Science teacher Ruth Martin, center, talks with Alderwood Middle School students near a new, man-made wetland near the Lynnwood school. Students take water samples and conduct other experiments at the wetland as part of classroom studies.

New apartments near 168th and Highway 99 are part of the housing boom.

Alderwood Mall is home to 130 shops in 1 million square feet of space.

Tristin Rau, 14, practices her spins at Lynnwood's Sno-King Rink for a skating show.

Volunteer Angelica Dimock feeds an Eastern gray squirrel at PAWS Wildlife Center in Lynnwood. The center rehabilitates wildlife with as little human imprinting as possible so that the animals can be returned to the wild.

A barn owl strikes a defensive pose at the PAWS Wildlife Center.

Lynnwood High School student Sarah Olsen gets into the spirit of discovery in her chemistry class.

Two-thirds of Lynnwood's mobile population rent rather than buy their homes.

Brian Ferrill stands atop The Hammer, a car crushing machine built by Grandpa Cecil Ferrill, at the family's auto parts yard on Highway 99.