Okanogan County, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Okanogan County
U.S. county
Okanogan County courthouse in Okanogan
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Washington
Founded	February, 1888
Named for	Okanagan people
Seat	Okanogan
Largest city	Omak
Area
• Total	5,315 sq mi (13,770 km2)
• Land	5,268 sq mi (13,640 km2)
• Water	47 sq mi (120 km2)  0.9%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	42,104
• Estimate  (2021)	42,634
• Density	7.8/sq mi (3.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	4th

Okanogan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington along the Canada–US border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,104. The county seat is Okanogan, while the largest city is Omak. Its area is the largest in the state.

About a fifth of the county's residents live in the Greater Omak Area. The county forms a portion of the Okanogan Country. The first county seat was Ruby, which has now been a ghost town for more than 100 years.

Okanogan County was formed out of Stevens County in February 1888. The name derives from the Okanagan language place name ukʷnaqín. The name Okanogan (Okanagan) also refers to a part of southern British Columbia.

History

Several hundreds of years before Europeans arrived, the area that became Okanogan County was home to numerous indigenous peoples that would eventually become part of three Indian reservations referred to as the Northern Okanogans or Sinkaietk, Tokoratums, Kartars and Konkonelps. They spoke in seven types of Interior Salish languages related to the Puget Sound tribes. The Okanogans experienced a favorable climate, having camped in the winter, hunting bears in the spring, catch fish in the summer and hunt deer in fall. The camps consisted of teepee-like longhouses built with hides and bark. A popular destination for this was the Kettle Falls also situated in Washington where the Columbia River dropped over 20 feet (6.1 m). Meanwhile, women gathered several pieces of nuts, roots and berries.

Due to its remoteness, the area that became Okanogan County was one of the last in Washington settled by white people. It was an early thoroughfare used by prospectors to gain access to other communities, some of which contain gold fields in what is now known as British Columbia, a province in Western Canada. By the 21st century, the region specialized in agriculture, forestry and tourism. Electric producer Grand Coulee Dam was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants, around the Okanogan and Grant counties at the former's southern border.

In July 2014, the Carlton Complex wildfire burned over 250,000 acres (390 sq mi; 1,000 km²) in Okanogan County. It destroyed over 300 homes including 100 in and around Pateros.

Geography

Landscape near Winthrop, Washington

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,315 square miles (13,770 km²), of which 5,268 square miles (13,640 km²) is land and 47 square miles (120 km²) (0.9%) is water. It is the largest county in the state by area, and it is larger than three states in land area.

Geographic features

• Cascade Mountains
• Columbia River
• Okanogan River
• North Gardner Mountain, the highest point in Okanogan County
• Beaner Lake

Major highways

• U.S. Route 97
• State Route 20
• State Route 153

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

• Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (part)
• Nez Perce National Historical Park (part)
• Okanogan National Forest
• Pasayten Wilderness

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 41,120 people, 16,519 households, and 10,914 families living in the county. The population density was 7.8 inhabitants per square mile (3.0/km²). There were 22,245 housing units at an average density of 4.2 per square mile (1.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 73.9% white, 11.4% American Indian, 0.6% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 10.1% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 17.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 21.4% were German, 12.4% were Irish, 12.2% were English, and 3.6% were American.

Of the 16,519 households, 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.9% were non-families, and 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 42.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,551 and the median income for a family was $48,418. Males had a median income of $37,960 versus $29,032 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,093. About 14.7% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Landscape near Okanogan, Washington

Cities

• Brewster
• Okanogan (county seat)
• Omak
• Oroville
• Pateros
• Tonasket

Towns

• Conconully
• Coulee Dam (partial)
• Elmer City
• Nespelem
• Riverside
• Twisp
• Winthrop

Census-designated places

• Disautel
• Loomis
• Malott
• Methow
• Nespelem Community
• North Omak

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

• Bodie
• Bolster
• Chesaw
• Molson
• Ruby

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Okanogan para niños