Moving to PNW, working in Everett. Where to live for best access and community?

I'll preface with I've read through many of the posts regarding moving to the PNW, but hoping to get some advice on where to call our next home. 

My wife and I and our two dogs are going to be starting work in Everett, WA next summer. We'll be working at the hospital in town as ER doctors, so ~13-15 shifts per month at a variety of hours (not 9-5). OK with a 30 minute and maybe (but not ideally) even 45 minute commute. I've only heard of one person on this site saying they actually like Everett. We thought it was kinda cute in a way if you look past the poverty and drug abuse which seemed to be in pockets, and would consider if for bike commuting and simplicity potential, but would probably live outside of the city. We would ideally be looking for a somewhat walkable/bikeable young town. It would be awesome to find an outdoorsy, active, nature-centric community without the traffic and craziness of Seattle. Cafes, restaurants, and bars are nice, but we cook a lot and are more inclined to go to bed early and get alpine starts. Looking to start out renting to figure out where we want to live and potentially buy. We will be making good money, but have lots of debt so will try to keep costs low for the first couple of years.

I've heard some recommend towns in between Seattle and Everett like Lynwood/Edmonds or Woodinville/Kenmore/Bothell. A friend of ours lives in Snohomish which seems like a decent town and good I-9/I-2 access. I know traffic south of Everett can be a dumpster fire especially during rush hour. Does anyone have thoughts on living north of Everett (Arlington, Mt Vernon, or somewhere thereabouts) to be closer to Bham and Squamish? It seems like it turns into rural farm country pretty quickly, which we could maybe get into.

We prioritize mountain biking, skiing (resort and backcountry), climbing, and trail running. Ideally, we would have mountain biking and trail running very close by. OK with driving to skiing and climbing and we should have very flexible schedules to take a few days and even a week off at a time during the week or weekends to session places like Squamish, Whistler, N. Cascades, Leavenworth, etc. Would love to spend lots of time mountain biking in Bham which sounds like some of the best in the state.

As far as climbing, I grew up in Salt Lake City, UT with a variety of climbing and live in North Carolina now so it's a lot of short, hard sport and trad, but I prefer long moderate trad. I have some experience with and am excited to pursue more alpine, ice, and mountaineering. Also love backcountry skiing and incorporating it into alpine missions. I've climbed Squamish and absolutely loved the climbing and biking there (I'd live there if I could).

Thanks in advance for any advice! And if anyone is looking for partners come August 2018, hit me up :)

Congrats on almost finishing residency and welcome to the PNW.

I would definitely consider skagit valley (mt vernon area) over Everett. Great Co-op/fresh produce, better access to Erie for afternoon cragging or Bham for biking and of course less traffic. I know some people who have settled in Kenmore area but I would also have concerns about a northward commute from upper Seattle overflow like you mentioned. 

 Let me know when you drop anchor. Im based out of Seattle, often have weekdays free and am also keen on moderate alpine trad and could also use some more partners with similar goals and odd work schedules.

Living south of Everett is probably not what you are looking for, considering your preferences.  What you hear about the traffic is true.  I'm up in Bellingham and know a couple of nurses who commute to work at Providence Everett, three twelve hour shifts a week.  They say the commute is about an hour.  I think that is a bit of a low estimate if you start the timer when you leave your house, and stop it when you arrive at work.  There is some traffic between Marysville and Everett, but nothing like the nightmare that is often the case south of Everett. Bellingham fulfills most of your criteria, but is a longer commute than you want.  Mt Vernon is 20 minutes closer to Everett, has lower housing costs and better access to after work crags, and basically all climbing except Squamish and other Canadian destinations.  The outdoor community isn't quite as large, but definitely is there, including a new (small) climbing gym.  East and west of Mt Vernon are some small towns, but you start adding time to the commute.  I don't know enough about the towns between Mt Vernon and Everett to give advice.  

I have a few friends that live in Index, which is probably the only place I would consider on Hwy 2, west of the pass. The commute ends up being probably a bit less than an hour. The obvious draw is the climbing, but you are also 30 minutes to the pass for skiing.  Also closer to Leavenworth and the Enchantments.  Pretty small town, and fairly dark at times in the winter compared to a town with a more open horizon.  

If you have the ability to live in a van for a few months and try out different towns before you commit to buying or renting, I would recommend it.  I know one person who works at the small hospital in Sedro Woolley, but lives near Whistler.  He stacks his shifts, working 3-4 twelve hour nights in a row, then heading home for a 4-5 days .  He has a van he sleeps in at the hospital, but its easier to do this at United General than it would be at Providence.  

Good luck, and enjoy the region.  

+1 for Mount Vernon. I spent 4 years there before movingly to Leavenworth and sometimes I really miss it. The Porterhouse is probably the best pub I have ever been to and there is an amazing Thai place next door. Lots of Bham folk seem to be moving there cause they can actually afford it which is making the culture more hipster. Honestly I kinda hate Mt Erie but it gets the job done for after work stuff. Biking in Bham is some of the best in the country. If you need to be close to Everett than i really think it’s your best bet.

If you lived south of Everett and your shift started in the am then your commute would be smooth as the rush is headed south in the morning.  However, 2k new people move here everyday and the traffic even north of Everett can be quite heavy.  You're going to Love the PNW! 

I would recommend the city of Snohomish if you want to stay in Snohomish County due to the fact that the city is right next to the centennial trail as well as the access to the mountains. If not Snohomish I would be inclined to agree with everyone else about Mount Vernon since it’s close to Everett (30-40 minutes commute) and about the same distance from Bellingham which is the closest to the type of city that you explained. 

I live in bham, it's great, too far from your work and housing is $$. Mt baker offers good inbounds skiing and stellar backcountry (with some crowds) lots of other options for backcountry in northwest Washington! Cascade pass sees no traffic if you're willing to approach a ways as opposed to skiing from the car. Very cool terrain there, good luck!

+1 for Mt Vernon. It's been a long time since I lived there, but I've been back since, and it hasn't changed much. It has a great balance of cost, community, and easy (traffic-free) access to rock, trails, mountains, and islands. It's very centrally placed for Seattle, Squamish, and the Cascades. I found myself going to Fidalgo Island a lot, for the great trail network, little lakes to jump in, Mt Erie, and Rosario. Anacortes is a cute town, lucky to have all those features literally in the back yard. Bouldering, hiking, and obscure climbing at Chuckanut is fun, too (Oyster Dome...) Since it's an agricultural area, there's a lot of fresh, local food. An independent co-op/health food store is a bonus in any community. Gotta say - I don't miss the weather. At least Fidalgo sticks out far enough west that it might peek out from under the cloud blanket every now and then.

Awesome! This is all super helpful, thank you all for your advice. Mt. Vernon definitely seems to fulfill pretty much all of the criteria we're after in terms of access, community, outdoor culture, and location. Fresh food/co-op is a huge plus. I love Bham, but it is just too far to commute. It would be nice to be 30 minutes away, though. I had not looked into Mt. Erie, but it looks like it would get the job done for afternoon jaunts. Looks like decent in-town mountain biking at Little Mountain park in Mt. Vernon as well! Thanks again for all the beta. Would love to hear anyone else's thoughts as well and would be psyched to get out and explore with anyone once we arrive!

You can count me as one who actually likes Everett. I live in north Seattle and had dismissed Everett because of my frequent travels past it on I5 -- the traffic on I5 always slows near Everett and the areas around the interstate are typical of bad 20th century planning. My mind changed when I actually went into Everett (west of Broadway) with my small kids several times over the past couple years. We've taken Amtrak there, ridden the bus, stayed in a newish hotel in downtown (Hampton Inn and now I think there is another), shopped at a co-op grocery (Sno-Isle Foods), went to a great children's museum (better than Seattle's! -- in fact we became members we liked it so much, they have a fun kid friendly New Years Party), and participated in a Street Scramble (an urban scavenger hunt) which led us to places I never knew about, like an indoor climbing wall. All those things are within walking distance downtown. I may be romanticizing it, but Everett seems like it's on the rise. I love the fact it's not overly gentrified, very walkable/bikable, seemingly mixed income, and it seems like the kind of place where you could have modest means, or want to try out an idea for a business, and still afford to live there. Before dismissing it, I would encourage you to talk to several people who live there. Go talk to the people in Sno-Isle (or the companion coffeeshop/restaurant next door), or other regulars and get their perspective. Personally, I like the idea of living where I work thus I wouldn't so quickly rule it out. However, I don't work 13-15 hour shifts, maybe that's a different lifestyle/commute. BTW I know a doc who works in Everett, and she lives in north Seattle, so the commuting from north Seattle must not be too bad. Best of luck! You have so many good choices it will be tough to pick.

I'd live in mount Vernon or nearby if i had the choice to live anywhere in western WA. I grew up just over the ridge from Mount Vernon (Oso/Cavanaugh) and always enjoyed the town, and slightly more mild weather. 

IMO everett is dog shit. I've lived here for close to 10 years, and would gladly move to MV if not for my work being to the south. I live in unincorporated everett and haven't seen a deputy in weeks. 

Not a fan of Lynwood or Everett but that's just personal opinion.  I live in Sultan (20ish miles east of Everett on Hwy 2) and work in Woodinville. I really enjoy being 20 minutes from Index and the small towns along Hwy 2 are nice communities. Plus it's easy to get over to Leavenworth or to Stevens.  My commute is short with easy access to skiing and climbing. Woodinville and Bothell both have really nice communities and I see a lot of people biking around.  I haven't lived further north so I can say but traffic is sort of something we all just deal with here.  I've been stuck in traffic almost anywhere almost any day/time during the week.   Good luck and welcome to the great PNW.