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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.

Mason County, Washington

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

County Seat: Shelton
Year Organized: 1854
Square Miles: 961

Court House:

411 N Fifth - Building 1
County Courthouse
Shelton, WA 98584-3466

Etymology - Origin of County Name

C. H. Mason, the first secretary of the Washington Territory.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Mason County was formed out of King County on March 13, 1854. Originally named Sahewamish County, it took its present name in 1864

Mason County encompasses the southern reach of Hood Canal and many bays and inlets of southern Puget Sound and once extended to the Pacific Ocean. After settlement, the mainstay of the economy was logging. Simpson Timber became not just the main employer, but the largest source of jobs in the state. As the importance of forest products declined, the county became an important recreation destination and bedroom community to Olympia and Tacoma. The largest employer is the State of Washington which operates a prison and the State Patrol Academy at Shelton. The 2004 estimated population was 53,637.
File 7730: Full Text >

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,051 square miles (2,722 km²), of which, 961 square miles (2,489 km²) of it is land and 90 square miles (233 km²) of it (8.56%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Jefferson County, Washington - northwest
Kitsap County, Washington - northeast
Pierce County, Washington - east/southeast
Thurston County, Washington - southeast
Grays Harbor County, Washington - southwest

Cities and Towns:

- Shelton (County Seat)

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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