Sumas, Washington

This article is about the city in Washington state. For the former municipality in British Columbia and other uses, see Sumas (disambiguation).

Sumas, Washington
City
Location of Sumas, Washington
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Whatcom
Government
• Mayor	Bob Bromley (Libertarian)
Area
• Total	1.48 sq mi (3.83 km2)
• Land	1.48 sq mi (3.83 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	43 ft (13 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	1,307
• Estimate  (2014)	1,348
• Density	883.1/sq mi (341.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98295
Area code	360
FIPS code	53-68330
GNIS feature ID	1512699
Highways	SR 9 SR 547
Website	City of Sumas

Sumas is a small town in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,307 at the 2010 census. Sumas is located adjacent to the Canadian border and borders the city of Abbotsford, British Columbia. The Sumas-Huntingdon port of entry at the north end of State Route 9 operates 24 hours a day. Sumas shares Nooksack Valley School District with the towns of Nooksack and Everson.

Sumas is the northernmost settlement in the state of Washington, and experiences Astronomical Twilight for 22 days during the months of June and July.

History

Sumas was officially incorporated on June 18, 1891. Established first as a trading post in the late 1850s, it grew in size and importance as the junction of three railroads and a border crossing into Canada. Its name comes from a local native tribal word meaning "land without trees". The broad valley in which the town is located is called Sumas Prairie.

Before settlers built canals and dams, the lower valley was marshland and covered in shallow flood-filled lakes. The abundance of large trees in the surrounding hills attracted loggers and helped the city to grow. In 1897, gold was discovered in the mountains nearby and Sumas quickly grew to more than 2,000 residents as gold miners and mining suppliers moved in. After the gold rush subsided and trees were cleared, the town began to shrink and businesses shifted to support the growing farming industry surrounding the town. Dairy farms sprouted in the valley and still play an important role in the area's economy. The farmers, many of Dutch origin, and other area towns further tamed the flood-prone valley with a series of dikes and channels. This opened the valley to an abundance of dairy and crop farming. Today, Sumas hosts several forest products businesses as well as businesses supporting farms in the surrounding area.

In 1999, a proposal was made to build a cogeneration electric generator in Sumas. This project, known as Sumas 2, was canceled in 2006.

Geography

Sumas is located at 48°59′50″N 122°15′56″W (48.997278, -122.265522).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.48 square miles (3.83 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	319		—
1910	902		182.8%
1920	854		−5.3%
1930	647		−24.2%
1940	650		0.5%
1950	658		1.2%
1960	629		−4.4%
1970	722		14.8%
1980	712		−1.4%
1990	744		4.5%
2000	960		29.0%
2010	1,307		36.1%
2014 (est.)	1,348		3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 2014 Estimate

Sumas border crossing

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 1,307 people, 482 households and 329 families residing in the city. The population density was 883.1 inhabitants per square mile (341.0/km²). There were 531 housing units at an average density of 358.8 per square mile (138.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.7% White, 1.5% African American, 2.4% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 6.6% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.8% of the population.

There were 482 households of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.7% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.27.

The median age in the city was 30.6 years. 28.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 21.3% were from 45 to 64; and 10.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 960 people, 346 households and 236 families residing in the town. The population density was 687.5 per square mile (264.8/km²). There were 401 housing units at an average density of 287.2 per square mile (110.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.15% White, 3.23% Native American, 4.17% Asian, 4.79% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.81% of the population.

There were 346 households of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.42.

35.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

The median household income was $29,297 and the median family income was $36,250. Males had a median income of $30,227 compared with $20,268 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,497. About 13.9% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.

External links

• Sumas travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Sumas Chamber of Commerce
• City of Sumas
• Whatcom County Library System, serving Sumas and surrounding areas
• Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism
• Sumas Police Dept