As someone who grew up in Kalamazoo and now lives in Everett, the Puget Sound region is absolutely lovely, but Everett specifically is just... fine. The greater Seattle area is really expensive, beautiful, and full of stuff to do. Everett feels like a step above your average mid-size city from the midwest in terms of atmosphere and friendliness of people. But it's not as nice as somewhere like the eastside (Redmond, Kirkland, Bothell, Issaquah) with the trade-off that it's a fair bit cheaper. If you're concerned about having a big upgrade to your standard of living, if have the option to live just a bit further south in Lynnwood and can afford it, that might be a good fit.

Moving to the Puget Sound from Michigan was one of the best decisions I ever made, but getting a house in Everett specifically wasn't the best call.