San Juan County, Washington
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San Juan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington, comprised of the San Juan Islands. It is named after San Juan Island, which was named after San Juan Bautista, or St. John the Baptist, by its European discoverer, Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza, in 1791. As of 2000, the population is 14,077. The county seat is at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, which is also the county's largest city.
San Juan County was created out of Whatcom County on October 31, 1873.[link]
San Juan County is an affluent area with a politically liberal lean. The only area to vote for George W. Bush was the Decatur Island/Blakely Island precinct, with just over 50 votes. On the opposite extreme, Waldron Island's precinct gave 96.5% of the vote to John Kerry.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,609 km² (621 mi²). 453 km² (175 mi²) of it is land and 1,156 km² (446 mi²) of it (71.84%) is water.Geographic features
Major islands
There are 743 islands in the San Juan Island chain. Most of the population lives on the largest four, listed here from largest to smallest geographical area.- Orcas Island (147.37 km²/56.9 mi²)
- San Juan Island (143.23 km²/55.3 mi²)
- Lopez Island (76.40 km²/29.5 mi²)
- Shaw Island (19.94 km²/7.7 mi²)
Adjacent counties
- Whatcom County, Washington - northeast
- Skagit County, Washington - east
- Island County, Washington - southeast
- Jefferson County, Washington - south
- Clallam County, Washington - south/southwest
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 14,077 people, 6,466 households, and 4,015 families residing in the county. The population density was 31/km² (80/mi²). There were 9,752 housing units at an average density of 22/km² (56/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.99% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 0.83% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.91% from other races, and 2.04% from two or more races. 2.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 6,466 households out of which 22.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.80% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.90% were non-families. 30.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.65.
In the county, the population was spread out with 19.10% under the age of 18, 4.50% from 18 to 24, 21.70% from 25 to 44, 35.70% from 45 to 64, and 19.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,491, and the median income for a family was $51,835. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $26,516 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,603. About 6.00% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.40% of those under age 18 and 3.10% of those age 65 or over.
Census-recognized communities
Other communities
- Argyle
- Blakely Island
- Decatur Island
- Deer Harbor
- Doebay
- Eastsound
- Lopez Island
- Olga
- Orcas Island
- Port Stanley
- Roche Harbor
- Shaw Island
- Waldron
History
- The San Juan Islands were disputed territory between England and the United States from 1846-1872, leading to the Pig War in 1859.
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