Clear Lake, Skagit County, Washington

Clear Lake, Skagit County, Washington
CDP
Location of Clear Lake, Washington
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Skagit
Area
• Total	2.242 sq mi (5.806 km2)
• Land	1.898 sq mi (4.915 km2)
• Water	0.344 sq mi (0.891 km2)
Elevation	46 ft (14 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	1,002
• Density	492.3/sq mi (190.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98235
Area code	360
FIPS code	53-12840
GNIS feature ID	1512096
Highways	SR 9

Clear Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,002 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Clear Lake is located at 48°27′39″N 122°14′4″W (48.460758, -122.234427).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.8 km²), of which, 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) of it (14.29%) is water.

Climate

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year round. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Clear Lake has a marine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 942 people, 371 households, and 258 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 492.3 people per square mile (190.4/km²). There were 392 housing units at an average density of 204.9/sq mi (79.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.12% White, 0.11% African American, 1.59% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.85% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.59% of the population.

There were 371 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the CDP the age distribution of the population shows 23.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $37,143, and the median income for a family was $44,167. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $30,865 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,223. About 16.7% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 20.7% of those age 65 or over.

History

Some of the finest timber in the world covered the mountain foothills adjacent to Clear Lake. There were fir, cedar, hemlock, spruce, white pine, larch, and deciduous trees. Although there were settlers in the area as early as 1877, it was not until 1891 that the community of Clear Lake began to grow. In that year, a shingle mill was built followed by a number of other businesses to support a growing population. By December, 1899, there were several hotels, a meat market, a telephone company, a community church, and a school building among others. In 1906, the population had grown to 350 people. Clear Lake was a logging town with logging camps sprawled throughout the area. Fifty million feet of logs could be stored in Clear Lake while awaiting mill operations. At least a 1,000 people lived there around 1915 plus another 500 or 500 in camps around the outskirts of the town. By 1925, the mill, heart of the town, failed and brought down many Clear Lake businesses with it. Today, the town is a ghost of its former self.