Moving to Naval Station Everett — A PCS Guide for Navy Families

Everett's mission is surface-fleet readiness — home-porting and supporting destroyers on Port Gardner. It's a compact, modern installation; a separate support complex at Smokey Point (about 11 miles north near Marysville) houses additional Navy facilities and family services.

Everett is the Puget Sound region's third Navy hub, distinct from the Kitsap Peninsula bases (Bangor's submarines, Bremerton's shipyard) across the Sound to the southwest.

1. Call your sponsor. They'll know your pier, gate, and parking.
2. Check in to your command / ship. Orders, shot record, dependent IDs, originals of marriage / birth certificates.
3. CAC / RAPIDS / DEERS. Standard ID-office slate; DEERS-enroll dependents.
4. Vehicle registration + base decals. Washington has its own rules and no state income tax — sort plates early.
5. Housing. Decide on-base PPV vs. off-base early; the housing office covers both.
6. Fleet & Family Support Center (FFSC). Relocation, financial counseling, spouse employment, deployment readiness.

Puget Sound is water-and-mountains country between the Olympic and Cascade ranges. Everett's advantage over the Kitsap bases is that it's on the mainland east side — connected to Seattle by I-5 and Sounder commuter rail, no ferry. That makes the wider Seattle metro genuinely accessible.

Upsides: no Washington state income tax, a real city around the base, mountains and water everywhere, and mainland access to Seattle's job market. Tradeoffs: the gray (long wet winters), I-5 traffic toward Seattle, and a high regional cost of living.

• Closest (Everett): The city itself — the most convenient, with everything from waterfront neighborhoods to suburban subdivisions; the shortest commute to base.
• Mukilteo: A waterfront suburb just southwest — well-regarded schools, a ferry to Whidbey Island, an easy commute.
• Marysville / Lake Stevens: North and northeast — more house for the money, family-oriented suburbs, a reasonable drive (and near the Smokey Point complex).
• Lynnwood / Edmonds (toward Seattle): South toward the county line — more urban, pricier, better Seattle access via I-5 / Sounder.

Surrounding-area guides for these towns are coming. Drive your real route at 0700 — I-5 is the variable.

Naval Station Everett's main vehicle entrance is off W Marine View Drive. (Our gate pin is approximate.) Confirm your gate and current hours with your command. Visitor passes for non-DoD-ID guests go through Visitor Control with sponsorship documentation.

• Commissary + NEX — Naval Station Everett has commissary + Navy Exchange services on base.
• Medical — a branch health clinic on base for routine care; the region's larger military medical support is at Naval Hospital Bremerton (across the Sound) and the civilian Everett hospitals.
• MWR — the Puget Sound setting drives a strong outdoor-rec MWR program; gym, ITT, and family programs round it out.
• Fleet & Family Support Center (FFSC) — relocation, financial counseling, spouse employment, and (sea-duty base) deployment and return-and-reunion programs.
• Spouse employment — Everett anchors a real economy (Boeing's Everett plant, healthcare, the Port), and the wider Seattle metro is reachable by I-5 / Sounder rail.

• Everett Public Schools — the district for the city of Everett.
• Mukilteo School District, Marysville School District, and Lake Stevens School District cover the popular suburbs.

Pull the specific feeder — the DoD School Liaison Officer helps families compare. Check GreatSchools.

Everett sits in the Everett, WA military housing area (MHA). Pull current rates from defensetravel.dod.mil/site/bahCalc.cfm; they change every January.

Washington has no state income tax, but the Seattle-metro cost of living is high and Snohomish County housing is competitive. The BAH Budget tool computes your specific coverage and gap.

• Mainland, not peninsula. Everett's big advantage is no ferry — I-5 and Sounder rail connect you to Seattle. The flip side is I-5 traffic.
• The gray is real, and the region is earthquake country (Cascadia). Know your home's situation.
• Sea-duty tempo. Destroyers deploy — lean on the FFSC's deployment-readiness programs.
• Summer is the peak move season — and Puget Sound summers are spectacular.

The 10-stage moving guide applies the same as any Navy move; the sea-duty nature gives the deployment-prep stages extra weight. Browse the guide here.

We're vetting partner realtors, lenders, and movers who understand Naval Station Everett, the Everett / Mukilteo / Marysville markets, and the mainland-vs-ferry trade-offs of the Sound. Check back, or sign up for our launch email to get matched.