My Hometown: Mukilteo, WA

Photo courtesy Snohomish County, www.snohomish.org

My Hometown: Mukilteo, WA 98275
Approximate value in 1989: $270,000
Zestimate today: $619,980

I grew up in Mukilteo, WA, a small waterfront community about 25 miles north of Seattle.  The city’s famous landmarks include the Mukilteo Lighthouse on Possession Bay and the Mukilteo-Whidbey Island ferry.  Located just minutes from the Everett Boeing Plant, a large portion of the working population took home Boeing paychecks, while most others either owned small businesses in town or commuted to Seattle.

Mukilteo, which comes from a Native American term meaning “good camping ground,” is divided into two distinct areas: Old Town and Harbour Pointe.  I grew up in the latter: home of the world-class Harbour Pointe Golf Club.  When he used to play for the Mariners, Ken Griffey Jr. was frequently spotted on the greens there.  Another pro athlete known about town was Jeff Jaeger, kicker for the LA Raiders at the time (now the Oakland Raiders, playing San Diego tonight, by the way), who lived just up the street from me during the off-season.  Every football season, someone would TP his house if the Raiders happened to beat the Seahawks (and in those days, almost everyone beat the Seahawks!).

When we first moved to Mukilteo much of the land in Harbour Pointe was undeveloped, and the city’s population was around 10,000 (today it’s nearly doubled — around 19,000!).  Our house was among the first to be built in the neighborhood, and my parents got a great deal on it.  When they moved after my little brother graduated from high school in 2001, they sold it for almost twice the amount for which they originally bought it.  Today it’s worth almost three times as much!

My childhood home was what some might call a “McMansion.”  The whole neighborhood was full of them.  Every house on the street looked the same - and some were - I think there were about 8 different floorplans to choose from.  Growing up in a tract neighborhood developed my love for unique, older homes, one of the many reasons I love the quirkiness of the old West Seattle neighborhood I live in today… even if the house down the street from me is painted purple with green trim!