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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.

Island County, Washington

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

County Seat: Coupeville
Year Organized: 1854
Square Miles: 209

Court House:

1 NE 7th Street, P.O. Box 5000
County Courthouse
Coupeville, WA 98239-5000

Etymology - Origin of County Name

After the fact that it consists of just two islands, Whidbey Island and Camano Island.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Island County was created 6 January 1853 from Thurston County

Island County, the eighth oldest county in Washington, was created on January 6, 1853, by the Oregon Territorial Legislature from a portion of Thurston County and was named for the myriad of islands in Northwestern Washington. It originally encompassed Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, and San Juan Counties. At present, Island County consists of just two large islands, Whidbey and Camano, and six small, uninhabited islands: Smith Island to the west, Deception and Pass islands in Deception Pass, and Ben Ure, Strawberry, and Baby islands in Saratoga Passage. Captain George Vancouver (1758-1798) first explored the area that comprises Island County during the spring of 1792. The county has a total area of 517 square miles; 208.4 square miles of land and 309 square miles of water. In area, it is the second smallest county in Washington. It is bounded on the north by Deception Pass, on the south by Puget sound, on the east by Skagit Bay and Saratoga Passage, and on the west by Admiralty Inlet and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Island County had a population of 71,558; 22,477 living in incorporated cities and towns and 49,081 living in unincorporated areas. The county seat is the historic town of Coupeville on Whidbey Island.
File 7523: Full Text >

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 517 square miles (1,340 km²), of which, 208 square miles (540 km²) of it is land and 309 square miles (800 km²) of it (59.71%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Snohomish County, Washington - east
Kitsap County, Washington - southwest
Jefferson County, Washington - west
San Juan County, Washington - northwest
Skagit County, Washington - north

Cities and Towns:

- Coupeville (County Seat)	town	Incorporated Area
- Langley	city	Incorporated Area
- Oak Harbor	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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