I grew up in Bothell and regularly visit my parents who still live there. It is a really nice area, though it can be congested at times. It's in close proximity to just about anything you want to be close to (airport, major city, large mall and other retail, and outdoor areas).
Like someone said earlier, the closer you are to your job, the better. I used to work in Bellevue (13 miles) and my morning commute down I-405 was at least an hour. Northshore School district is one of the best in the state, if that's what you're looking for and the schools consistently rate high on the great schools website.
Housing prices are getting ridiculous in that area though due to its proximity to the tech areas (Bellevue, Redmond). A developer just bought our deceased neighbor's property and is putting up 3 (3500 sq ft+) houses on a 3/4 acre lot and is planning on selling them for $700k. I do love the area though, and if my wife's job didn't take us a bit further south, we'd probably still live there.