Monroe

At a confluence of Skykomish, Snohomish, and Snoqualmie rivers in the Cascade foothills and the junction of two highways, U.S. Route 2 and State Route 522, sits Monroe, a town of nearly 20,000 residents. Considered a suburban bedroom community to Everett, Seattle, and the Eastside, (only 15 percent of residents work within city limits) the community is flooded with activity annually when it hosts the Evergreen State Fair, the state’s second-largest fair attracting as many as 350,000 during its 12-day run. The arts also play an important part in the community, where a non-profit arts council sponsors projects and events around the city. With over 14 parks totaling 207 acres, there’s plenty of room to explore the outdoors within the city of Monroe. Its largest park, Al Borlin, is a 90-acre nature preserve complete with hiking trails on the peninsula formed by the Skykomish River and Woods Creek.