| Klickitat County, Washington | |
Location in the state of Washington |
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Washington's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | December 20, 1859 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Goldendale |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,904 sq mi (4,931 km²) 1,872 sq mi (4,848 km²) 32 sq mi (83 km²), 1.67% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
20,318 10/sq mi (4/km²) |
| Website | www.klickitatcounty.org |
Klickitat County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2010, the population was 20,318. The county seat and largest city is Goldendale.
It is named after the Klickitat tribe of the Yakama Indian Nation.
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Klickitat County was created out of Walla Walla County on December 20, 1859.[1] Samuel Hill was an early promoter of the area, promoting better roads and building local landmarks such as a war memorial replica of Stonehenge (Maryhill Stonehenge) and a mansion that would become the Maryhill Museum of Art. The Sam Hill Memorial Bridge across the Columbia River is named after him.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,904 square miles (4,931.3 km2), of which 1,872 square miles (4,848.5 km2) is land and 32 square miles (82.9 km2) (1.67%) is water.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 230 |
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| 1870 | 329 | 43.0% | |
| 1880 | 4,055 | 1,132.5% | |
| 1890 | 5,167 | 27.4% | |
| 1900 | 6,407 | 24.0% | |
| 1910 | 10,180 | 58.9% | |
| 1920 | 9,268 | −9.0% | |
| 1930 | 9,825 | 6.0% | |
| 1940 | 11,357 | 15.6% | |
| 1950 | 12,049 | 6.1% | |
| 1960 | 13,455 | 11.7% | |
| 1970 | 12,138 | −9.8% | |
| 1980 | 15,822 | 30.4% | |
| 1990 | 16,616 | 5.0% | |
| 2000 | 19,161 | 15.3% | |
| 2010 | 20,318 | 6.0% | |
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 19,161 people, 7,473 households, and 5,305 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 8,633 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.56% White, 0.27% Black or African American, 3.47% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 5.02% from other races, and 2.75% from two or more races. 7.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.7% were of German, 14.0% United States or American, 11.1% English and 9.6% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 90.3% spoke English and 7.8% Spanish as their first language.
There were 7,473 households out of which 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out with 27.10% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 27.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,267, and the median income for a family was $40,414. Males had a median income of $36,067 versus $21,922 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,502. About 12.60% of families and 17.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.50% of those under age 18 and 15.10% of those age 65 or over.
Klickitat is located in Washington's 4th congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+13 and has been represented by Republican Doc Hastings since 1995. In state government the county is part of the fifteenth district so is represented by representative Bruce Chandler (R) in the Washington House of Representatives and Jim Honeyford (R) in the Washington State Senate.[3]
In Presidential elections Klickitat is something of a "swing county." In 1988 Michael Dukakis narrowly won the county with 49.15% of the vote.[4] Richard Nixon (1960, 1972), Ronald Reagan,[5] Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush[6] all won the county twice. In 2008 Democrat Barack Obama won Klickitat County over Republican John McCain by only 21 votes or percentage wise 48.85% to 48.64%.[7]
| Yakima County | Benton County | |||
| Skamania County | ||||
| Klickitat County, Washington | ||||
| Wasco County, Oregon and Hood River County, Oregon | Sherman County, Oregon | Morrow County, Oregon and Gilliam County, Oregon |
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