Island County, Washington

Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2000, the population was 71,558. The county seat is at Coupeville. Its largest city is Oak Harbor.

Its name reflects the fact that it consists of just two islands, Whidbey and Camano. Island County was created out of Thurston County on January 6, 1853, by the legislature of Oregon Territory ^*, and is the 8th oldest county in Washington. It originally encompassed what are now Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom County, and San Juan Counties.

Island County is divided in many ways between its north and south. While the north (Oak Harbor) is very conservative and voted for George W. Bush with almost 65 percent of the vote and carrying all precincts, all southern and central precincts voted for John Kerry. The south-central area (Coupeville, Langley) voted over 60 percent for Kerry. Camano Island has a Republican lean and went for Bush with 52 percent of the vote, but is much less polarized than the rest of the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,340 km² (517 mi²). 540 km² (208 mi²) of it is land and 800 km² (309 mi²) of it (59.71%) is water.

The County is comprised two inhabited islands, Whidbey Island and Camano Island. It also includes the uninhabited islands of Hope, Pass, Deception, Baby, and Strawberry.

Geographic features

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 71,558 people, 27,784 households, and 20,254 families residing in the county. The population density was 133/km² (343/mi²). There were 32,378 housing units at an average density of 60/km² (155/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.17% White, 2.36% Black or African American, 0.97% Native American, 4.19% Asian, 0.44% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 3.44% from two or more races. 3.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 27,784 households out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.50% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,513, and the median income for a family was $51,363. Males had a median income of $35,331 versus $25,612 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,472. About 5.10% of families and 7.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.80% of those under age 18 and 4.40% of those age 65 or over.

Census-recognized communities

Ault Field (Proper name for Naval Air Station Whidbey Island)
Camano
Clinton
Coupeville
Freeland
Langley
Oak Harbor

Other communities

Seattle metropolitan area | Washington counties | Island County, Washington

Condado de Island