Everett www.everettchamber.com

In 1889, the year Washington became a state; the Rucker brothers arrived at Port Gardner Bay with the intention of developing the peninsula. From 1891 – 1983, with the help of the backing of the wealthy Rockefeller family, Henry Hewitt, a Tacoma lumberman and investor formed the Everett Land Company with the Rucker brothers to build the economic base of lumbering, mining and fishing. During this time important commercial centers were formed along Hewitt Avenue and rail connections were established, as heavy industry took hold. From these early beginnings the development began for a sophisticated harbor facility. The development of the Weyerhaeuser mill fostered Everett’s reputation as a “Milltown”, reflecting the growing community’s huge logging and milling operations along the Snohomish River. The area continued to be dominated by this industry through the Great Depression. In the 1930s, and 40’s saw the emergence of Boeing’s dominance as a major force in the economic health of the region, a position it maintains. In the early 1990s, the company doubled the size of its Everett assembly plant, making the facility the largest building in the world.

The 1980s saw the last of the mills shut down and new industries emerge with a base of high technology, aerospace, biotechnology and tourism. Naval Station Everett was opened in 1994 bringing with it a $350 million impact on our local economy. The revitalization of the downtown city core has given Everett a high level of prosperity. The city continues to grow and to foster the development of diverse economies.