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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. |
Clallam County, WashingtonClallam County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
Etymology - Origin of County NameA Klallam word meaning the strong people. Originally spelled Clalm. Named for the lands of the Klallam
(Makah and Quileute tribes.) Demographics:County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts County HistoryClallam County was created 26 April 1854 from Jefferson County. County seat: Port Angeles Clallam County occupies the northern portion of the Olympic Peninsula, extending nearly 100 miles along the Strait of
Juan de Fuca on its north and more than 35 miles along the Pacific Coast on its west. On the east and the south it
borders Jefferson County, out of which it was created in 1854. The county is composed of the traditional lands of the
Klallam (for whom it is named), Makah, and Quileute peoples, who continue to play significant roles in county history.
It was one of the first parts of Washington contacted by European explorers in the late 1700s, but did not see permanent
settlement until after 1850. Seemingly endless stands of Douglas fir, red cedar, western hemlock, Sitka spruce, and
other giant conifers made timber the county's economic mainstay for most of its history. As techniques for felling,
transporting, and processing the massive trees improved, much of the forest was cut, although the central wilderness is
preserved in Olympic National Park. Forestry remains important, but government and service industries are now the
leading employers. Port Angeles has been the county seat since 1890, the year it incorporated. Sequim (1913) and Forks
(1945) are the other two incorporated cities in the county, whose total population in 2005 is 66,800. EconomicClallam County is located on the North Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The county's land area is 1,752 square miles with 200 miles of coastline. The county seat is Port Angeles. There are three incorporated communities: Port Angeles, Sequim and Forks.
GeographyAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,670 square miles (6,916 kmē), of which,
1,739 square miles (4,505 kmē) of it is land and 931 square miles (2,411 kmē) of it (34.86%) is water. Neighboring Counties:
Cities and Towns:
County Resources:Enter County Resources and Information Here |
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." |
