List of counties in Washington
There are 39 counties in the U.S. state of Washington. Washington came from the western part of Washington Territory. It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889.[1] The first counties were created from unorganized territory in 1845.[2]
The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. The FIPS code links in the table point to U. S. Census "quick facts" pages for each county.
List[change | change source]
| County |
FIPS code | County seat[3] | Created[3][4] | Formed from[4][2] | Meaning of name | Population (2020) |
Land area[3] | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 001 | Ritzville | 1883 | Whitman County | John Adams (1735–1826), 2nd U.S. President[5] | 20,613 | 1,925 sq mi (4,986 km2) |
|
| Asotin County | 003 | Asotin | 1883 | Garfield County | The Nez Percé name for Eel Creek[6] | 22,285 | 636 sq mi (1,647 km2) |
|
| Benton County | 005 | Prosser | 1905 | Yakima and Klickitat Counties | Thomas Hart Benton (1782–1858), a U.S. Senator from Missouri[7] | 206,873 | 1,700 sq mi (4,403 km2) |
|
| Chelan County | 007 | Wenatchee | 1899 | Okanogan and Kittitas Counties | A Native American word meaning "deep water", referring to Lake Chelan[8] | 79,074 | 2,920 sq mi (7,563 km2) |
|
| Clallam County | 009 | Port Angeles | 1854 | Jefferson County | A Klallam word meaning "brave people" or "the strong people"[9] | 77,155 | 1,738 sq mi (4,501 km2) |
|
| Clark County | 011 | Vancouver | 1845 | Original County | William Clark (1770–1838), the co-captain of the Lewis and Clark Expedition[9] | 503,311 | 629 sq mi (1,629 km2) |
|
| Columbia County | 013 | Dayton | 1875 | Walla Walla County | The Columbia River[9] | 3,952 | 869 sq mi (2,251 km2) |
|
| Cowlitz County | 015 | Kelso | 1854 | Lewis County | Cowlitz, an Indian tribe[10] | 110,730 | 1,139 sq mi (2,950 km2) |
|
| Douglas County | 017 | Waterville | 1883 | Lincoln County | Stephen A. Douglas (1813–1861), U.S. Senator from Illinois[11] | 42,938 | 1,819 sq mi (4,711 km2) |
|
| Ferry County | 019 | Republic | 1899 | Stevens County | Elisha P. Ferry (1825–1895), 1st Governor of Washington[12] | 7,178 | 2,204 sq mi (5,708 km2) |
|
| Franklin County | 021 | Pasco | 1883 | Whitman County | Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), writer, orator, inventor, and U.S. Founding Father[13] | 96,749 | 1,242 sq mi (3,217 km2) |
|
| Garfield County | 023 | Pomeroy | 1881 | Columbia County | James A. Garfield (1831–1881), 20th U.S. President[13] | 2,286 | 710 sq mi (1,839 km2) |
|
| Grant County | 025 | Ephrata | 1909 | Douglas County | Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), 18th U.S. President[14] | 99,123 | 2,680 sq mi (6,941 km2) |
|
| Grays Harbor County | 027 | Montesano | 1854 | Thurston County | Grays Harbor, a body of water named after explorer and merchant Robert Gray (1755–1806)[14] | 75,636 | 1,902 sq mi (4,926 km2) |
|
| Island County | 029 | Coupeville | 1852 | Thurston County | Consists solely of islands, including Whidbey and Camano islands[15] | 86,857 | 209 sq mi (541 km2) |
|
| Jefferson County | 031 | Port Townsend | 1852 | Thurston County | Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), 3rd U.S. President and principal author of the Declaration of Independence[15] | 32,977 | 1,804 sq mi (4,672 km2) |
|
| King County | 033 | Seattle | 1852 | Thurston County | William R. King (1786–1853), U.S. Vice President under Franklin Pierce; officially renamed in 2005 after civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (no relation) (1929–1968)[16] | 2,269,675 | 2,115 sq mi (5,478 km2) |
|
| Kitsap County | 035 | Port Orchard | 1857 | King and Jefferson Counties | Chief Kitsap (d. 1860), leader of the Suquamish tribe[17] | 275,611 | 395 sq mi (1,023 km2) |
|
| Kittitas County | 037 | Ellensburg | 1883 | Yakima County | Yakama word of uncertain meaning, with popular translations ranging from "white chalk" to "land of the plenty"[17] | 44,337 | 2,297 sq mi (5,949 km2) |
|
| Klickitat County | 039 | Goldendale | 1859 | Walla Walla County | Klickitat tribe, also meaning "robber" and "beyond"[17] | 22,735 | 1,872 sq mi (4,848 km2) |
|
| Lewis County | 041 | Chehalis | 1845 | Clark County | Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809), the co-captain of the Lewis and Clark Expedition[18] | 82,149 | 2,403 sq mi (6,224 km2) |
|
| Lincoln County | 043 | Davenport | 1883 | Whitman County | Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), 16th U.S. President[18] | 10,876 | 2,311 sq mi (5,985 km2) |
|
| Mason County | 045 | Shelton | 1854 | King County | Charles H. Mason (1830–1859), 1st Secretary of Washington Territory[19] | 65,726 | 959 sq mi (2,484 km2) |
|
| Okanogan County | 047 | Okanogan | 1888 | Stevens County | A Salish word meaning "rendezvous"[20] | 42,104 | 5,268 sq mi (13,644 km2) |
|
| Pacific County | 049 | South Bend | 1851 | Lewis County | The Pacific Ocean[21] | 23,365 | 933 sq mi (2,416 km2) |
|
| Pend Oreille County | 051 | Newport | 1911 | Stevens County | The Pend d'Oreille tribe, named by French traders for their "ear bobs"[22] | 13,401 | 1,400 sq mi (3,626 km2) |
|
| Pierce County | 053 | Tacoma | 1852 | Thurston County | Franklin Pierce (1804–1869), 14th U.S. President[22] | 921,130 | 1,670 sq mi (4,325 km2) |
|
| San Juan County | 055 | Friday Harbor | 1873 | Whatcom County | San Juan Islands, itself derived from Juan Vicente de Güemes[23] | 17,788 | 174 sq mi (451 km2) |
|
| Skagit County | 057 | Mount Vernon | 1883 | Whatcom County | The Skagit tribe[24] | 129,523 | 1,731 sq mi (4,483 km2) |
|
| Skamania County | 059 | Stevenson | 1854 | Clark County | A Chinookan word meaning "swift water"[24] | 12,036 | 1,656 sq mi (4,289 km2) |
|
| Snohomish County | 061 | Everett | 1861 | Island and King Counties | The Snohomish tribe, word origin disputed[25] | 827,957 | 2,087 sq mi (5,405 km2) |
|
| Spokane County | 063 | Spokane | 1879 | Stevens County | The Spokane tribe, meaning "people of the sun"[26] | 539,339 | 1,764 sq mi (4,569 km2) |
|
| Stevens County | 065 | Colville | 1863 | Walla Walla County | Isaac Stevens (1818–1862), 1st Governor of the Washington Territory[27] | 46,445 | 2,478 sq mi (6,418 km2) |
|
| Thurston County | 067 | Olympia | 1852 | Lewis County | Samuel Thurston (1815–1851), the Oregon Territory's first delegate to U.S. Congress[28] | 294,793 | 722 sq mi (1,870 km2) |
|
| Wahkiakum County | 069 | Cathlamet | 1854 | Cowlitz County | Wakaiakam, chief of the Kathlamet tribe[29] | 4,422 | 264 sq mi (684 km2) |
|
| Walla Walla County | 071 | Walla Walla | 1854 | Skamania County | The Walla Walla tribe, also a Nez Percé name for running water[29] | 62,584 | 1,270 sq mi (3,289 km2) |
|
| Whatcom County | 073 | Bellingham | 1854 | Island County | Whatcom, chief of the Nooksack tribe and named for a Nooksack word meaning "noisy water"[30] | 226,847 | 2,107 sq mi (5,457 km2) |
|
| Whitman County | 075 | Colfax | 1871 | Stevens County | Marcus Whitman (1802–1847), a Methodist missionary[31] | 47,973 | 2,159 sq mi (5,592 km2) |
|
| Yakima County | 077 | Yakima | 1865 | Ferguson County (defunct) | The Yakama tribe, meaning "runaway [waters]" or "big belly"[32] | 256,728 | 4,296 sq mi (11,127 km2) |
|
Former county names[change | change source]
- Sawamish County, originally named for the Sahewamish Native American tribe, was renamed Mason County in 1864.[33]
- Slaughter County, originally named for Lieutenant William A. Slaughter who was killed during the Indian Wars, was renamed Kitsap County in 1857.[34]
Former counties[change | change source]
- Ferguson County, named for Washington legislator James L. Ferguson, was formed on January 23, 1863 from Walla Walla County and ended on January 18, 1865. Yakima County was formed in its place.[35][36]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Historical Timeline of Events Leading to the formation of Washington State". Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Washington Counties". HistoryLink. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 National Association of Counties. "NACo – Find A County". Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Washington: Historical Borders". Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. Newberry Library. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 4
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 9
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 14
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 25
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Phillips 1971, pp. 27–30
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 33
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 41
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 49
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Phillips 1971, pp. 52–53
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Phillips 1971, p. 57
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Phillips 1971, pp. 66–67
- ↑ Brodeur, Nicole (January 20, 2020). "Remembering fight to change county namesake". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Phillips 1971, pp. 72–73
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Phillips 1971, pp. 77–79
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 87
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 100
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 105
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Phillips 1971, pp. 107–108
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 124
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Phillips 1971, pp. 130–131
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 133
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 135
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 138
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 144
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 Phillips 1971, pp. 153–154
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 158
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 159
- ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 163
- ↑ Wilma, David (April 19, 2006). "Washington Territorial Legislature creates Sawamish (Mason) County on April 15, 1854". HistoryLink.org. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ↑ Wilma, David (July 27, 2006). "Slaughter County is renamed Kitsap County on July 13, 1857". HistoryLink.org. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
- ↑ Becker, Paula (September 20, 2005). "Ferguson County is established on January 23, 1863". HistoryLink.org. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ↑ "Milestones for Washington State History -- Part 2: 1851 to 1900". HistoryLink.org. March 6, 2003. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
Works
- Holman, Frederick V. (March 1910). "History of the Counties of Oregon". Oregon Historical Quarterly. XI (1). Portland, Oregon: Ivy Press.
- Meany, Edmond S. (January 1922). "The Cowlitz Convention: Inception of Washington Territory". The Washington Historical Quarterly. XIII (1). Seattle, Washington: University of Washington.
- Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-95158-3. OCLC 1052713900 – via Internet Archive.
- Smith, Charles W. (October 1913) [1909]. "The Naming of Counties in the State of Washington". Seattle: University of Washington. OCLC 8676092.