Many fine people picture Edmonds through its postcard moments, the waterfront, the cafés, the arts scene, the ferry slipping across the Sound. But there’s another Edmonds just a few miles east, still fully within city limits, shaped by global flavors, family-run shops, auto dealerships, and the kind of everyday commerce that keeps a community moving.

Along Highway 99, you’ll find a stretch of Edmonds that’s less photographed but no less authentic, a corridor with a stretch officially known as the Edmonds International District. It’s a district with deeper roots than people realize

Long before Highway 99 became the busy north–south route we know today, this area was part of the old Seattle Heights community, tied to the Interurban rail line that once connected Seattle and Everett. When the Pacific Highway opened in 1927 – quietly, without ceremony – it transformed the corridor into a major transportation spine. Before I-5 existed, this was the route north, and businesses sprang up to serve travelers, workers, and families building new lives along the roadway.

That history still lingers in the rhythm of the corridor: a place shaped by movement, opportunity, and reinvention.

A district defined by global flavors

Walk or drive this stretch of 99, and you’ll notice something immediately: the world shows up here. Korean, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, and Chinese restaurants sit shoulder‑to‑shoulder, many of them family-owned and generational. These aren’t chains; they’re places built from scratch, where recipes come from memory, not huge marketing engines.

It’s the kind of district where you can grab Korean fried chicken, pick up fresh pastries, enjoy a steaming bowl of pho, or discover a dish you’ve never tried before. It’s multicultural, welcoming, and quietly vibrant, a reminder that Edmonds is more diverse than its waterfront image suggests.

The auto row that shaped local memories

For decades, the auto dealerships along Highway 99 have been landmarks in their own right. Many longtime residents bought their first car here, taught their kids to drive here, or remember the glow of dealership lights on winter evenings. These businesses have provided jobs, stability, and a sense of continuity as the city has grown and changed.

They’re part of the corridor’s identity, a practical, hardworking counterpoint to the arts‑and‑espresso charm of downtown. (By the way, Lynnwood Honda is in Edmonds. Fun fact. Oh, and Edmonds College is in Lynnwood. But that’s another story.)

A corridor in transition

The City has invested heavily in revitalizing this stretch of 99, focusing on safety, walkability, and placemaking. New sidewalks, lighting, and streetscape improvements are slowly reshaping the experience. The goal isn’t to turn Highway 99 into downtown Edmonds; it’s to help it become the best version of itself.

A place where small businesses can thrive. A place where cultures meet. A place that feels like Edmonds, even if it looks different from the postcard.

Why this part of Edmonds matters

Communities aren’t defined only by their most photographed corners. They’re defined by the full fabric, the places where people work, gather, shop, and build their futures. Highway 99 may not have the charm of the waterfront, but it has something just as important: authenticity.

It’s where new businesses take root. Where immigrant families build livelihoods. Where Edmonds shows a side of itself that’s global, gritty, and full of heart.

The bottom line

As Edmonds continues to evolve, the Highway 99 corridor deserves to be part of the story we tell about who we are. Not as an afterthought, but as a district with its own identity, its own history, and its own role in shaping the community. The more we recognize its value, the more complete our picture of Edmonds becomes.