Location of San Juan Island in the San Juans |
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San Juan Island (Washington (state))
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Pacific Northwest |
| Archipelago | San Juan Islands |
| Area | 55.053 sq mi (142.587 km2) |
| Highest elevation | 1,080 ft (329 m) |
| Highest point | Mount Dallas |
| Country | |
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United States
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| State | Washington |
| County | San Juan County |
| Largest city | Friday Harbor (pop. 2,103) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 6,822 (as of 2000) |
| Density | 47.84 /km2 (123.91 /sq mi) |
San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington, United States. It has a land area of 142.59 km² (55.053 sq mi) and a population of 6,822 as of the 2000 census.
Washington State Ferries serves Friday Harbor, which is San Juan Island's major population center, the San Juan County seat, and the only incorporated town in the islands.
Scheduled seaplane services via Kenmore Air operate regularly in and out of Friday Harbor and originate from Seattle's Lake Union and Kenmore, Washington.
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The name "San Juan" originates from the 1791 expedition of Francisco de Eliza, who named the archipelago Isla y Archiepelago de San Juan to honor his patron sponsor, Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo. One of the officers under Eliza's command, Gonzalo López de Haro, was the first European to discover San Juan Island. During the Wilkes Expedition, American explorer Charles Wilkes renamed the island Rodgers Island; the Spanish name remained on British nautical charts and over time became the island's official name.[1]
San Juan Island has one weekly newspaper,[2] is dotted with numerous farms, and is a tourist-driven economy.
Outside of Friday Harbor, the only major commercial establishment resort is the village of Roche Harbor, located on the northwest side of the island.
Other notable landmarks are the old British and American Camps at opposite ends of the island, which together comprise the San Juan Island National Historical Park, which commemorates the 1859 "Pig War". Interpretive centers and reconstructed buildings, formal gardens, etc. recall the history of early European settlement in the area.
The University of Washington runs a marine research lab and campus[3] outside of Friday harbor. The campus has been extant since 1909 and has dormitories, a food service, and classrooms for holding lectures.