Top Things to Know If You're Thinking of Moving to Bothell

Bothell is the town where the King and Snohomish county line runs through the middle of things, on the Sammamish River. An old logging and shingle-mill settlement, it spent the last decade rebuilding a walkable riverfront downtown, with trails to Seattle and Redmond and a spot between the Eastside economy and the rest of the county. It is also one of the county's higher-priced markets.

Market and value

Bothell's median sale price sits around $1.0 million in 2026, well above most of Snohomish County, with most homes selling in two to three weeks. West Bothell runs near the high $900,000s; northeast Bothell, North Creek, and Norway Hill carry newer and hillside homes above $1.1 million. Condos and townhomes near downtown are the most affordable entry and move a touch slower. Prices have softened, but you are paying for the location, the Northshore schools, and the walkable downtown.

Commute

Bothell sits at the junction of SR 522 and I-405. Off-peak, downtown Seattle is about 20 to 25 minutes, Bellevue 15 to 20, and Redmond roughly 25 to 30. Rush hour stretches the same trips past an hour. Sound Transit Express 522 runs to downtown Seattle, Express 535 to Bellevue, and Metro Route 931 to Redmond.

Neighborhoods

Historic downtown and the riverfront is the walkable core along Main Street and the Sammamish: Bothell Landing with its restored 1890s buildings, McMenamins Anderson School, and a growing mix of condos, shops, and breweries. Maywood Hills and Beckstrom Hill are the classic hillside neighborhoods above downtown: postwar ramblers, mature trees, and large lots. Canyon Park and North Creek are the tech and commercial hub where I-405 meets SR 527: biotech and engineering employers, big-box retail, and newer homes near the top of Bothell's price range. Norway Hill and southeast Bothell are the hilly, semi-rural pocket with large lots and peek-a-boo views toward Lake Washington and the Cascades.

Schools

The Northshore School District serves Bothell, with Bothell High and North Creek High inside the city and Inglemoor High nearby in Kenmore. Because the city straddles two counties, a few addresses sit near other boundary lines, so school attendance is an address-by-address question.

Parks and outdoor access

Bothell's outdoor life runs on the river and the trails beside it. The Sammamish River Trail runs 10 miles to Marymoor Park in Redmond and meets the Burke-Gilman at Blyth Park, a 40-acre riverside park with disc golf and picnic shelters. Park at Bothell Landing is about 14 acres with restored pioneer buildings, including the 1893 Hannan House museum and a boat launch. North Creek Trail heads north through North Creek Forest, a significant protected urban wood.

Downtown and dining

Bothell was platted in 1889 by David Bothell and incorporated in 1909. The centerpiece of the rebuild is McMenamins Anderson School, a 1931 Art Deco junior high that reopened in 2015 with 72 guestrooms in former classrooms, a brewery, and a movie theater; a $7.5 million Main Street rebuild widened sidewalks through 2017 and 2018. Restaurants and breweries now line Main Street, from The Bine and The Bison to Beardslee Public House, with coffee at Caffe Ladro and Daily Grind.

Community feel

Bothell is one of the region's two-county towns: the county line shapes everything from property tax rates to school boundaries street by street, so check the details for the specific lot. UW Bothell and Cascadia College share a campus with one of the largest restored wetlands on the West Coast. The honest trade-offs: peak traffic, a steep price of entry, and long suburban stretches without a car.

Bothell is a premium market with a clear reason. Verify the school boundary and the county line for the address, and you get a walkable riverfront town that works for two job centers.