Seattle people get touchy about referring even to Seattle suburbs as Seattle but Everett isn’t even close. Calling Everett Seattle is like calling Santa Cruz San Francisco.

Or referring to Beaverton, Oregon City, or Gresham (and similar) as Portland. That makes sense, locals absolutely see the distinction, but if I told someone in another state (other than perhaps Washington) where I lived, I'd just say "Portland" even though I don't live anywhere near the city limits. But the actual Portland people are quick to jump on me if we're in a call and I say I'm from Portland :).

Yes. For I long time I thought Microsoft is based in Seattle, which is not correct (Redmond) but not completely wrong either

Redmond is at least a suburb of Seattle. It’s not an entirely different city an hour and a half away like Everett.

But I do find it weird that nobody claims that Apple, Google, and Facebook are all based in SF.

I think you may be overestimating the distances here. It is 35 mins from downtown Seattle to the Boeing facility in Everett and 25 mins to Redmond.

Everett isn’t in Seattle, but considering it part of the metro area isn’t a stretch. You never leave dense burbs between the two.

You do, but it’s for a minute or two, if you don’t hit a traffic jam.

It’s hard to think of a traffic jam as being in a rural area.

Everett itself is farther north, but the turn to the factory and Paine field is before you hit town (but after you hit Everett speed traps)

It's interesting, I kinda buy the 'Everett is part of the Seattle metro' but I'd have said Marysville is not. But clearly it is, and my perception is wrong.

Used to be that Silicon Valley - Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Milpitas, etc. - was distinctly different from San Francisco.

Actually, it's weird to see headquarters in SF being called in SV ...