Published September 2003

Small-town charm worth preserving, promoting

The good news about Old Town Arlington is that it’s three miles from Interstate 5.

The bad news about Old Town Arlington is that it’s three miles from Interstate 5.

The good news is that the isolation of those three miles has helped to preserve the town’s 1950s setting and its early 1900-era buildings that reflect the town’s historic roots. Residents and visitors alike enjoy its nostalgic charm, friendly people and the slower pace of living.

But the bad news is that the isolation also has separated Arlington’s downtown businesses from the urban development and population growth that has stimulated business growth elsewhere in north Snohomish County.

Yet the “good news” may be winning out. More and more Snohomish County residents — as well as travelers passing through town on Highway 530 bound for recreation and sightseeing in the Cascade Mountains — are discovering why people in Arlington love their small town.

Arlington’s half-mile-long business district has a pleasing character distinctively different than the traffic-clogged streets running through downtown Marysville or west Arlington’s recently annexed Smokey Point commercial development.

It’s that rural, small-town character that Arlington merchants are trying to preserve and promote to keep Old Town Arlington competitive. And it’s working, boosted this year by the community’s spirited Centennial Year celebrations and more than 100 brightly painted plywood “centennial” cows along I-5 near Island Crossing and throughout Arlington to draw attention to the town and its heritage.

So what do urban dwellers do for recreation and sightseeing? They travel, of course, to unique, small, rural towns like Arlington to show their children real cows in the fields, taste creamery products at an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, shop for antiques and collectibles, roll a few in a classic, six-lane bowling alley and dine on everything from BAM’s barbecued ribs, the Bluebird’s great breakfasts, La Hacienda’s Mexican treats or Italian dinners at the Original Rome Ristaurante.

As our cover story in this issue points out, Old Town Arlington has a lot of undiscovered attractions, and the town’s centennial year is a great time to visit.

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