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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.

San Juan County, Washington

San Juan County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Friday Harbor
Year Organized: 1873
Square Miles: 175

Court House:

350 Court Street
County Courthouse
Friday Harbor, WA 98250-7901

Etymology - Origin of County Name

San Juan Island.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

San Juan County was created 31 October 1873 from Whatcom County

Accessible only by water or air, San Juan County is an archipelago of hundreds of islands, reefs, and rocks between mainland Washington and Vancouver Island. Around 20 islands are inhabited. The largest three -- Orcas, San Juan, and Lopez -- contain most of the land area and nearly all the population. Only in 1872, later than any other area in the 48 contiguous states, did the San Juan islands become an undisputed part of the United States following the "Pig War" boundary dispute with Great Britain. San Juan County was created the next year. Like the Lummi, Samish, and other Northern Straits Salish peoples who have made the islands home for thousands of years, early settlers depended heavily on the islands' rich marine resources. As settlement increased the islands supplied the surrounding region with fish, agricultural produce, timber, and lime from some of the nation's richest deposits. A few residents still make a living from fishing, farming, or forestry, but tourism, construction, real estate, and self-employment are now the leading economic sectors as ever more weekend visitors, summer-home buyers, and retirees flock to enjoy the San Juans' beauty.
File 7505: Full Text >

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 621 square miles (1,609 km²).Of this, 175 square miles (453 km²) of it is land and 446 square miles (1,156 km²) of it (71.84%) is water. The highest point in the county is Mount Constitution on Orcas Island at 2,407 feet (734 meters) above sea level.

Neighboring Counties:

Whatcom County, Washington - northeast
Skagit County, Washington - east
Island County, Washington - southeast
Jefferson County, Washington - south
Clallam County, Washington - south/southwest

It also shares a western border with the Capital Regional District, British Columbia, Canada.

Cities and Towns:

- Anacortes	city	Incorporated Area
- Friday Harbor (County Seat)	town	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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