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Mount Vernon, WA is the seat of Skagit County, a riverside city of around 36,000 on the Skagit River about an hour north of Seattle. Skagit Valley College anchors the local student scene, and the city has a compact, historic downtown that's been revitalized along the river, complete with a flood wall walkway, public art, and a monthly art walk. Students gravitate to the downtown area and the residential streets near campus, while Hillcrest Park offers green space, gardens, and playing fields. The valley is famous for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival each April, when fields around town turn into a sea of color and roughly a million visitors roll through. Between the river, the farmland, and the nearby Cascades, Mount Vernon keeps an outdoorsy pace.
The most walkable pick, putting students steps from the Skagit Riverwalk, the historic core, and Skagit Station for the bus, with apartments above storefronts. It is the most connected spot.
The residential streets near the college keep the commute short and suit students who want to walk or bike to class. They are the closest to campus.
Across the river, the west side offers quieter neighborhoods and newer apartment complexes a bit removed from the center. It suits students who want calm and modern housing.
Here's what you need to know about getting around Mount Vernon.
Skagit Transit runs the local buses, with Skagit Station downtown as the main hub. Routes link neighborhoods, the college, and nearby Burlington and La Conner. Getting around without a car is doable if you live near a line. A bus pass covers a lot of day-to-day student travel.
Downtown Mount Vernon is genuinely walkable, with the riverside Skagit Riverwalk and a tight commercial core you can cover on foot. Biking works well on flatter stretches and along the river. The campus sits close enough to downtown that walking or a short bus hop covers a lot. A bike plus a bus pass goes a long way here.
The city is more spread out than a dense college town, so many students keep a car for grocery runs, jobs, and exploring the wider valley. A vehicle gives you the most reach across the valley. Parking downtown and near campus is generally manageable. Weigh how often you will drive before committing to a car.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
It depends on the place and how many roommates you split with, but a one-bedroom apartment in Mount Vernon often runs around $1,200 to $1,400 a month, while sharing a house or larger unit can bring your share down to roughly $600 to $850. Downtown and newer complexes sit toward the higher end.
Browse student housing near each Mount Vernon-area university.