There are many recreational and cultural opportunities. Everett is becoming a major medical center with the expansion of the top-rated Providence Hospital into a regional center and on-going discussions to bring a 4 year university to town.
The waterfront development will attract people interested in boating, artists, empty-nesters looking for a new lifestyle and young professionals. Living on the waterfront will cost a bit more than many people are able, or willing, to pay for housing - but there are other more-affordable housing opportunities in downtown Everett.
Some of the most interesting in the more-affordable category are the Nautica Condominiums at the corner of Grand and Hewitt Avenues. This is really a nice location, with the Sno-Isle Natural Food Coop right next door, various restaurants, gyms and the library very close by (within easy walking distance). Nautica advertises their condo prices as -
Studios from the low $100’s
One bedrooms from the mid $100’s
Two bedrooms from the high $200’s
One bedrooms from the mid $100’s
Two bedrooms from the high $200’s
There will be opportunities in the upcoming years to buy a condo from the low $100's to the low $1,000,000's.
If a person wanted to invest in real estate it seems like any of these options would be a pretty good bet.
Everett, unlike many of the cities/surburban-developments in the Seattle area was a city in it's own right in the late 1800's. Consequently it was layed-out with streets that follow a grid (no cul-de-sacs) and because of that the city is much more orderly than some of the unplanned communities that sprouted up as people moved away from Seattle in search of more-affordable places to live. In other words Everett can have a downtown "core", and not simply a sprawl of strip malls, convenience stores and big malls.
One other very important thing, considering the traffic mess in the Puget Sound area, is that a person could live and work in Everett. Or live and retire in Everett and not have to commute to and from work, libraries, gyms, stores, restaurants, or recreational opportunities on a regular basis.
