Clallam County, Washington

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clallam County, Washington

Map
Location in the state of Washington
Washington's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	April 26, 1854
Seat	Port Angeles
Area - Total - Land - Water	2,670 sq mi (6,915 km²) 1,739 sq mi (4,504 km²) 931 sq mi (2,411 km²), 34.86%
Population - (2000) - Density	64,525 36/sq mi (14/km²)
Website: www.clallam.net

Clallam County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of today, the population is 64,525. The county seat is at Port Angeles, which is also the county's largest city. "Clallam" derives from a Klallam word meaning "the strong people."

Clallam County was formed on April 26, 1854.^[1]

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Politics
4 Census-recognized communities
5 Other communities
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,670 square miles (6,916 km²), of which, 1,739 square miles (4,505 km²) of it is land and 931 square miles (2,411 km²) of it (34.86%) is water.

Located in Clallam County is Cape Alava, the westernmost point in both Washington and the continental United States, with a longitude of 124 degrees, 43 minutes and 59 seconds. Also, near Cape Alava is Ozette, the westernmost town in the continental United States (See Extreme Points for more information).

[edit] Geographic features

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 64,525 people, 27,164 households, and 18,064 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 30,683 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.12% White, 0.84% Black or African American, 5.12% Native American, 1.13% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 2.44% from two or more races. 3.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.2% were of German, 13.1% English, 9.3% Irish, 8.3% United States or American and 6.0% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000. 5% spoke English and 3.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 27,164 households out of which 25.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.90% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.50% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.00% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 22.80% from 25 to 44, 26.90% from 45 to 64, and 21.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 98.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,449, and the median income for a family was $44,381. Males had a median income of $35,452 versus $24,628 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,517. About 8.90% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.10% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Politics

Modern Clallam County generally has a slight lean toward the Republican Party, although it is generally regarded as a competitive area. Republican George W. Bush defeated Democrat John Kerry here in the 2004 U.S. Presidential election by about five percentage points. However, Democratic Senator Patty Murray received a narrow victory, winning by a larger margin than Kerry statewide.

Democratic candidates are generally most successful in the county seat and largest city, Port Angeles which casts a significant number of votes. The city of Sequim and its general vicinity (excepting newer developments such as Bell Hill, which are quite Republican) is generally considered a battleground area, the city having voted for George W. Bush by only 7 votes out of 2,834 votes cast. However, George W. Bush received a victory of over 2-to-1 in the logging town of Forks, where anti-environmentalism has been a major issue since the spotted owl incidents. Areas around Forks are similarly Republican, with the exception of Native American areas.

The Makah tribe areas around Neah Bay are some of the most Democratic areas in the state. Otherwise, with the exception of a few locations (such as Blyn and Jamestown near Sequim), unincorporated Clallam County has a strong Republican lean.

[edit] Census-recognized communities

[edit] Other communities

Agate Beach
Agnew
Beaver
Bogachiel
Cape Flattery
Clallam Bay
Crane
Crescent
Crescent Beach
Diamond Point
Dungeness
Elwha
Fairholm
Gales Addition
Hoko
Joyce
Kalalock
La Push
Maple Grove
Mora
Mount Pleasant
Ozette
Pysht
Piedmont
Queets
Sappho
Schoolhouse Point
Sekiu
Sol Duc Hot Springs
Upper Hoh

[edit] References

^ Milestones for Washington State History — Part 2: 1851 to 1900. HistoryLink.orgHistoryLink.org (March 6, 2003).
^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links

North Olympic Library System
Clallam County - Thumbnail History
University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections – The Pacific Northwest Olympic Peninsula Community Museum A web-based museum showcasing aspects of the rich history and culture of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula communities. Features cultural exhibits, curriculum packets and a searchable archive of over 12,000 items that includes historical photographs, audio recordings, videos, maps, diaries, reports and other documents.

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Clallam County, Washington

County seat: Port Angeles

Cities	Forks \| Port Angeles \| Sequim

CDPs	Bell Hill \| Blyn \| Carlsborg \| Neah Bay \| Port Angeles East \| River Road

Unincorporated communities	Agnew \| Clallam Bay \| Diamond Point \| Dungeness \| Elwha \| Fairholm \| Joyce \| La Push \| Ozette \| Piedmont \| Sappho \| Schoolhouse Point \| Sekiu