# 13 in Best Suburbs to Live in Washington | Dense Suburban
Bothell is a suburb of Seattle with a population of 45,749. Bothell is in King County and is one of the best places to live in Washington. Living in Bothell offers residents a dense suburban feel and most residents own their homes. In Bothell there are a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Many families and young professionals live in Bothell and residents tend to have moderate political views. The public schools in Bothell are highly rated.
Prior to European settlement, the Sammamish River valley from Lake Washington to Issaquah Creek south and upstream of Lake Sammamish was inhabited by a population of as many as 200 Native Americans known as the Sammamish people. The Sammamish were relocated after the Puget Sound War in 1856 to reservations and non-reservation lands.
In 1870, Columbus S. Greenleaf and George R. Wilson filed land claims in the area formerly inhabited by the Sammamish near present-day Bothell, and built homes. Eight families followed over the next six years. In 1876, Canadian George Brackett bought land and began commercial logging out of a camp located on the north bank of the Sammamish River in what is now the heart of downtown Bothell. A store, school, and sawmill followed over the next several years.
In 2010, the city of Bothell began a $150 million program to redevelop downtown, including the demolition of 15 buildings, moving State Route 522, expanding the Bothell–Everett Highway, expanding a city park, and expanding the city hall. Bothell straddles two counties (King and Snohomish). Because most streets in Bothell are numbered and not named, streets that cross the county line often change numbers. For example, 104th Avenue NE in King County becomes 23rd Avenue SE when it crosses into Snohomish County.
