| Lewis 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 19, 1845 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Chehalis |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
2,436 sq mi (6,309 km²) 2,408 sq mi (6,237 km²) 29 sq mi (75 km²), 1.18% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
75,455 31/sq mi (12/km²) |
| Website | www.co.lewis.wa.us |
Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2010, the population was 75,455. The county seat is at Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia.
The county is named after Meriwether Lewis. Lewis County is known for sharing many characteristics with eastern Washington instead of western Washington, where it is located, especially politically. Lewis County was created on December 19, 1845, by the provisional government of Oregon Territory.[1]
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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,436 square miles (6,309.2 km2), of which 2,408 square miles (6,236.7 km2) is land and 29 square miles (75.1 km2) (1.18%) is water. One of the world's tallest Douglas fir trees ever recorded was in the town of Mineral within Lewis County, attaining a height of 120 metres (390 ft).[2]
Lewis County is significantly more Republican than the counties it borders, with the possible exception of Yakima County. In 2000 George W. Bush received over 60% of the county's vote. In 2008 John McCain defeated Barack Obama by over 18 percent despite losing in all the neighboring counties except Yakima. The Republican candidate has won by over 10% in every Presidential election since 1992.[3] In the last 64 years the only Democratic candidate to win the county was Lyndon B. Johnson.[4] As part of Washington's Third Congressional District it is represented by Republican Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler.
In the 1970s Democratic candidates for governor won the county, but this was something of an anomaly. The last Democratic candidate for Governor to win the county was Booth Gardner in 1984.[5]
The county's government is the 20th district of the state. It is represented solely by Republicans.[6]
The county's government is solely Republican.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 558 |
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| 1860 | 384 | −31.2% | |
| 1870 | 888 | 131.3% | |
| 1880 | 2,600 | 192.8% | |
| 1890 | 11,499 | 342.3% | |
| 1900 | 15,157 | 31.8% | |
| 1910 | 32,127 | 112.0% | |
| 1920 | 36,840 | 14.7% | |
| 1930 | 40,034 | 8.7% | |
| 1940 | 41,393 | 3.4% | |
| 1950 | 43,755 | 5.7% | |
| 1960 | 41,858 | −4.3% | |
| 1970 | 45,467 | 8.6% | |
| 1980 | 56,025 | 23.2% | |
| 1990 | 59,358 | 5.9% | |
| 2000 | 68,600 | 15.6% | |
| 2010 | 75,455 | 10.0% | |
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 68,600 people, 26,306 households, and 18,572 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 29,585 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.96% White, 0.38% Black or African American, 1.22% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 2.55% from other races, and 2.01% from two or more races. 5.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.7% were of German, 11.8 United States or American, 11.1% English, 8.7% Irish and 5.7% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 26,306 households out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.90% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.50% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,511, and the median income for a family was $41,105. Males had a median income of $35,714 versus $23,453 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,082. About 10.40% of families and 14.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.60% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.
| Thurston County | Pierce County | |||
| Pacific County | Yakima County | |||
| Lewis County, Washington | ||||
| Wahkiakum County | Cowlitz County | Skamania County |
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