Snohomish County, Washington

Snohomish County, Washington
Snohomish County Government Campus in Everett
Flag Seal
Location in the state of Washington
Washington's location in the U.S.
Founded	January 14, 1861
Named for	Snohomish Indian Tribe
Seat	Everett
Largest city	Everett
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	2,196 sq mi (5,688 km²) 2,089 sq mi (5,410 km²) 107 sq mi (277 km²), 4.89%
PopulationEst.  - (2012)  - Density	733,036 341/sq mi (131.8/km²)
Time zone	Pacific: UTC-8/-7
Website	www1.co.snohomish.wa.us

Snohomish County (pron.: /snɵˈhoʊmɨʃ/) is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Snohomish tribe. Since 2010, the county's population has grown from 713,335 to 733,036 residents (2012), making it one of the fastest-growing in the state, ranking third in overall population after King (2,007,440) and Pierce (811,681) counties (per 2012 Estimate figures). The county seat is Everett, the county's largest city in population.

Snohomish County was created out of Island County on January 14, 1861.

Geography

Map of Snohomish County, showing settlements and major highways

Snohomish County is located in the western part of Washington, about halfway between the state's north and south borders. Possession Sound and Puget Sound define the county's western border, while the eastern border is defined by the summits of the Cascade Range. Four counties are adjacent to Snohomish County: Skagit County to the north, Chelan County to the east, King County to the south, and Island County to the west. According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 2,196 square miles (5,690 km²), of which 2,089 square miles (5,410 km²) is land and 107 square miles (280 km²) (4.89%) is water.

The county's surface is covered by plains in the west and mountainous terrain in the east. The Cascade Range passes through the eastern part of the county and includes the highest point in Snohomish County, Glacier Peak at 10,541 feet (3,212.90 m) above sea level. Most of the eastern part of the county is preserved by the Mount Baker National Forest and Snoqualmie National Forest, which are consolidated into the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The mountains provide a source for several major rivers in the east, including the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, and Stillaguamish, that in turn form major bodies of water to the west.

Towns and communities

Everett, with a 2010 population of 103,019, is the largest city in the county, the county seat, and center of economic activity. Marysville, located directly north of Everett and the Snohomish River delta, is the second largest city and had a 2010 population of 60,020. Edmonds and Lynnwood lie in the southern part of the county and have a 2010 population of 39,709 and 35,836, respectively. Snohomish County has a total of eighteen cities and two town, mostly located in the western part of the county on the shore of Puget Sound or on a major river.

Transportation

Roads

Main article: List of state highways in Snohomish County, Washington

Snohomish County has five major routes that connect the county to the other counties and other areas. There are four north-south routes, which are Interstate 5, Interstate 405, State Route 9, and State Route 99. The only complete east-west route is U.S. Route 2.

Interstates and U.S. Routes

Interstate 5

Interstate 405

U.S. Route 2

State Routes

State Route 9 State Route 92 State Route 96 State Route 99 State Route 104

State Route 203 State Route 204 State Route 522 State Route 524

State Route 525 State Route 526 State Route 527 State Route 528

State Route 529 State Route 530 State Route 531 State Route 532

Former Routes (PSH/SSH)

Primary State Highway 1

Primary State Highway 15

Buses and trains

Snohomish County is linked by many bus routes from three systems, which are Community Transit, Everett Transit (Everett only), and Sound Transit. The county also has train access from Everett Station for Amtrak's Empire Builder line (to Chicago), and Cascades line (to Vancouver, BC, Edmonds, and Seattle), and Sound Transit's Sounder service to and from Seattle, which links to the South Line that goes to Tacoma.

Community Transit is operates a bus rapid transit service called Swift from Everett Station to the Aurora Village in Shoreline along the SR 99 corridor. Sound Transit is also planning to extend Link Light Rail service to Lynnwood and eventually Everett. The line will be known as the North Link.

Airplanes and ferries

Snohomish County has one official airport and several municipal airports. The county also is connected by two ferry lines operated by Washington State Ferries.

The one official airport is Paine Field, otherwise known as Snohomish County Airport. There are smaller outlying airports, such as Harvey Field in Snohomish. There are two municipal airports, Arlington Municipal and Darrington Municipal. There are also two private airports, one in Lake Stevens and another in Granite Falls. The Martha Lake Airport in Martha Lake was a former private airport that was closed in 2000

As said in the introduction above, there are two ferry routes operated by Washington State Ferries in Snohomish County waters that go to and from different counties from the county. The first line is the Edmonds-Kingston route, which carries SR 104. SR 104 terminates in the west at US 101 west of the Kitsap Peninsula, after crossing the Hood Canal over the Hood Canal Bridge. SR 104 terminates in the east at Interstate 5 on the county boundary with King County. The second line is the Mukilteo-Clinton line, which carries SR 525. SR 525 terminates in the west at SR 20 on Whidbey Island, near where SR 20 goes across on another ferry line to US 101. SR 525 terminates in the east at an interchange with Interstate 5, where it continues as Interstate 405.

Education

Snohomish County is one of the most-populous counties in the United States without a four-year, baccalaureate degree-granting institution.

Everett Community College and Edmonds Community College provide academic transfer degrees, career training and basic education in Snohomish County. Together, the two serve more than 40,000 people annually. About 40 percent of all high school graduates in Snohomish County begin their college education at Edmonds or Everett community college.

Everett Community College is the legislatively appointed leader of the University Center of North Puget Sound [1], which offers 25 bachelor's and master's degrees through Western Washington University, Washington State University, Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, The Evergreen State College, Hope International University, and the University of Washington Bothell.

Snoqualmie Hall, a building shared by Edmonds Community College and Central Washington University, 2007

Edmonds Community College and Central Washington University have worked together since 1975 to provide higher education in Snohomish County. After earning a two-year degree online or on campus from Edmonds Community College, students can continue their studies for a bachelor's degree from Central Washington University-Lynnwood in Snoqualmie Hall, a shared building on the Edmonds CC campus.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	599		—
1880	1,387		131.6%
1890	8,514		513.8%
1900	23,950		181.3%
1910	59,209		147.2%
1920	67,690		14.3%
1930	78,861		16.5%
1940	88,754		12.5%
1950	111,580		25.7%
1960	172,199		54.3%
1970	265,236		54.0%
1980	337,720		27.3%
1990	465,642		37.9%
2000	606,024		30.1%
2010	713,335		17.7%
Est. 2012	733,036		2.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 2012 estimate

As of the census of 2000, there were 606,024 people, 224,852 households, and 157,846 families residing in the county. The population density was 290 people per square mile (112/km²). There were 236,205 housing units at an average density of 113 per square mile (44/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.63% White, 1.67% Black or African American, 1.36% Native American, 5.78% Asian, 0.28% Pacific Islander, 1.92% from other races, and 3.36% from two or more races. 4.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.2% were of German, 10.0% English, 8.8% Irish, 8.4% Norwegian and 6.6% United States or American ancestry according to 2000 census.

There were 224,852 households out of which 37.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.00% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.80% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the county, the population was spread out with 27.40% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 33.00% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 9.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $53,060, and the median income for a family was $60,726. Males had a median income of $43,293 versus $31,386 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,417. About 4.90% of families and 6.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.60% of those under age 18 and 7.80% of those age 65 or over.

Census-recognized communities

• Alderwood Manor
• Arlington
• Arlington Heights
• Bothell
• Brier
• Cathan
• Cathcart
• Darrington
• Echo Lake
• Edmonds
• Esperance
• Everett
• Gold Bar
• Granite Falls
• Index
• John Sam Lake
• Jordan Road-Canyon Creek
• Lake Bosworth
• Lake Goodwin
• Lake Ketchum
• Lake Roesiger
• Lake Stevens
• Lochsloy
• Lynnwood
• Machias
• Maltby
• Martha Lake
• Marysville
• May Creek
• Mill Creek
• Monroe
• Mountlake Terrace
• Mukilteo
• North Creek
• North Marysville
• North Stanwood
• North Sultan
• Northwest Snohomish
• Oso
• Paine Field-Lake Stickney
• Picnic Point-North Lynnwood
• Priest Point
• Seattle Hill-Silver Firs
• Shaker Church
• Silvana
• Snohomish
• Stanwood
• Startup
• Stimson Crossing
• Sultan
• Three Lakes
• Tulalip Bay
• Verlot
• Warm Beach
• Weallup Lake
• West Lake Stevens
• Woods Creek
• Woodway

Other communities

• Bryant
• Clearview
• Eastmont
• Elger Bay
• Fobes Hill

• Kennard Corner
• Larimers Corner
• Pinehurst

• Queensborough
• Seattle Heights
• Trafton

History

Origin of the county's name

Snohomish is the name of a Native American tribe in the area. Some associate the word as meaning "land of the low people".

Major historical events that occurred in county

death certificate of Salem Woods

Snohomish County was created out of Island County on January 14, 1861.

The county seat of Snohomish when established was the city of Snohomish, Washington starting in 1861. The city of Everett took the seat in a disputed move in 1895. It was in a vote.

One of the first county censuses was taken in 1862 by Sheriff Salem A. Woods.

Early important pioneers in the Snohomish County region included E. F. Cady of Snohomish, E. C. Ferguson of Snohomish and Isaac Cathcart.

Law/government

County Executive

County Executive Aaron Reardon

The county executive is Aaron Reardon, a Democrat. Reardon is a former state representative.

The county executive seat was chartered in the 1979. The first county executive was conservative Democrat Willis Tucker of Snohomish from 1980 to 1991. Following Tucker, the next county executive was Democrat Bob Drewel from 1991 to 2002.

County Council

The county council is made up of:

• John Koster (R) - district 1
• Brian Sullivan (D) - district 2
• Council Chair Stephanie Wright (D) - district 3
• Dave Gossett (D) - district 4
• Vice-Chairman Dave Somers (D) - district 5

Koster and Sullivan are both former state representatives. In the 2010 state elections, Koster narrowly lost to Rick Larsen in an election for U.S. Representative seat 2.

See also

• Isaac Cathcart
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Snohomish County, Washington

Further reading

• Jonathan Stuart Burr, Organized Labor's Influence on Local Elections: A Case History of Snohomish County, Washington. Master's thesis. Columbus State University, 2005.
• An Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties, Washington, Their People, Their Commerce and Their Resources: With an Outline of the Early History of the State of Washington. Chicago: Interstate Publishing Co., 1906.
• Journal of Everett & Snohomish County History, Everett Public Library, 1981-

External links

• Official Snohomish County website
• Official Snohomish County Tourism Bureau
• Snohomish County Housing Authority (HASCO)
• Everett Housing Authority
• University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections – Lee Pickett Photographs Over 1400 photographs documenting scenes from Snohomish, King and Chelan Counties in Washington State from the early 1900s to the 1940s.
• A Clearview diarist on wikisource
• Sno-Isle Libraries

Education links

• Edmonds Community College
• Everett Community College
• Central Washington University-Lynnwood