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King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2000 census was 1,737,034. It is the largest county, by population, in Washington, and the 12th largest in the United States. As of 2005, the county had a population comparable to that of the state of Nebraska.

The county seat is Seattle, which is also the largest city in the county and the state. Most of the county's population lives in the suburbs--just one third of King County residents live in Seattle. This, combined with Seattle's relatively high income and education levels for a major city, results in King County placing among the 100 wealthiest counties in the United States.

King County is home to one of the first paramedic services in the United States, Medic One.

History

The county was formed out of territory within Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the Oregon Territory legislature, and was named after William Rufus King, vice president under president Franklin Pierce. Seattle was made the county seat on January 11, 1853.**

On February 24, 1986, the King County Council passed Council Motion 6461, "setting forth the historical basis for the 'renaming' of King County in honor of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.". Because only the state can charter counties, this change was not made official until April 19, 2005, when Washington Governor Christine Gregoire signed Senate Bill 5332 into law. Due primarily to the advocacy of councilmember Larry Gossett, the County Council voted on February 27, 2006 to change the county's logo from a royal crown to an image of King's face.* This change, estimated to cost $522,255, is subject to the approval of the King family and the ability to negotiate licensing rights affordable by the county.

Government

The King County Executive, currently Ron Sims, heads the county's executive branch. The King County Council is the legislative branch of government. Judicial power is vested in the King County Superior Court and the King County District Court. The county seat is Seattle, which houses the King County Courthouse.

King County is represented in the United States Congress through the Washington 7th Congressional District and parts of the 1st, 2nd, 8th, and 9th districts. In the state legislature, King contains the entirety of the 5th, 11th, 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 36th, 37th, 41st, 43rd, 45th, 46th, 47th, and 48th legislative districts as well as parts of the 1st, 25th, 30th, 31st, and 39th districts.

Politics

Western King County, which includes Seattle, is a major center for left-leaning politics and is a bastion for the Democratic Party. In the 2004 election, John Kerry defeated George W. Bush in the county by 32%, a larger margin than Al Gore had in the 2000 election. King County has also been the deciding factor for the Democrats in a few recent close statewide elections. In 2000, it was King County that pushed Maria Cantwell's total over that of incumbent Republican Slade Gorton, winning her a seat in the United States Senate. In 2004, King County gave a lead to Democrat Christine Gregoire in the second recount in the state's razor-thin governor's race, pushing her ahead of suburban Republican Dino Rossi, who led by 42 votes after the initial count. Both candidates were from King County--Rossi from Sammamish, and Gregoire from Auburn.

The suburbs east and south of Seattle historically have tended to vote Republican. In the 2005 County Executive race, Republican David Irons beat Democrat Ron Sims outside of Seattle (which voted 74% for Sims). However, in recent years, the Eastside, as it is called, has seen a significant shift toward the Democrats. In 2004, John Kerry received landslide victories in much of the Bellevue and Redmond area. Generally, the suburbs are more friendly to the Republicans on the state and especially county levels.

In 2004, voters passed a referendum reducing the size of the County Council from 13 members to 9. This resulted in all council seats ending up on the 2005 ballot.

As of January 2006, all five council districts representing the Metro Seattle core are controlled by Democrats, while all four suburban/rural districts are controlled by Republicans.

Suburban and rural residents of eastern King County have long desired to secede and form their own county. This movement was most vocal in the mid-1990s (see Cedar County, Washington).King County Journal: Proposal would ease creation of new countyKing County Journal: Calls for new county intensify - Rural rage revives drive to escape Seattle influence It has recently been revived as Cascade County. According to a map published by the Seattle TimesCascade County (GIF), four different geographic borders are being considered. Additional plans (see Skykomish County, Washington) also exist or have existed.

Council members

Geography

King County
King County has over twice the land area of the state of Rhode Island. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,974 km² (2,307 mi²). It is the 11th largest county in Washington (of 39) by area. 5,506 km² (2,126 mi²) of it is land and 467 km² (180 mi²) of it is water. 7.82% of the total area is water.

King County borders Snohomish County to the north, Kitsap County to the west, Kittitas County to the east, and Pierce County to the south. It also shares a small border with Chelan County to the northeast. King County includes Vashon Island and Maury Island in Puget Sound.

Geographic features

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 1,737,034 people, 710,916 households, and 420,151 families residing in the county. The population density was 315/km² (817/mi²). There were 742,237 housing units at an average density of 135/km² (349/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.73% White, 5.40% Black or African American, 0.92% Native American, 10.81% Asian, 0.52% Pacific Islander, 2.56% from other races, and 4.06% from two or more races. 5.48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 710,916 households out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.40% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.90% were non-families. 30.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.50% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 34.70% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 10.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $53,157, and the median income for a family was $66,035. Males had a median income of $45,802 versus $34,321 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,521. About 5.30% of families and 8.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.40% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.

Census-recognized communities

See also Cities in King County, Washington.

Other communities

This list may contain communities located entirely within incorporated cities, towns, or CDPs, which should be removed.

Ghost towns

Schools

References

External links

Washington counties | King County, Washington | Seattle metropolitan area

Comté de King (Washington) | Condado de King (Washington)

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "King County, Washington".

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