'' The county has been used as a filming location for several movies and television series since the mid-20th century.

Transportation

Roads

Snohomish County has two

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

s, one

U.S. route The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

, and several state routes that connect it to other areas. The county's main highway is

(I-5), which runs north–south for and travels through several major cities. Other major routes are primarily north–south routes, including State Route 9 on the east side of the urbanized area; State Route 99 to the west of I-5; and State Route 527 in Mill Creek and Bothell. The only complete east–west route is

U.S. Route 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected ...

. *

* Interstate 405 *

* State Route 9 * State Route 92 * State Route 96 * State Route 99 * State Route 104 * State Route 203 * State Route 204 * State Route 522 * State Route 524 * State Route 525 * State Route 526 * State Route 527 * State Route 528 * State Route 529 * State Route 530 * State Route 531 * State Route 532 The county government maintains approximately of roads and 200 bridges. The countywide numbered street grid originates in Everett and was implemented beginning in the 1970s during the rollout of the 911 emergency phone number system. By the late 1990s, some roads had reverted to their historical names—either officially or by using commemorative signs—due to local backlash.

Public transportation

Snohomish County is served by several

public transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...

systems that connect to each other at regional hubs, including

Everett Station Everett Station is a train station serving the city of Everett, Washington, United States. The station has been served by ''Amtrak Cascades, Cascades'' and ''Empire Builder'' since opening in 2002, replacing an earlier station near the Port o ...

and Lynnwood City Center station. The primary provider is

Community Transit Community Transit (CT) is the public transit authority of Snohomish County, Washington, United States, in the Seattle metropolitan area. It operates Public transport bus service, local bus, paratransit and vanpool service within Snohomish Count ...

, which operates local service within the county (apart from the city of Everett) and commuter service to the

Boeing Everett Factory The Boeing Everett Factory, officially the Everett Production Facility, is an airplane assembly facility operated by Boeing in Everett, Washington, United States. It sits on the north side of Paine Field and includes the largest building in th ...

and

Downtown Seattle Downtown is the central business district of Seattle, Washington. It is fairly compact compared with other city centers on the U.S. West Coast due to its geographical situation, being hemmed in on the north and east by hills, on the west by ...

Sound Transit Sound Transit (ST), officially the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, is a public transit agency serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It manages the Link light rail system in Se ...

, a regional transit agency, provides

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

, and

express bus Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications o ...

services that connect to regional destinations in Seattle and Bellevue. Other providers include Everett Transit, a municipal system serving the city of Everett; Island Transit, which connects Camano Island to Stanwood and Everett; and

Skagit Transit Skagit Transit is a public transit system in Skagit County, Washington, US. It operates 19 fixed-route bus routes, as well as paratransit and vanpool services across the entire county. The agency was founded in 1993 and is funded by a 0.4 percent ...

, which operates an inter-county route from Everett to

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

. The regional

Link light rail Link light rail is a light rail system with some rapid transit characteristics that serves the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is managed by Sound Transit in partnership with local transit pro ...

system was extended into Snohomish County with the opening of the Lynnwood Link Extension on August 30, 2024, which includes stations in Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood on the 1 Line. The project was approved in a 2008 ballot measure and began construction in 2019. An extension to Everett with six or seven stations was approved in the regional Sound Transit 3 ballot measure in 2016 and is expected to open between 2037 and 2041. Community Transit operates a bus rapid transit network called

Swift Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIF ...

with three lines : the Blue Line, which opened in 2009 from Everett to

along State Route 99; the Green Line from the Boeing Everett Factory to Bothell via Airport Road and State Route 527; and the Orange Line in Lynnwood and Mill Creek, which opened in 2024. A fourth line, the Gold Line, is planned to open by 2029 and connect Everett to Marysville and Smokey Point. Sound Transit also runs four daily Sounder commuter trains at peak hours between Everett Station and King Street Station in Seattle, stopping at Mukilteo and Edmonds. Intercity rail service is provided by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

, which has two lines operating within Snohomish County: ''

Amtrak Cascades The Amtrak ''Cascades'' is a passenger train route in the Pacific Northwest, operated by Amtrak in partnership with the U.S. states of Washington (state), Washington and Oregon. It is named after the Cascade Range, Cascade mountain range that ...

'' between Seattle and

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, stopping in Edmonds, Everett, and Stanwood station; and the ''

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...

'' between Seattle and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, stopping in Edmonds and Everett. Intercity bus service is provided by

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...

and Northwestern Trailways from Everett Station.

Airports

Snohomish County has one major airport:

Paine Field Seattle Paine Field International Airport — also known as Paine Field and Snohomish County Airport — is a commercial and general aviation airport serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in uni ...

, otherwise known as Snohomish County Airport, which has had passenger service since March 2019. There are three smaller public airports that are open to

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

: Arlington Municipal Airport in Arlington, Darrington Municipal Airport in Darrington, and Harvey Field in Snohomish. The county also has several private airports, including the Frontier Airpark and Green Valley Airfield in Granite Falls. The Martha Lake Airport in Martha Lake was a former private airport that was closed in 2000 and was converted into a county

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

that opened in 2010.

Ferries

Snohomish County is also connected to adjacent counties by two ferry routes operated by

Washington State Ferries Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a public ferry system in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and operates 10 routes serving 20 terminals within Puget ...

. The Edmonds–Kingston ferry carries SR 104 between Edmonds and

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

Kitsap County Kitsap County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 275,611. Its county seat is Port Orchard, Washington, Port Orchard; its ...

. The Mukilteo–Clinton ferry carries SR 525 from Mukilteo to Clinton on Whidbey Island.

Communities

Cities

* Arlington * Bothell (partly in King County) * Brier * Edmonds * Everett (county seat) *

Gold Bar A gold bar, also known as gold bullion or a gold ingot, is a quantity of refined metallic gold that can be shaped in various forms, produced under standardized conditions of manufacture, labeling, and record-keeping. Larger varieties of gold ...

* Granite Falls * Lake Stevens * Lynnwood * Marysville * Mill Creek *

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

* Mountlake Terrace * Mukilteo * Snohomish * Stanwood *

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

* Woodway

Towns

* Darrington *

Index Index (: indexes or indices) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Index (''A Certain Magical Index''), a character in the light novel series ''A Certain Magical Index'' * The Index, an item on the Halo Array in the ...

Census-designated places

* Alderwood Manor * Arlington Heights * Bothell East * Bothell West * Bryant * Bunk Foss * Canyon Creek *

Cathcart Cathcart (; , )
is an area of

Cavalero * Chain Lake * Clearview * Eastmont * Esperance * Fobes Hill * Hat Island * High Bridge * Kayak Point * Lake Bosworth * Lake Cassidy * Lake Goodwin * Lake Ketchum * Lake Roesiger * Lake Stickney * Larch Way * Lochsloy * Machias * Maltby * Martha Lake * May Creek *

Meadowdale Meadowdale may refer to: * Meadowdale High School (Washington), Lynnwood, Washington * Meadowdale High School (Ohio), Dayton, Ohio *Meadowdale International Raceway Meadowdale International Raceway was a race track located in Carpentersville, Il ...

* Mill Creek East * Monroe North * North Lynnwood * North Marysville * North Sultan * Northwest Stanwood * Oso * Perrinville * Picnic Point * Silvana * Silver Firs * Sisco Heights *

Startup A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses that do not intend to ...

* Sunday Lake * Swede Heaven * Three Lakes * Verlot * Warm Beach * Woods Creek

Unincorporated communities

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

* Fortson *

Galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crysta ...

* Getchell *

Hazel Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...

Reiter ''Reiter'' or ''Schwarze Reiter'' ("black riders", anglicized ''swart reiters'') were a type of cavalry in 16th to 17th century Central Europe including Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Tsardom of Russia, and others. Cont ...

Robe A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. Unlike garments described as capes or cloaks, robes usually have sleeves. The English word ''robe'' derives from Middle English ''robe'' ("garment"), borrowed from Old French ''robe'' ("booty, spoil ...