Lake goodwin, lake shoecraft (Seattle, Everett: crime, houses, casino)

[Arizona Bound]

Hi Folks... any info for Lake Goodwin Area would be greatly appreciated!
Info we are looking for is: weather, traffic, crime, area shopping, hospital
and doctors, restaurants.

If you live on the lake... do you have to travel far for major shopping?
Best area for hospital?
Do many of the folks live year-round, or is it mostly summer homes?
Reataurants... close by or do you have to travel somewhat?
Grocery, all-in-one super centers, ei: walmart, target, lowes, best buy, sears ect?

Thanks everyone!

[AzDreamer]

I don't know where Lake Goodwin is but if you bring up the area on google maps you can search for businesses like grocery stores and see where the businesses are located.

[Deep_Vee]

As my family has a cabin on Lake Goodwin, I've spent a great deal of time there over the last 10 years or so.

First, as far as the lake(s) themselves. I would guess about 60% of the residents are full-time vs weekend residents. It is also a pretty small lake as far as boating (less than 2 miles long). I enjoy boating, jet skiing, and playing on the lake, so for me its great. But if you are looking for a relaxing, quiet lake front home...Gooodwin is NOT the lake for you. There is a state park and boat launch on the lake, so most days in the summer are truly mayhem as far as boats and jetskis. It's noisy, with lots of traffic, and gets ROUGH! We love to sit on the Dock and watch the mayhem...but I know a few of the neighbors are older and for them, the summer is a major source of frustration, as the lake is just not relaxing. That said, 8 or more months of the year...it is very quiet and peaceful.

The weather up there is similar to Everett. It isn't far from Puget Sound, so it tends to be about 5 degrees cooler than say Downtown Seattle, and you have the same cloud cover and drizzle as the rest of the area. The lake itself is pretty shallow, so it warms up more than some other area lakes. I would say the boating/watersports season lasts from Mid-May to Oct 1, as long as you have a wetsuit and don't mind playing in the cold occasionally. But there will be plenty of rainy days during that period. The same can be said of Shoecraft as its just next door...although its MUCH smaller than Goodwin.

As far as the community around the lake...its very rural. There's one gas station/mini-mart near the lake, but really no businesses other than that except in Smokey Point...which is about 15 minutes away. But, Smokey point has exploded as far as shopping and restaurants in the last few years. It's become a major hub of "Generica", featuring a Costco, Target, Best Buy, Petco, etc. Plus several mall type restaurants like Red Robin. A few miles further down the road is the Tulalip complex featuring a huge Resort Casino, Wal-mart, Home Depot, and large outlet mall. All of these things have created a Massive traffic and congestion mess in the area around I-5. But once you get a mile from the freeway, its definitely rural.

As far as Hospitals and Doctors, You're about 30 minutes (no traffic - more on that later) from Everett, which is a very large city with the associated services.

As far as crime, it's about what I think you would expect from a rural area with many part-time residents. Its not the type of place you can leave your house unlocked when you are gone, but the only crime issues I know of are property theft, like anywhere else. I know of a few neighbors who have had jet skis, and other toys stolen from car ports...but we've never had issues (although we also put a cable lock on our toys). Overall, we've never felt unsafe in the area.

There are really only 2 negatives to the area as far as I can think of. And they are the same as the rest of the region: Cost - houses on the lake are EXPENSIVE for what you get. But, the surrounding area is fairly affordable by Western Wash standards. The second negative is only an issue if you have to commute. The area is a long way from any of the professional hubs, and traffic through Marysville and Everett is HORRIBLE. I usually only got up there on weekends, but I have to figure on 1 hour from Edmonds to the Lake, if I try to head up there after work during rush-hour...its probably at least 90 minutes.

Other than that...it's a great place, and I only wish I had more time to spend up there!

[Arizona Bound]

Hey.. Deep_Vee
THANKS very much for the detailed info!