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Snohomish County, Washington

Coordinates: 48°02′N 121°43′W / 48.04°N 121.71°W / 48.04; -121.71
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Snohomish County
County
Snohomish County Government Campus in Everett
Snohomish County Government Campus in Everett
Flag of Snohomish County
Flag
Official seal of Snohomish County
Seal
Map of Washington highlighting Snohomish County
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Map of the United States highlighting Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 48°02′N 121°43′W / 48.04°N 121.71°W / 48.04; -121.71
Country United States
State Washington
FoundedJanuary 14, 1861
Named forSnohomish Indian Tribe
SeatEverett
Largest cityEverett
Area
 • Total2,196 sq mi (5,690 km2)
 • Land2,089 sq mi (5,410 km2)
 • Water107 sq mi (280 km2)  4.89%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total713,335
 • Density341/sq mi (131.8/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
Websitewww1.co.snohomish.wa.us

Snohomish County (/[invalid input: 'icon']sn[invalid input: 'ɵ']ˈhoʊm[invalid input: 'ɨ']ʃ/) is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Snohomish tribe. Since 2000, the county's population has grown from 606,024 to 713,335 residents (2010), making it one of the fastest-growing in the state, ranking third in overall population after King (1,931,249) and Pierce (795,225) counties (per 2010 Census 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.[1]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 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 highest point in the county is volcanic Glacier Peak at 10,541 feet (3,213 meters) above sea level.

Snohomish County is bordered on the west by Puget Sound, except near Stanwood, where Davis Slough is the border between it and Camano Island, which is part of Island County. On the east it is bordered by the crestline of the North Cascades. It is 36 miles (58 km) from its northern boundary with Skagit County at 332nd St. NW/NE, to its southern boundary with King County, at 244th St. SW/SE. Streets are gridded 16 blocks to the mile (10 blocks to the km).

National protected areas

Although these two forests have been administratively combined into the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, the county contains portions of both original forests.

Natural features

Mountains

Major rivers

Major bodies of water

Islands

  • Ebey Island
  • Gedney Island (also called Hat Island)
  • Spencer Island

Political features

Most populous cities[2]

Adjacent counties

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

State Routes

Former Routes (PSH/SSH)

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.[3]

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.[4] 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[5]

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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

Education

Snohomish County is one of the most-populous counties in the United States without a four-year, baccalaureate degree-granting institution.[9]

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 population
CensusPop.Note%±
1870599—
18801,387131.6%
18908,514513.8%
190023,950181.3%
191059,209147.2%
192067,69014.3%
193078,86116.5%
194088,75412.5%
1950111,58025.7%
1960172,19954.3%
1970265,23654.0%
1980337,72027.3%
1990465,64237.9%
2000606,02430.1%
2010713,33517.7%

As of the censusTemplate:GR 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 Census 2000.

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


Other communities


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.[1]

The county seat of Snohomish when established was the city of Snohomish, Washington starting in 1861.[10] The city of Everett took the seat in a disputed move in 1895. It was in a vote.[11]

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.[12] The first county executive was conservative Democrat[12] Willis Tucker of Snohomish from 1980 to 1991.[12] Following Tucker, the next county executive was Democrat[13] Bob Drewel from 1991 to 2002.[12][14]

County Council

The county council is made up of[15]:

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.[16]

Economy

See also

References

  1. ^ "Washington State Office of Financial Management, April 1, 2010 Population Estimates".
  2. ^ Sounder Commuter Rail
  3. ^ http://projects.soundtransit.org/Projects-Home/North-Corridor-Transit-Project.xml
  4. ^ List of airports in Washington
  5. ^ Washington State Ferries#Routes
  6. ^ Washington State Route 104
  7. ^ Washington State Route 525
  8. ^ Stephanson, Ray (April 4, 2007). "UW branch a sound option". The Seattle Times.
  9. ^ http://www.ci.snohomish.wa.us/HistoryDevelopment.htm
  10. ^ http://heraldnet.com/article/20110102/NEWS01/701029857/1122
  11. ^ a b c d Brooks, Diane. Seattle Times. Willis Tucker Obituary: "He led his county into new age with a smile". July 2, 2000. Accessed 5 January 2011. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20000702&slug=4029881
  12. ^ "Building renamed for Bob Drewel". The Seattle Times. November 7, 2007.
  13. ^ Stevick, Eric. The Everett Herald. 2008. http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080805/NEWS01/999818046
  14. ^ http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/Council/Districts/
  15. ^ http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20101123/NEWS01/711239887
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