About the City of Everett
The land on which Everett was founded was surrendered to the United States by its original inhabitants under the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott. Permanent settlement in the area by European descendants started in 1861 when Dennis Brigham built a cabin on a 160 acre claim on the shore of Port Gardner Bay. Over the next several years a handful of settlers moved to the area, but it wasn't until 1890 that plans for platting a town were conceived.
On July 17, 1890, the steamship Queen of the Pacific left Tacoma for an Alaskan cruise with Henry Hewitt, Jr. and Charles L. Colby aboard. During this "Fateful voyage" initial plans for an industrial city on the peninsula along the banks of the Snohomish River were formulated. On August 22, 1890, The Rucker Brothers filed their plat at Port Gardner, a 50-acre town site on the bay front side of what is now the City of Everett. This plat is later withdrawn to accommodate the plans of the Hewitt-Colby group.
On September 1, 1890, Henry Hewitt filed a bond on the Davis tract at the north end of what is to become the Everett town site, beginning the process of acquisition that will become the Everett Land Company later along with Charles L. Colby and Colgate Hoyt. In October 1890, the Hewitt-Colby syndicate decided to name their industrial city after Everett Colby, fifteen year old son of investor Charles L. Colby, who had displayed a prodigious appetite at dinner. Everett Colby in turn was named for orator Edward Everett.
On November 19, 1890, the Articles of Incorporation for the Everett Land Company were filed, with Henry Hewitt Jr. as president. On November 26, 1890, the Rucker Brothers transferred 434.15 acres of property on the Everett peninsula to Hewitt. Three days later, "The Remarkable Document" is drafted, setting the terms by which the Rucker Brothers would donate half their remaining holdings to Hewitt in exchange for promises of specific development.
The Company bought much of the Rucker’s land, taking them in as junior partners. Everett was officially incorporated on May 4, 1893, the year the Great Northern Railway came to the town. Both Hewitt and the Rucker’s had speculated that James J. Hill would make the town the terminus of his railroad. However Hill continued the railroad along the shore of Puget Sound to Seattle. Although it succeeded in building the city, the Everett Land Company was a failure for its investors. The outside investors withdrew, and the Company's holdings were transferred to a new company controlled by Hill. The Rucker’s, who helped broker the deal, stayed in Everett and became leading citizens of the young city.
Additional City of Everett History
Railroads and mines played a part in Everett's future. The mining community of Monte Cristo depended on a railway for supplies. It was hoped that the railroad would cross the mountains and bring in traffic. For a while ore was smelted in Everett, then sawmilling and port activity commenced. A dozen steam riverboats were built in Everett for the Yukon gold rush.
Several survivors of the Bellingham riots settled in Everett for two months, until they were beaten and forcefully evicted by a mob on November 5, 1907. Everett also was the site of the Everett Massacre of 1916 which was an armed confrontation between a mob led by local Sheriff Donald McRae and IWW members. The IWW members were on the steamer Verona and sought to land, but Sheriff McRae denied them his permission. Shooting broke out and at least five IWW's were killed and two in the Sheriff's mob were killed, though they might have been accidentally shot by others in their allegedly drunken group.
Everett streets are named after each of the three founders. Adjacent streets Colby Avenue and Hoyt Avenue run north and south and are intersected by Hewitt Avenue running east and west just south of the BNSF Railway tracks cutting across Everett. There are several other streets named for their associates such as Bond Street named for Judge Hiram Bond, President of the Everett & Monte Cristo Railroad. Parallel to Colby and Hoyt are avenues named for other investors, John D. Rockefeller, railroad executive T.F. Oakes, shipbuilder Alexander McDougall, and McDougall's associate Charles W. Wetmore.
The City of Everett Topography
The core of Everett sits on the Port Gardner Peninsula, formed by Port Gardner Bay on the west and the Snohomish River to the north and east. Newer portions of the city generally extend southward from this point for a distance of approximately 8 miles. According to the United States Census Bureau the city has a total area of 47.7 square miles, of which, 32.5 square miles of it is land and 15.1 square miles of it is water. The total area is 31.79% water.
City of Everett Surrounding Municipalities
Close in cities are Port Gardner Bay, Tulalip Indian Reservation, Marysville, Lake Stevens, Hat Island, Mukilteo, Edmonds, Mill Creek, Snohomish and Monroe.
City of Everett Historic District
The Everett historic district runs from around 8th Street to 25th Street, north to south and from Broadway to Grand Avenue, east to west. The district contains many old stately homes including the home of the former U.S. Senator Henry M. Jackson on Grand Avenue.
The City of Everett Waterfront
Situated at the mouth of the Snohomish River on Possession Sound, the Everett waterfront is home to Naval Station Everett, a sprawling Kimberly-Clark paper mill and the Port of Everett (est. 1918). The Port of Everett includes both a deep-water commercial seaport and a marina with over 2000 slips, which it claims to be the largest on the west coast of the United States. Ambitious redevelopment began in 2006 to convert the north end of the waterfront into a community of maritime business, retail shops and condominiums, beginning with the Port of Everett's Port Gardner Wharf. In 2006, the seaport received 119 ships and 59 barges, totaling some 192,000 short tons of cargo.
City of Everett Waterfront Attractions
The waterfront is also home to the Everett Yacht Club, which was founded in 1907, although it existed in some form as early as 1895. During summer months, the marina is home to the Everett Farmer's Market (Sundays) and the Waterfront Concert Series (Thursday nights), part of a city-wide free concert series which in 2006 attracted over 26,000 visitors. Each September, Tenth Street Park on the waterfront is home to the annual Everett Coho Derby, and each August the marina promenade is gowned in local art during the Fresh Paint Festival of Artists.
The City of Everett Parks and Gardens
Everett is home to 40 parks. The biggest parks are Walter E. Hall Park at 137 acres, Forest Park at 111 acres, Langus Riverfront Park at 96 acres, Kasch Park at 60 acres, Howarth Park at 28 acres, and Thornton A. Sullivan Park at 27 acres Walter E. Hall Park near the Boeing plant sports a golf course and a skate park; Forest Park a swimming pool, hockey, horseshoes, miles of trails and an animal farm; Langus Park a boat launch; Kasch Park four softball fields; Howarth Park a sandy beach on Puget Sound, and Thornton A. Sullivan Park hosts a sandy swimming beach on Silver Lake as well as public docks for fishing. Additionally, Forest Park is the oldest public park in Everett. As its name suggests, the park is heavily wooded. It is home to miles of trails, a playground, and a popular public swimming pool.
Along the waterfront lies the Port of Everett owned Jetty Island, a narrow, 2-mile long man-made island, featuring large sandy beaches and relatively warm water. Jetty Island is the result of a failed attempt in the early 1900s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to create a freshwater harbor west of downtown Everett. The island is now a day-use park with no running water, electricity, or overnight facilities. The City of Everett Parks and Recreation Department celebrates Jetty Island Days during the summer, and provides free ferry service to the island from the 10th Street Boat Launch from June through the Labor Day holiday weekend. The wide flat beaches and strong winds make the island a popular kite-surfing destination as well as a popular spot for avid skim boarders.
The City of Everett Gardens
Nishiyama Garden is a traditional Japanese garden located at the Nippon Business Institute at Everett Community College. It features Sukiya style wooden gates, gravel paths, stones, trees, a small stream and a portion of a famous Kintai Bridge from Iwakuni, Japan, one of Everett's sister cities.
Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens (2.4 acres) is an arboretum and park located at the south end of Legion Park, at the intersection of Alverson and Marine View Drive. Gardens include sculpture and vistas of Puget Sound, as well as:
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Conifer garden - includes Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, Pfitzeriana Aurea, Picea glauca, and Strobus ‘Nana’.
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Dahlia garden - a variety of dahlias.
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Japanese Maple grove - 17 varieties of maples, with ferns and hydrangeas.
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Perennial border - includes artichoke (Cynara scolymus), Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra), giant hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), dwarf waterlily (Nymphaea), and New Zealand flax (Phormium cookianum).
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Small Urban Tree Walk
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White border - flowers and foliage in white, silver, and blue.
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Woodland garden - grotto with Knadhill and Exbury azaleas, lace-cap hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla), and Pieris japonica.
City of Everett Neighborhoods
The City of Everett maintains an Office of Neighborhoods which facilitates communication between the city and the 19 established neighborhood associations, with one proposed neighborhood/mixed-use development. Each of the officially recognized neighborhood associations operate independently to better their established geographic areas within the city. The neighborhoods are:
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Bayside - comprising much of the central business district, the waterfront, and the surrounding residential areas.
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Boulevard Bluffs - primarily residential area of the city bordering Mukilteo.
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Cascade View - residential area in South Everett, north of Everett Mall
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Delta - primarily residential area north of downtown Everett
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Eastmont - the area overlooking the valley
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Everett Mall South - the area surrounding Everett Mall, a mix of residential and commercial areas.
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Evergreen - primarily residential area in South Everett.
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Glacier View - older residential area south of downtown.
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Harborview-Seahurst-Glenhaven - older residential areas south of downtown.
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Holly - a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial areas on the southern edge of the city.
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Lowell - formerly an independent town, Lowell is a primarily residential area southeast of downtown.
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Northwest - older residential areas northwest of downtown.
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Pinehurst-Beverly Park - mix of residential and commercial developments in South Everett.
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Port Gardner - residential neighborhoods south of downtown.
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Riverside - areas just northeast of downtown.
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Seaway Park - Industrial complex with residential developments located near the Boeing Plant.
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Silver Lake - residential and commercial areas surrounding Silver Lake in the extreme southeastern part of the city.
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South Forest Park - residential neighborhood near downtown.
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Valley View-Sylvan Crest-Larimer Ridge - residential areas in southeast Everett.
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View Ridge-Madison - residential areas west and southwest of Forest Park.
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Westmont - primarily multi-family housing in the southwestern part of the city.
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