Island County, Washington

Not to be confused with County island.

Island County, Washington
Shoreline at Fort Ebey State Park within U.S. Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve on Whidbey Island
Location in the U.S. state of Washington
Washington's location in the U.S.
Founded	1852
Seat	Coupeville
Largest city	Oak Harbor
Area
• Total	517 sq mi (1,339 km2)
• Land	208 sq mi (539 km2)
• Water	309 sq mi (800 km2), 60%
Population (est.)
• (2017)	83,159
• Density	381/sq mi (147/km2)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Pacific: UTC−8/−7
Website	www.islandcountywa.gov

Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, its population was 78,506.^[1] Its county seat is Coupeville,^[2] while its largest city is Oak Harbor.

The county's name reflects the fact that it is composed entirely of islands.^[3] It contains two large islands, Whidbey and Camano, and seven smaller islands (Baby, Ben Ure, Deception, Kalamut, Minor, Smith, and Strawberry). Island County was created out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory,^[4][5] and is the eighth-oldest county in Washington. It originally encompassed what are now Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, and San Juan Counties.

Island County comprises the Oak Harbor, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area.

Contents

• 
  1 Geography
  
  
  
  • 
    1.1 Geographic features
    
  
  
  • 
    1.2 Adjacent counties
    
  
  
  • 
    1.3 National protected areas
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  2 Demographics
  
  
  
  • 
    2.1 2000 census
    
  
  
  • 
    2.2 2010 census
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  3 Transportation
  


• 
  4 Politics
  


• 
  5 Communities
  
  
  
  • 
    5.1 Cities
    
  
  
  • 
    5.2 Town
    
  
  
  • 
    5.3 Census-designated places
    
  
  
  • 
    5.4 Other unincorporated communities
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  6 See also
  


• 
  7 References
  


• 
  8 External links
  

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 517 square miles (1,340 km²), of which 208 square miles (540 km²) is land and 309 square miles (800 km²) (60%) is water.^[6] It is the second-smallest county in Washington by area.

Geographic features

• Puget Sound


• Strait of Juan de Fuca


• Whidbey Island


• Camano Island


• Saratoga Passage

Adjacent counties

• 
  Snohomish County – east


• 
  Kitsap County – southwest


• 
  Jefferson County – west


• 
  San Juan County – northwest


• 
  Skagit County – north

National protected areas

• 
  Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (part)


• Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	294		—
1870	626		112.9%
1880	1,087		73.6%
1890	1,787		64.4%
1900	1,870		4.6%
1910	4,704		151.6%
1920	5,489		16.7%
1930	5,369		−2.2%
1940	6,098		13.6%
1950	11,079		81.7%
1960	19,638		77.3%
1970	27,011		37.5%
1980	44,048		63.1%
1990	60,195		36.7%
2000	71,558		18.9%
2010	78,506		9.7%
Est. 2017	83,159	[7]	5.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2016[1]

Sunset South Whidbey State Park

2000 census

As of the census^[12] of 2000, there were 71,558 people, 27,784 households, and 20,254 families residing in the county. The population density was 343 people per square mile (133/km²). There were 32,378 housing units at an average density of 155 per square mile (60/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.17% White, 2.36% Black or African American, 0.97% Native American, 4.19% Asian, 0.44% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 3.44% from two or more races. 3.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.2% were of German, 11.2% English, 9.9% Irish, 7.2% United States or American and 6.0% Norwegian ancestry. 92.5% spoke English, 2.5% Spanish and 2.2% Tagalog as their first language.

There were 27,784 households out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.50% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,513, and the median income for a family was $51,363. Males had a median income of $35,331 versus $25,612 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,472. About 5.10% of families and 7.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.80% of those under age 18 and 4.40% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 78,506 people, 32,746 households, and 22,156 families residing in the county.^[13] The population density was 376.6 inhabitants per square mile (145.4/km²). There were 40,234 housing units at an average density of 193.0 per square mile (74.5/km²).^[14] The racial makeup of the county was 86.1% white, 4.4% Asian, 2.2% black or African American, 0.8% American Indian, 0.5% Pacific islander, 1.5% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.5% of the population.^[13] The largest ancestry groups were:^[15]

• 21.4% German

• 14.3% Irish

• 14.0% English

• 6.1% Norwegian

• 4.5% Scottish

• 4.3% French

• 4.1% Dutch

• 4.0% Swedish

• 4.0% American

• 3.6% Mexican

• 3.5% Italian

• 2.9% Filipino

• 2.5% Scotch-Irish

• 2.1% Polish

• 1.6% Welsh

• 1.5% Danish

Of the 32,746 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.3% were non-families, and 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age was 43.2 years.^[13]

The median income for a household in the county was $57,190 and the median income for a family was $68,106. Males had a median income of $46,801 versus $35,189 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,079. About 5.7% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.^[16]

Transportation

The primary islands of Island County, Whidbey Island and Camano Island are served by a total of 3 Washington State Routes, those being SR 20 and SR 525, on Whidbey Island, and SR 532 on Camano Island. SR 20 enters Island County via the Port Townsend-Coupeville (Keystone) ferry route from the West, and departs via the Deception Pass Bridge in the North. SR 525 enters Island County from the East/South via the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry and terminates at an intersection with SR 20, South of Coupeville. SR 532 begins on Camano Island, just a few hundred yards inside Island County at an intersection with Sunrise Boulevard and departs Island County to the East via the Mark Clark Bridge.
These islands are also served by a fare-free/pre-paid bus service called Island Transit.

Politics

Island County is divided in many ways between its north and south. While the north (Oak Harbor) is conservative – George W. Bush received almost 65 percent of the 2004 vote and carried all precincts – all southern and central precincts voted for John Kerry.

The south-central area (Coupeville, Langley) voted over 60 percent for Kerry. Camano Island has a Republican lean and went for Bush with 52 percent of the vote in 2004, but is much less polarized than the rest of the county.

Presidential elections results

Presidential elections results^[17]

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2016	41.7% 18,465	47.3% 20,960	11.0% 4,848
2012	46.3% 19,605	50.7% 21,478	3.0% 1,289
2008	46.1% 19,426	52.3% 22,058	1.6% 680
2004	51.2% 19,754	47.2% 18,216	1.6% 610
2000	49.7% 16,408	44.8% 14,778	5.5% 1,818
1996	43.5% 12,387	42.7% 12,157	13.8% 3,920
1992	35.1% 9,526	35.2% 9,555	29.8% 8,087
1988	58.8% 12,552	39.9% 8,510	1.4% 291
1984	65.7% 13,548	33.2% 6,850	1.1% 218
1980	58.9% 10,926	29.2% 5,422	11.9% 2,211
1976	55.3% 7,804	41.5% 5,859	3.1% 441
1972	68.1% 7,495	28.6% 3,149	3.3% 359
1968	51.0% 4,077	40.5% 3,238	8.6% 685
1964	43.5% 3,044	56.4% 3,946	0.1% 9
1960	59.0% 3,596	40.5% 2,470	0.5% 28
1956	61.2% 3,196	38.5% 2,009	0.3% 17
1952	61.7% 2,901	37.7% 1,772	0.6% 30
1948	49.1% 1,805	46.0% 1,694	4.9% 181
1944	46.7% 1,487	52.2% 1,662	1.2% 38
1940	44.9% 1,371	53.2% 1,626	2.0% 60
1936	32.7% 921	60.0% 1,687	7.3% 205
1932	30.2% 803	57.0% 1,517	12.9% 342
1928	71.3% 1,487	26.6% 556	2.1% 44
1924	46.3% 832	6.3% 114	47.4% 853
1920	51.2% 883	16.5% 285	32.3% 557
1916	43.6% 804	46.3% 855	10.1% 186
1912	21.1% 332	19.7% 310	59.2% 931
1908	58.2% 450	24.8% 192	17.0% 131
1904	72.0% 424	14.1% 83	13.9% 82
1900	62.6% 263	29.3% 123	8.1% 34
1896	50.9% 206	47.2% 191	2.0% 8
1892	40.7% 161	32.1% 127	27.3% 108

Communities

Cities

• Langley


• Oak Harbor

Town

• Coupeville

Census-designated places

• Camano


• Clinton


• Freeland


• 
  Whidbey Island Station, formerly listed as Ault Field
  

Other unincorporated communities

• Austin


• Baby Island Heights


• Bayview


• Bells Beach


• Beverly Beach


• Glendale


• Greenbank


• Keystone


• Maxwelton


• Penn Cove Park


• Possession


• Rodena Beach


• San De Fuca


• Smith Prairie


• Sunlight Beach

Juniper Beach, a wedding ceremony locale in past years,^[18] has given its name to the Juniper Beach Water District.^[19]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Island County, Washington

References

1. 
   ^ ^ab "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2014..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   


2. 
   ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
   


3. 
   ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. p. 166.
   


4. 
   ^ Reinartz, Kay. "History of King County Government 1853–2002" (PDF). p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2007.
   


5. 
   ^ "Washington: Individual County Chronologies". Washington Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2007. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
   


6. 
   ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
   


7. 
   ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved Apr 4, 2018.
   


8. 
   ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
   


9. 
   ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
   


10. 
    ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
    


11. 
    ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
    


12. 
    ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
    


13. 
    ^ ^abc "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
    


14. 
    ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
    


15. 
    ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
    


16. 
    ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
    


17. 
    ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
    


18. 
    ^ Island County Marriage Register, January-April 1939, paid subscription site accessed October 2017.
    


19. 
    ^ Juniper Beach Water District, accessed October 2017
    

External links

• County Website


• 
  Island Transit (free public transportation in Island County)


• 
  Official Island County Tourism Website (free maps, guides and event calendar. Stories, photos, videos about things to do on Whidbey and Camano Islands, Island County)

Places adjacent to Island County, Washington
San Juan County Skagit County Jefferson County Island County, Washington Snohomish County Kitsap County

v t e Municipalities and communities of Island County, Washington, United States
County seat: Coupeville
Cities	Langley Oak Harbor
Town	Coupeville
CDPs	Camano Clinton Freeland Whidbey Island Station
Other unincorporated communities	Baby Island Heights Bayview Cornet Coveland Glendale Greenbank Keystone Mabana Maxwelton San de Fuca

v t e Seattle metropolitan area
Central cities	Seattle Tacoma Bellevue Everett
Outer cities	Bremerton Mount Vernon Oak Harbor Silverdale Anacortes Shelton Olympia
Central counties	King Pierce Snohomish
Outer counties	Thurston Kitsap Skagit Island Mason

v t e  State of Washington
Olympia (capital)
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Society	Cannabis Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics
Politics	Government Law Governors Legislature Legislative districts Senate House Legislative initiatives Popular initiatives Congressional delegation Congressional districts City governments State agencies Agriculture Archaeology and Historic Preservation Commerce Corrections Early Learning Ecology Employment Security Enterprise Services Financial Institutions Fish and Wildlife Health Information Services Labor and Industries Licensing Liquor and Cannabis Board Military Natural Resources Parks Institute for Public Policy Public Stadium Authority Public Disclosure Commission Retirement Systems Revenue Services for the Blind Social and Health Services Student Achievement Council Transportation Utilities and Transportation
Regions	Western Kitsap Peninsula Long Beach Peninsula Olympic Peninsula Puget Sound San Juan Islands Skagit Valley Eastern/Inland Central Washington Columbia Plateau Methow Valley Okanogan Country Palouse Yakima Valley Shared Cascade Range Columbia Gorge Columbia River
Largest cities	Seattle Spokane Tacoma Vancouver Bellevue Kent Everett Renton Yakima Federal Way Spokane Valley Kirkland Bellingham Kennewick Auburn Pasco Marysville Lakewood Redmond Shoreline Richland Metropolitan areas Greater Seattle Greater Spokane Tri-Cities metropolitan area Wenatchee metropolitan area Greater Portland and Vancouver
Counties	Adams Asotin Benton Chelan Clallam Clark Columbia Cowlitz Douglas Ferry Franklin Garfield Grant Grays Harbor Island Jefferson King Kitsap Kittitas Klickitat Lewis Lincoln Mason Okanogan Pacific Pend Oreille Pierce San Juan Skagit Skamania Snohomish Spokane Stevens Thurston Wahkiakum Walla Walla Whatcom Whitman Yakima

Coordinates: 48°09′N 122°35′W / 48.15°N 122.58°W / 48.15; -122.58

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