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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.

Columbia County, Washington

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

County Seat: Dayton
Year Organized: 1875
Square Miles: 869

Court House:

341 East Main Street
County Courthouse
Dayton, WA 99328-1361

Etymology - Origin of County Name

The Columbia River.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Columbia County was created 11 November 1875 from Walla Walla County.

Columbia County, in southeastern Washington, has a population of 4,064 (in 2000), making it one of the more sparsely populated of Washingtonâ€™s 39 counties. At 868.8 square miles, it is the ninth-smallest county in the state. It is bordered by Whitman County and the Snake River to the north, Walla Walla County to the west, Garfield County to the east, and the Oregon state line to the south. The mainly agricultural county was carved out of Walla Walla County in 1875. It is known for asparagus, green peas, and especially wheat, with ranching and logging also playing a significant role. Agriculture and food processing still dominate the economy, with manufacturing and government representing the majority of the countyâ€™s nonagricultural employment. Dayton, the largest town and county seat, recorded a population of 2,655 in the 2000 Census. Dayton is well known for the historic preservation of its downtown.
File 7801: Full Text >

Economic

Follow the fast track to Columbia County and you’ll find out eastern Washington’s economic engine is humming along. Dayton, the county seat, is all about connections: Railroads, highways, rivers, telecommunications, and people.

The Snake River, our northern border, connects Columbia County with the world via barge access to ports along the Columbia River and in Portland; Highway 12 connects trucking companies with major transportation routes such as Interstates 82 and 84; Blue Mountain Railroad connects Dayton with the hump yards of two major railroads; High-speed internet connects our citizens with world-wide commuting possibilities; and the Blue Mountains, our southern border, connects the people in our region with fantastic outdoor recreation opportunities right in our backyard.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 874 square miles (2,262 km²), of which, 869 square miles (2,250 km²) of it is land and 5 square miles (12 km²) of it (0.54%) is water. It is part of the Palouse, a wide and rolling prairie-like region of the middle Columbia basin.

Neighboring Counties:

Whitman County, Washington - north
Garfield County, Washington - east
Wallowa County, Oregon - southeast
Umatilla County, Oregon - southwest
Walla Walla County, Washington - west
Franklin County, Washington - northwest

Cities and Towns:

- Dayton (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Starbuck	town	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

Online High Schools

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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