[5] Often characterized as a suburb or bedroom community, Lynnwood has the highest concentration of retailers in the region and a growing core of businesses, anchored by the Alderwood Mall.

The Snohomish were relocated to the Tulalip reservation, near modern-day Marysville, after the signing of the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855, opening the area for American settlement.

The claim was inherited by Hunter's son Basil, who lived on the property until his death in 1982; it was later turned into the city's Pioneer Park in the late 1980s.

[10] Settlers from Pennsylvania homesteaded along Cedar Valley, to the south of Hunter and Morrice, and near Scriber Lake (named for Peter Schreiber) in 1888, leading to the establishment of the area's first schoolhouse in 1895.

[6][11] During the early 20th century, the Lynnwood area was gradually logged by private companies and mill operators, leaving behind plots with tree stumps.

The Puget Mill Company, then the largest landowner in southern Snohomish County, established the planned community of "Alderwood Manor" in 1917 and marketed the area to urban dwellers wishing to build farms in the countryside.

Alderwood Manor, located near an Interurban station, gained streets named for tree species and was divided into 5-to-10-acre (2.0 to 4.0 ha) plots that sold for $200 per acre.

[6][13] The Puget Mill Company leased out its demonstration farm in 1933 and ceased operations at Alderwood Manor later in the decade, amid declining sales during the Great Depression.

Seattle realtor Karl O'Brien filed a plat along Highway 99 at 196th Street Southwest in 1937, naming the development "Lynnwood" after his wife Lynn.

The successful incorporation was credited in part to the movement of dilapidated homes and structures from the right of way of Interstate 5, a freeway to be built through Alderwood Manor, into the Lynnwood area at the behest of the county government.

[23][18] Two years after incorporation, the young city was mired in a legal dispute with neighboring Edmonds over the annexation of the Browns Bay area,[24] which was resolved in an out-of-court settlement.

[53] Lynnwood's city limits are roughly defined to south by Mountlake Terrace at 212th Street Southwest and the Interurban Trail; to the west by Edmonds along 76th Avenue West and Olympic View Drive; to the north by the unincorporated Picnic Point-North Lynnwood area, near 164th Street Southwest; and to the east and south by the unincorporated Alderwood Manor, along State Route 525 and Interstate 5.

The "Triangle" area has been proposed as the site of a city center for Lynnwood since the 1980s, including planning for a light rail station and high-density development surrounding it.

[70] Lynnwood residents had an estimated median household income of $47,700 in 2011, ranking lower than comparable suburban cities in the Seattle metropolitan area.

[71] The Lynnwood Police Department has 70 officers and 38 support staff, overseen by chief Tom Davis since his appointment to the position in August 2016.

[79][80] Between 2008 and 2012, Lynnwood police had labeled 21 percent of rape cases as "unfounded", five times the national average for similarly sized municipalities.

[81] The victim, known as "Marie", was initially dismissed by detectives with the Lynnwood police department before the assailant, a serial rapist, was charged and convicted for the rapes of five more women.

The city government agreed to a $150,000 settlement in the victim's lawsuit in 2014 and later changed the police department's procedures on sexual assault investigations.

[88] According to the Washington State Auditor, Lynnwood's municipal government employs 373 people full-time and operates on a biennial budget of $197.5 million.

[95] At the state level, the city is part of the 32nd legislative district, which also includes Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline, Woodway, and portions of Edmonds and Seattle.

[101] The Lynnwood High School was originally located adjacent to Alderwood Mall, but moved to a new campus a mile (1.6 km) east on North Road in northern Bothell.

[104] Central Washington University offers four-year bachelor's degrees in select programs at its Lynnwood campus, which it has shared with Edmonds College since 1975.

[107] The city of Lynnwood has over 350 acres (140 ha) of open space in 19 community and neighborhood parks, as well as 14 miles (23 km) of recreational trails.

[108] Part of the open space is set aside as natural conservation areas, including Lund's Gulch and Scriber Creek.

[109] The city government also organizes several regular community events, including the annual Fair on 44th block party, movie screenings, and Shakespeare in the Park.

[111] The city is home to Lynnwood Today, a local blog that was established in March 2010 and was affiliated with The Seattle Times;[112][113] it was acquired by My Edmonds News, which also owns MLTnews, in 2013.

[120][121] The library moved in June 1963 to a 1,600-square-foot (150 m2) space at the Thomas Center strip mall[122] on 196th Street Southwest to accommodate an expansion of the city hall.

[130] Lynnwood has one property listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP): Keeler's Korner, an automobile service station built in 1927 on Highway 99 at 164th Street Southwest.

[133] The preservation group succeeded in saving other early 20th century homes that were slated for demolition during a highway expansion, moving them to a new, city-owned park.

[172][173] A 16-bed mental health care center adjacent to the Lynnwood jail and police station was approved by the city government in 2021 at a cost of $20 million.