A highway relegated it to back-road status long ago. That's how residents of Riverside Drive in Bothell prefer their neighborhood be thought of — even if it isn't exactly true.

"We've tried to make the area seem very secluded," said Beth Rosenzweig, a retired Northshore School District administrator, who with her husband owns and operates Eason Estates Bed and Breakfast and Meeting Facility on East Riverside Drive, less than a mile south of downtown Bothell.

"Tried" being the operative word. Highway 522 sweeps cars so efficiently between Woodinville and Bothell that only those familiar with the area are likely to take the back road that passes under Interstate 405 and along the Sammamish River before winding into downtown Bothell.

Nevertheless, the area can be a nest of activity, particularly at its western end, where it comes up against Blyth Park before a dogleg right turn leads it directly to Bothell's historic Main Street.

The area is active mostly thanks to the Northshore Senior Center, which has existed in Bothell for almost 40 years. The center moved its headquarters to a new building designed by a group of seniors affiliated with the organization in 1992.

Senior housing that has drawn many new neighbors to the area followed, and in 2005 a three-story, 20,000-square-foot health-and-wellness/adult day center was added across the street from the senior center.

"We love having all the residents around here," said Cheri Rondeau, assistant director of the Northshore Senior Center. "They take part in our activities and are very supportive."

Having a large senior community in the vicinity has helped the neighborhood stay vibrant, said Rosenzweig, who confessed that when she moved to Bothell from Seattle years ago she "felt like I was moving to the moon."

"Some people freak out when big structures come into the neighborhood," she noted. "It wasn't like that at all. It's kind of seniorville. But it's hopping."

East Riverside Drive, known as Northeast Woodinville Drive before the I-405 underpass, is a take-your-time kind of road, a 25-mph two-laner that has existed to connect the suburbs for generations.

On its way into Bothell, it passes a diverse mix of residences, all in the span of a couple of miles.

"It has so many things there," said Leo Van Hollebeke, a Windermere real-estate agent who specializes in properties in Bothell and Lake Forest Park. "It's got a little bit of commercial, it's got a couple office buildings, and then the housing is everything from a handful of double-wides to condos, town homes, apartment and single-family homes."

The diversity of housing is reflected in home prices. During the past 12 months, property along or near the road has fetched from $129,000 for a condo to $749,000 for a single-family house, according to statistics compiled by Windermere Real Estate.

According to the Zillow Home Value Index, the median value of all single-family houses in Bothell, not just houses that have recently sold, was $314,000 for September, down 0.8 percent year-over-year, and up 0.1 percent month-over-month.

The median value of all condos in Bothell was $182,900 in September, down 6 percent year-over-year, and down 0.1 percent month-over-month, according to Zillow.

Riverside Drive parallels the Sammamish River — also known as the "Slough" — and the Sammamish River Trail, a popular segment that connects to the Burke-Gilman Trail near Blyth Park and is a draw for the area's joggers, bicyclists and dog walkers.

Residences are largely set back from the road, which does not provide a whole lot of noise anyway due to infrequent traffic.

Due to the efforts of Rosenzweig and her husband, Shaun Evans, Eason Estates provides a quiet shelter for tourists drawn to Woodinville's wineries. With its high fence and large front garden, the B&B even offers a respite from the area itself. Evans and Rosenzweig have found that their guests often don't have a long way to travel to get home.

"We've got a lot of people just looking to get away for a night," Rosenzweig said. "We say, 'Where are you from?' and they say, 'You see that light up there on the hill? That's our house.' "