Asotin County, Washington Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Asotin County
U.S. county
Asotin County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Washington
Founded	October 27, 1883
Named for	Asotin Creek
Seat	Asotin
Largest city	Clarkston
Area
• Total	641 sq mi (1,660 km²)
• Land	636 sq mi (1,650 km²)
• Water	4.4 sq mi (11 km²) 0.7%%
Population (2020)
• Total	22,285
• Estimate (2023)	22,549
• Density	35/sq mi (14/km²)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	5th

Asotin County (/əˈsoʊtən/) is a county in the far southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,285. The county seat is at Asotin, and its largest city is Clarkston. The county was created out of Garfield County in 1883 and derives its name from a Nez Perce word meaning "Eel Creek." Asotin County is part of the Lewiston–Clarkston metropolitan area, which includes Nez Perce County, Idaho, and Asotin County.

History
Geography
Communities
Demographics
- 2010 census
Gallery
See also

History

The area delineated by the future Washington state boundary was colonized at the start of the nineteenth century, both by Americans and Canadians. The majority of Canadian exploration and interest in the land was due to the fur trade; American settlers were principally seeking land for agriculture and cattle raising. The Treaty of 1818 provided for dual control of this area by US and Canadian government officials. During this period, the future Washington Territory was divided into two administrative zones: Clark County and Lewis County (made official in 1845). The dual-control concept was unwieldy and led to continual argument, and occasional conflict. The status of the Washington area was settled in 1846, when the Oregon Treaty ceded the land south of latitude 49 degrees North to American control.

Asotin, Washington

In 1854, Skamania County was split from the original Clark County. Later that year, Walla Walla County was split from the new Skamania County. In 1875, Columbia County was split from Walla Walla County, and in 1881, a portion of Columbia County was set off to form Garfield County. The southeastern portion of Garfield County was partitioned in 1883 to form Asotin County. The 1883 boundary of Asotin has remained unchanged since then.

In 1862, Bob Bracken became the first permanent European settler of what would become Asotin county.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 641 square miles (1,660 km²), of which 636 square miles (1,650 km²) is land and 4.4 square miles (11 km²) (0.7%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Washington by area. It is part of the Palouse, a wide and rolling prairie-like region of the middle Columbia basin.

Geographic features

Major highways

U.S. Route 12

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Umatilla National Forest (part)

Communities

Cities

Asotin (County seat)
Clarkston

Extinct towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	1,580	—
1900	3,366	113.0%
1910	5,831	73.2%
1920	6,539	12.1%
1930	8,136	24.4%
1940	8,365	2.8%
1950	10,878	30.0%
1960	12,909	18.7%
1970	13,799	6.9%
1980	16,823	21.9%
1990	17,605	4.6%
2000	20,551	16.7%
2010	21,623	5.2%
2020	22,285	3.1%
2023 (est.)	22,549	4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 21,623 people, 9,236 households, and 5,914 families living in the county. The population density was 34.0 inhabitants per square mile (13.1/km²). There were 9,872 housing units at an average density of 15.5 units per square mile (6.0 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.3% white, 1.4% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 0.8% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 32.4% were German, 14.8% were Irish, 13.7% were English, 7.5% were American, and 6.2% were Norwegian.

Of the 9,236 households, 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.0% were non-families, and 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age was 43.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,665 and the median income for a family was $52,250. Males had a median income of $39,633 versus $28,475 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,731. About 9.9% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.