Bothell crosses the county line. Part of the city is in King County and part is in Snohomish County, and whether a home is a King or Snohomish address depends on its parcel location. Adding OFM’s county parts together gives 52,010 residents in the April 1, 2026 estimate (31,480 in King and 20,530 in Snohomish) and 48,161 in the 2020 Census. For buyers, the draw is a riverside park with trail connections, a downtown that hosts the city’s Fourth of July, a university campus, and bus rapid transit to Everett.
A town full of Bothells
HistoryLink writes that David Bothell bought 80 acres on the Sammamish River in 1885. In 1888, when the community needed a name for its post office, storekeeper Gerhard Ericksen said, “There are so many Bothells in town and that’s a good name, so let’s call it Bothell.” That same year the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad came through, and the town grew along Main Street.
Ericksen later served in the Legislature and pushed for good roads. A highway from Seattle through Bothell to Everett was finished in May 1913, and four miles of it, between Kenmore and Bothell, were paved in brick. Bothell incorporated in 1909, with George Bothell as its first mayor. In 1992 the city annexed Canyon Park to the north, which reached into Snohomish County. HistoryLink says the annexation doubled the city’s population.
Park at Bothell Landing
Park at Bothell Landing sits on the Sammamish River. You can put in a kayak or canoe at the hand-carry boat launch, cross the pedestrian bridge, picnic on the lawns, or walk from the park onto the Burke-Gilman and Sammamish River trails. The park also has an amphitheater, a gazebo and a playground. Three historic buildings in the park, the Schoolhouse, the Beckstrom Cabin and the Hannan House, make up the Bothell Historical Museum.
The park is also where summer happens. In 2026 the city’s Music in the Park series put on four free evening concerts there in July and August.
Main Street and the Fourth
Bothell’s Fourth of July Hometown Celebration is one of the city’s signature events, and the city says it brings together thousands of people downtown. It starts with a pancake breakfast hosted by the Bothell Fire Department, followed by a Children’s Parade and the Grand Parade. In 2026 the parades ran along Main Street and Bothell Way NE, and the city plans to hold the celebration again in 2027.
Campus and commute
In 1990 the University of Washington opened a branch campus in Bothell at the Canyon Park office development, HistoryLink notes. In 2000 the branch and the new Cascadia Community College moved into a shared permanent campus. UW Bothell offers undergraduate and graduate degrees.
As of October 2026, Community Transit says the Swift Green Line stops at Canyon Park Park & Ride every 10 to 20 minutes and runs to Seaway Transit Center near Boeing-Everett. Community Transit Route 120 links UW Bothell/Cascadia College with Lynnwood City Center Station, and Sound Transit express buses run to Bellevue and Everett. Drive times are traffic-dependent.
Living here
Bothell has a river park with two regional trails, a Main Street parade route, a shared UW Bothell and Cascadia campus, and addresses in two counties. If you’re comparing a King County address with a Snohomish County one here, or a home near Mill Creek, or planning to sell in Bothell, Chase Hedin, Managing Broker, can help you sort out the trade-offs. Start a conversation · What’s my home worth?