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Washington Counties
 Click Image to Enlarge Washington CountiesThere are 39 counties in the state of Washington. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory and admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. The first counties were created from unorganized territory in 1845. |
Adams County, WashingtonAdams County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
Etymology - Origin of County NameJohn Adams, the second president of the United States. Demographics:County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts County HistoryAdams County was organized March 1, 1836. A large tract of land lying between Allen and Randolph counties had been previously called Adams County, however, no organization had been effected. Adams County is a predominantly rural county located in southeastern Washington, with Ritzville serving as county seat. Since 1952 Columbia River water brought through the Columbia Basin Project has irrigated region's fertile volcanic soil. Adams County measures 1,925 square miles, ranking it 14th in size among Washington's 39 counties. It is bordered to the north by Lincoln County, to the east by Whitman County, to the south by Franklin County, and to the west by Grant County. As of 2005, Adams County has a population of 17,000, two-thirds of whom live in rural parts of the county. Othello (population 6,120) and Ritzville (population 1,730) are the largest towns. Agricultural pursuits include dry-land wheat farming, irrigated apple orchards, and field crops (primarily potatoes). The vegetable- and fruit-processing industry, especially potato processing and French fry manufacturing, provides most of the county's industrial employment. As of 2006, Adams County's population was 52 percent Hispanic, with most Hispanic residents being of Mexican heritage. File 7835: Full Text > EconomicAdams County is an agricultural and livestock economic based region interspersed with pre-historic ice age flood channels, lakes and streams in a semi-arid upland steppe environment that offers a wide range of recreational activity.
GeographyAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,930 square miles (4,998 kmē), of which, 1,925 square miles (4,986 kmē) of it is land and 5 square miles (12 kmē) of it (0.25%) is water. Neighboring Counties:
Cities and Towns:
County Resources: |
County Resources
The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define
the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local.
And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions,
reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history. Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally." |
