Thrasher's Corner-Red Hawk - Bothell, WA Area Guide

The name Thrasher's Corner dates back to the 1920s when local landowners, surnamed Thrasher, opened a service station and grocery at the intersection of Highway 527 and 208th Street. The area lingered as rural farmland for decades, but as nearby cities Bothell, Mill Creek, and Lynnwood expanded in the 1980s and 1990s, Highway 527 gradually developed with shopping centers and apartment buildings. Simultaneously, the neighborhood's farms transitioned to single-family housing divisions as commuters moved further and further into the rural areas of the Puget Sound area in search of affordable homes. The neighborhood is currently part of the city of Bothell's master development plan.

Restaurants and pubs are spread along Highway 527 both in the Thrasher's Corner - Red Hawk neighborhood and in the neighborhoods and towns to the north and south. In this driving-centric area, something for everyone can be found within a 15-minute drive — a radius that includes the Mill Creek Town Center, Alderwood Mall and downtown Bothell.

Within the neighborhood, a number of chain restaurants and a few local dining options dot the length of Highway 527. Thrasher’s Corner Sports Pub, an area staple for 25 years, personifies the local neighborhood bar and grill, featuring a decidedly Northwest seafood heavy menu. Stop by at 5 p.m. on Monday nights for the long-running all-you-can-eat Dungeness crab feed. Top it off with one of the many rotating local microbrews on tap.

For an international palette, Siam Thai Cuisine serves traditional Thai favorites as well as specialties like the "Angry Ocean," a seafood combo platter with vegetable in chili sauce, and the noteworthy flying fish in garlic sauce. Head to the lounge for happy hour between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., or from 9 p.m. until close, for inexpensive beer, wine, cocktails and small plates.

Bar restaurants such as these serve as the main source of nightlife in the area. Another such option is The Rock Wood Fired Kitchen which serves up fresh wood oven baked pizzas and a large selection of beers and signature cocktails. This rock and roll themed restaurant that has dim lighting coupled with traditional rock music. Order one of their pizzas or delectable burgers and wash it down with one of their six signature cocktail buckets.

The neighborhood centers around Highway 527, which connects the neighborhood with the nearby cities of Bothell to the south and Mill Creek to the north. Nearby Interstate 405 runs to the south and west of the neighborhood and conveniently connects drivers to Interstate 5 and the primary commuter destinations of Seattle, Bellevue and Everett as well as smaller cities and destinations throughout the Seattle Metropolitan area.

Like many neighborhoods built up around highways, Thrasher's Corner - Red Hawk caters to drivers with sparse walking trails and minimal bus service away from the highway. However, for commuters, the close-by Canyon Park Park-and-Ride, located at the junction of Highway 527 and Interstate 405, makes the commute easy with a number of bus routes, including Sound Transit routes 535 to downtown Seattle and 532 to downtown Bellevue. Community transit buses also run frequently along the length of highway 527 and provide local service with connections to Everett and throughout Snohomish County.

While the neighborhood does not have any public parks, play fields at Fernwood Elementary School and the Park Ridge Community Church allow public access, and a number of parks in adjacent neighborhoods are just a short drive away, including North Creek Park, Cedar Grove Park, Centennial Park and the North Creek Sports Fields, which host adult and youth soccer and softball leagues through city of Bothell.

Centennial Park, just across North Creek from Thrasher's Corner, sports minimal trails over 54 acres of wetlands, forest and open spaces. The park houses the Nationally Registered Historic North Creek Schoolhouse, which was built in 1902 and moved from its originally location to the park in 2008.

The cost of living in Thrasher's Corner - Red Hawk rests about average for the greater Seattle metropolitan area while remaining lower than in the large cities of Seattle and Bellevue and higher than more distant suburbs. The average one-bedroom in the neighborhood rents for just under $1100 a month. A pint of beer runs around $5 with microbrews likely to cost $6.

A bus trip to either downtown Seattle or downtown Bellevue costs between $2.50 and $7.00, depending on the route taken and whether you pay cash or use an Orca Card, which allows for inter-agency transfers between Community Transit in Snohomish County, King County Metro and Sound Transit. A Community Transit bus trip to downtown Everett costs $2 with an Orca Card or $4 with cash.

As with restaurants, shopping in the area spreads north and south along Highway 527, while extensive shopping prevails 15 minutes north in Mill Creek Town Center or west in the Alderwood Mall area in Lynnwood, which accommodates many major chains, from Sears and Best Buy to AMC Theatres.

A number of large grocery stores are in the area with the closest being a Fred Meyer located at Thrasher's Corner, which additionally sells clothing, electronics and household goods. QFC, just five minutes south on Highway 527, provide further grocery options, while Central Market, five minutes north on Highway 527, carries a wide selection of local, natural and organic groceries.

Speciality shops in the neighborhood include Apna Bazar, which specializes in hard-to-find groceries from India, including fresh vegetables, imported spices, and prepackaged meals. The store also has a small restaurant that serves chaat (filled fried-dough snacks) and dosa (filled crepe).

Bothell Feed Center, a family-owned local animal supply store, hearkens back to the area's not-too-distant rural roots by carrying gardening gear, wood stoves, outdoor tools, and farm animal supplies. It also carries food and supplies for cats, dogs, birds, and other various pets.