Skykomish, WA

Skykomish is a town in King County, Washington, United States. The 2020 census counted 161 residents. Located in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, 49 miles east of Everett, Washington, on the South Fork of the Skykomish River, Skykomish was founded as a railroad town. Being located in the far northeastern corner of King County, mountains deny Skykomish any road access to the rest of the county. The through line in Skykomish is the way its history and present-day settings remain visible on the same map.

Skykomish makes the most sense through those concrete details, with its history still visible in the settings people use today. The name "Skykomish" derives from the Skykomish or Skai-whamish tribe who inhabited the area before European settlement. John Maloney, a guide for the surveying team on the Great Northern Railway, settled a flat spot in 1892, which got the name "Maloney's Siding". Skykomish has no direct road connection to the rest of King County, with access on U.S. Route 2 through Snohomish County.