What is it like to live in Arlington, Washington? (Seattle: homes, neighborhood)

[laylandmasuda]

I am considering a move to Arlington, Washington north of Seattle and I'm wondering what it's like to live there.

[fnh]

I have had family there for twenty years in Gleneagle and up in the Arlington Highlands. There is a cute old downtown strip but otherwise it is typical suburban/exurban living. You could certainly do much worse suburban/exurban, though.

[Seacove]

I actually go to a dentist there (long story) and it's a cute small town. I've never looked at the price of homes there but if you were looking at low cost retirement, I imagine it would be a town to consider. It really does have a Mayberry feel but it's about an hour drive from the Eastside. It's pretty removed from the Seattle metro but if you were only visiting Seattle periodically, it would seem completely viable.

[analogkid84]

I lived in Marysville, just south of Arlington for 12 years. My son went to Arlington HS for his freshman year; good school in general. Many of the kids that go to AHS are in rural areas or on small farms still. It is just on the edge of suburb and rural/farmlands. There is still farming that goes on in the area and places, I believe, where you can buy farm fresh milk still. Most of the logging that used to take place in the area has ceased, but there is still some, but more towards Darrington. There is the Pilchuck Tree Farm lands to the north, which is a working tree farm. Good thing about these areas is that they allow hiking/equestrian/mountain biking on the trails there, with exception of the areas currently being logged out. There are some nice developments around the area, Gleneagle being the largest probably. A lot more has developed in the area between Arlington and Marysville, not too far from the Arlington municipal airport. Smokey Point would be your closest area for any major shopping you want to do, and there is probably everything you would want including a Costco. The closest mall, if you care, would probably be up in Mount Vernon to the north or the Everett Mall to the south.

On the north edge of Arlington is the north fork of the Stillaguamish River. There can be flooding issues in, and around, the river during heavy winter rainfall events. Otherwise it's a great place to go to for fly fishing or other activities during the summer. Flooding does not affect the main Arlington downtown or areas south though. It can make travel around a few of the roads tricky for a day or two, but not typically much worse than that.

Less than 30 minutes to the north is the Skagit Valley and Mount Vernon, and on in to Anacortes, which is the gateway to the San Juans. If you're into hiking, you're a fairly easy drive to the east on Hwy 530 to Mt. Loop Hwy, or a further drive north will put you onto the North Cascades Hwy/Hwy 20. Camano Island is a short drive away and is a pretty nice place to visit, especially Camano Island State Park.

It can be a pretty quiet place to live if that's what you want, or if you want/need a larger neighborhood to live in there are those too. There is a push to bring some smaller businesses and industry into the areas between Arlington and Marysville, but I'm not sure how that is going (sadly, I live in Texas now). Everett, to the south, is the county seat. There are some pretty good places to eat at the marina, and in the downtown core. There is the Comcast Arena in Everett, where the WHL Silvertips hockey team plays, concerts, etc., plus there is a public skating rink there as well. Hwy 2 east out of Everett will take you into some of the Snohomish Valley towns such as Snohomish, Monroe, and Gold Bar. This is the gateway to Stevens Pass, where hiking is abundant, as well as the ski center located there. Other than Mt. Baker, it will usually be one of the first ski centers in operation due to its more northerly location.

Long story short, the area has plenty to offer. Short on things like museums, though there are other numerous attractions that I did not mention. A jaunt into Seattle can provide those things. Other more specific questions?

[xboxmas]

analogkid84 said it great. To add on what they said about shopping and Costco, there's a ton of shopping in the Smokey Point area- there's Costco of course, then there's Target, Best Buy, Wal Mart, Office Depot, etc. and a lot of dining choices with all the major fast food chains you can think of plus Red Robin, Ihop, Bostons, Buffalo Wild Wings, Coldstone Creamery, Starbucks, and more. A few more miles south on the freeway is the Seattle Premium Outlets which has a ton of major outlet stores.