Marysville, WA

Marysville’s downtown water tower survives because the city chose reconstruction over demolition. Built in 1921 as the first municipal reservoir, it was judged structurally unsound in 2000. The Marysville Historical Society, local supporters, and city government then helped rebuild it, preserving its profile above Comeford Park. A newer civic landmark stands a short block away. The Civic Center began opening in 2022 and now brings City Hall, police, municipal court, council chambers, and development offices to one Delta Avenue campus. Municipal errands and one of the city’s oldest landmarks now meet in a compact downtown area. The first commercial settlement also joined land and water. In 1878, James Comeford bought 1,280 acres for $450 and built a store, living quarters, and dock with his wife, Maria.

Their post served trade from the Tulalip Reservation and logging camps near the Snohomish River mouth. Logging drove the early economy, a railroad reached Marysville in 1889, and the city incorporated in 1891. Agriculture later covered much of the surrounding ground. Extensive strawberry fields earned Marysville the “Strawberry City” name during the 1920s, and the first Strawberry Festival followed in 1932. Berry production declined after a destructive 1955 freeze and the conversion of farmland to housing. The festival still occupies several central settings: in 2026, its market met at Asbery Field, its carnival used Marysville Middle School, and the Grand Parade traveled State Avenue. About 35 miles north of Seattle, Marysville stretches from Ebey Slough toward Arlington along Interstate 5 and State Avenue.

Everett lies across the Snohomish River delta at its southern edge. Downtown, the civic campus, and the older street grid occupy the southern end. Housing extends east into hillier neighborhoods and north toward Lakewood and Smokey Point. Farther north, the Cascade Industrial Center spans Marysville and Arlington. The 4,019-acre district is 43 percent inside Marysville, with Arlington Municipal Airport at its center and BNSF tracks nearby. It received regional Manufacturing and Industrial Center status in 2019. Advanced manufacturing, food production, distribution, and aerospace-related work are among its uses. Much of this industrial activity occupies the city’s north end, apart from the smaller blocks and civic buildings near Ebey Slough. The waterfront has changed from an industrial edge into a restored tidal landscape with public access.

The Tulalip Tribes and partner agencies restored the 347-acre Qwuloolt Estuary in 2015. From Ebey Waterfront Park, the current paved route makes a 2.9-mile round trip along Ebey Slough, with interpretive signs and a working boat launch at the trailhead. Views open across the Snohomish River toward the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges. Other completed trail sections begin near Harborview Park. The pieces did not yet form the planned six-mile network in July 2026. Phase IV-B was listed for construction in mid-2026 to connect the First Street Bypass and complete the trailhead parking lot. Boats and trail users still reached the slough through separate sections near the city’s southern edge.