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Suggest a Feature →Everett, Washington
The Pacific Northwest. Carrier strike group homeport in one of the most beautiful regions in America.
Naval Station Everett sits on Port Gardner Bay, 25 miles north of Seattle. The station homeports a carrier strike group — one of the forward-deployed groups in the Pacific — along with cruisers, destroyers, and frigates.
Everett is a working-class Boeing city (the 747 and Dreamliner factory is here) with real character and a rapidly improving downtown. But the real draw is the location: Seattle 30 minutes south, the Cascade mountains 30 minutes east, Olympic Peninsula 2 hours southwest, and the San Juan Islands 2 hours north.
The Pacific Northwest lifestyle pervades everything — hiking, skiing, kayaking, craft beer, and coffee culture are not tourist amenities here. They're how people actually live.
Must Eat
The spots worth eating at before you PCS out.
Hood Canal Oyster Co. (Quilcene)
"Pacific Northwest oysters direct from the source."
Hood Canal oysters are some of the finest bivalves in North America — raised in clean cold water with a distinctive mineral finish. The drive to Quilcene or Shelton for farm-fresh oysters is worth doing at least once.
Anthony's HomePort (Everett)
"Waterfront Pacific Northwest seafood. The local institution."
Anthony's overlooks the marina with views of Port Gardner Bay and the Olympic Mountains. Local Dungeness crab, wild salmon, and Pacific halibut served in a setting that makes the assignment feel like the vacation it partly is.
Narrative Coffee (Everett)
"The Pacific Northwest coffee culture is not a cliché."
Narrative is one of the standout specialty roasters in the Everett area — the coffee culture here is genuine and deep. Narrative does single-origin pour-overs with the seriousness that the PNW coffee world is known for.
Outdoor
Get outside. The land around military installations is usually the best reason to be there.
North Cascades National Park
"The American Alps. Glaciers, peaks, and wilderness."
North Cascades is 90 minutes east — perhaps the most rugged and glaciated landscape in the lower 48. The North Cascades Highway (SR-20) is one of the most spectacular mountain roads in the country (open June-October).
Crystal Mountain Resort
"Washington's best ski mountain. Views of Rainier from the top."
Crystal Mountain is 2 hours south and offers the best skiing in Washington — 2,600 acres, 10 lifts, and views of Mount Rainier from the summit gondola that are genuinely extraordinary.
Culture & History
Places with stories. Most military towns sit on deep history — dig in.
Seattle (the whole city)
"30 minutes south. One of America's great cities."
Seattle is the real cultural anchor for an Everett assignment — Pike Place Market, Chihuly Garden and Glass, the Museum of Pop Culture, Seahawks and Mariners, the world's best sushi (Nishino, Shiro's), and a food and coffee scene that rivals any American city.
Family
Stuff to do with the kids. Rated by people who have brought actual children.
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (Tacoma)
"One of the best zoos in the Northwest. Military discount."
Point Defiance in Tacoma (60 miles south) is one of the finest zoos in the Pacific Northwest — excellent Arctic tundra section (polar bears, walruses), Northwest Trek partnership, and beautiful Tacoma waterfront.
Day Trips
When you need to remember there's a world outside the gate.
"Rainforest, glacier, and Pacific coast in one park."
Olympic NP has three completely different ecosystems — Hoh Rainforest (one of only four temperate rainforests in the world), Hurricane Ridge alpine meadows, and the wild Olympic Peninsula coast. Plan an overnight at Lake Quinault.
"The Volcano. Most glaciated peak in the lower 48."
Mount Rainier is visible from the base on clear days and is the defining landmark of the Pacific Northwest. The Paradise visitor center area has spectacular wildflower meadows in July-August and world-class snowshoeing in winter.
"A world-class Canadian city. 2 hours north."
Vancouver, BC is 2 hours north — an extraordinary city with Stanley Park, Granville Island Market, excellent sushi, ski resorts on the North Shore (Grouse Mountain, Whistler 1.5 hours beyond), and a cosmopolitan energy that makes it one of the finest cities in North America.
Washington has no state income tax. Max your financial contributions during this assignment.
The Boeing factory tour books weeks in advance. Schedule it in your first month for visiting family — it's one of the best tours in the state.
San Juan Islands orca viewing at Lime Kiln Point (July-September) is legitimate world-class wildlife. Free, no boat required.
The Cascades skiing is exceptional — Stevens Pass (closest), Crystal Mountain (best), and Whistler (grandest) are all viable from Everett.
The Pacific Northwest grey (October-May) is real. Counter it with ski days, indoor activities, and intentional vitamin D management.
The Seattle metro area has become extremely expensive. Housing will take a very large portion of your BAH. Many military families live in Marysville, Mukilteo, or Mill Creek to manage costs. The grey weather October through May is persistently overcast and requires conscious effort to not let it affect morale. The trade-off: summer in the Pacific Northwest is among the finest anywhere, and the outdoor access is unmatched in CONUS.
This guide is built by people who've been stationed here. If there's a spot we got wrong or a gem we missed, tell us.