Snohomish

Downtown Snohomish is a museum district you can shop in: dozens of antique stores and galleries along First Street, cafes in nineteenth-century brick buildings, and a riverfront where the Snohomish bends behind the main street. The historic district's preservation rules are strict, and residents defend them enthusiastically.

The Centennial Trail runs right through town on an old rail bed, connecting to Everett and beyond for cyclists, joggers, and walkers, and the river parks along the water fill with paddlers in summer. The housing edges from restored Victorians downtown to acreage on the valley's edges, with newer neighborhoods on the hills.

Snohomish gives buyers the valley pace with more character than almost anywhere in the region: a real Main Street, a river in the backyard, and commutes to Everett, Bellevue, or Seattle that are long but tolerable for the lifestyle.