Sultan is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located approximately 23 miles (37 km) east of Everett at the confluence of the Skykomish River and the Sultan River, a minor tributary. The city had a population of 5,146 at the 2020 census.
Main Street in downtown Sultan
Main Street in Sultan, c. 1913
Aerial view of Sultan, showing suburban development from the 1990s and 2000s
A view of Mount Index and the Skykomish River from Sultan
The Skykomish River is a 29-mile (47 km) long river in the U.S. state of Washington which drains the west side of the Cascade Mountains in the southeast section of Snohomish County and the northeast corner of King County. The river starts with the confluence of the North Fork Skykomish River and South Fork Skykomish River approximately one mile west of Index, then flowing northwesterly towards Puget Sound. It is joined by the Sultan River and the Wallace River at Sultan. It then meets the Snoqualmie River to form the Snohomish River at Monroe. The Snohomish River continues along the river valley eventually dumping into Port Gardner Bay on Possession Sound.
Skykomish River at Monroe, near flood stage
Loggers' bridge on the Skykomish (1910). Photo by Asahel Curtis.