Everett
The building is so large that clouds once formed inside - weather happening indoors, contained by the 98 acres of roof that make Boeing's Everett factory the world's largest building by volume. This is where 747s, 767s, 777s, and 787s take shape, where aluminum and carbon fiber become aircraft, where America's aerospace industry maintains its presence in the Pacific Northwest. Everett wraps around this industrial marvel, a working city of 110,000 that has been building aircraft since 1967, when Boeing needed a facility large enough to assemble the jumbo jets that would transform air travel.
The Factory
Boeing's Everett plant sprawls across Paine Field, its assembly building covering 98 acres under a single roof. Inside, widebody jets move through assembly in a choreographed dance of machinery and skilled labor, each aircraft taking shape over weeks of work. Tours show visitors the production floor from elevated walkways, offering a perspective on scale that photographs cannot capture.
The factory has defined Everett since it opened. The decision to build here transformed a small mill town into a aerospace hub, drawing engineers and assembly workers who filled the subdivisions spreading east from the waterfront. Boeing remains the region's largest private employer, and aircraft production still anchors the local economy even as technology companies have grown around it.
Working Waterfront
Before Boeing, Everett lived by its port and its mills. The city still maintains a working waterfront, though lumber has given way to container shipping and naval support. The Naval Station Everett hosts aircraft carriers and their battle groups; when a carrier is in port, the vessel dominates the waterfront like a city on the water.
The Hewitt Avenue Historic District preserves the downtown that served this industrial city, its buildings dating from the early 20th century when mills drove the economy. Today restaurants and shops fill the historic structures, and the waterfront has added recreational amenities without abandoning its working character. Fishing boats share the harbor with pleasure craft; tugboats pass sailboats heading for the islands beyond.
Gateway North
Everett marks the northern edge of Seattle's continuous metropolitan sprawl, the point where suburbs give way to smaller cities and rural land. From here, roads lead north to Bellingham and the Canadian border, east to the Cascades over Stevens Pass, or across Possession Sound to Whidbey Island. The train station sees both Amtrak Cascades heading to Vancouver and the Empire Builder beginning its journey across Montana to Chicago.
The Mountain Loop Highway begins nearby, climbing into the Cascades through old-growth forest and abandoned mining towns. Stevens Pass offers skiing in winter and mountain scenery year-round. The city serves as a base camp for adventures northward, close enough to Seattle for urban amenities, far enough for access to wilder country.
Paine Field
The airport that hosts Boeing's factory has evolved into an alternative to Sea-Tac for travelers seeking shorter lines and easier parking. Commercial service began in 2019, and airlines now offer flights to destinations across the western United States. For those flying private or corporate aircraft, Paine Field has long served as a gateway to the region's aerospace industry.
Beyond the commercial terminal, aviation museums cluster near the factory. The Museum of Flight's restoration center works on historic aircraft. The Flying Heritage Collection displays World War II warbirds in flying condition. For aviation enthusiasts, Everett offers a concentration of aircraft past and present that rivals anywhere in the country - the city that builds tomorrow's planes also preserving yesterday's.
From the Air
Located at 47.96N, 122.20W on Puget Sound, approximately 25 miles north of Seattle. Boeing's Everett factory is clearly visible on Paine Field - look for the massive assembly building, one of the world's largest structures. Commercial aircraft often visible on the apron. Paine Field (KPAE) serves both commercial flights and general aviation. Naval Station Everett may have aircraft carriers in port. Downtown Everett sits on the waterfront southwest of the factory. Interstate 5 runs through the city; US-2 heads east toward Stevens Pass. Possession Sound separates the city from Whidbey Island to the west.