Paine Field Passenger Terminal

Snohomish County Airport - Paine Field was originally constructed in 1936 as a Works Progress project. At the time of development, it was envisioned that the Airport would create jobs and economic growth in the region by becoming one of the ten new "super airports" around the country. The large commercial airport that was planned for in the 1930s never resulted. When the United States entered into World War II, there was a need to protect the Bremerton Shipyards and the Boeing plant and airfield in Seattle, which produced the B-17 and B-29 bombers. The Army Air Corps occupied the field in the spring of 1941. At that time, Snohomish County Airport consisted of little more than two paved runways in the common cross-section pattern, set off at different angles to take advantage of the most favorable winds. The Army Air Corps manned Paine Field from 1941 to 1946. During that time, they made improvements in the airbase and helped the community economically even though most of the commercial traffic came to a halt during the war. By the time World War II came to a close, the military presence at Paine Field was all but gone. In 1946, the airbase began to be returned to county supervision. The final transfer of property back to Snohomish County was complete in 1948.