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Washington Counties

There 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, Washington

Clallam County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Port Angeles
Year Organized: 1854
Square Miles: 1,745

Court House:

223 E. 4th Street
County Courthouse
Port Angeles, WA 98362-3015

Etymology - Origin of County Name

A 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

History

Clallam 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.
File 7576: Full Text >

Economic

Clallam 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.

Historically abundant in natural resource industries, Clallam County has identified six indigenous industries in which assets and resources compliment growth. They are marine services, forest resources, agriculture, technology, tourism, and education. An active and involved networking community supported by an enthusiastic EDC make Clallam County the perfect place to locate your business.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,670 square miles (6,916 km²), of which, 1,739 square miles (4,505 km²) of it is land and 931 square miles (2,411 km²) of it (34.86%) is water.

Located in Clallam County is Cape Alava, the westernmost point in both Washington and the continental United States, with a longitude of 124 degrees, 43 minutes and 59 seconds. Also, near Cape Alava is Ozette, the westernmost town in the continental United States

Neighboring Counties:

Jefferson County, Washington - southeast
Capital Regional District, British Columbia - north, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Cowichan Valley Regional District, British Columbia - northwest, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Cities and Towns:

- Forks	city	Incorporated Area
- Port Angeles (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Sequim	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our 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."

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