San Juan County, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids San Juan County
U.S. county
San Juan County Courthouse
Flag
Motto(s):  A World Away
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Washington
Founded	October 31, 1873
Named for	San Juan Islands
Seat	Friday Harbor
Largest town	Friday Harbor
Area
• Total	621 sq mi (1,610 km2)
• Land	174 sq mi (450 km2)
• Water	447 sq mi (1,160 km2)  72%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	17,788
• Estimate  (2023)	18,566
• Density	96/sq mi (37/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	2nd

San Juan County is a county in the Salish Sea in the far northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 17,788. The county seat and only incorporated town is Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island. The county was formed on October 31, 1873, from Whatcom County and is named for the San Juan Islands, which are in turn named for Juan Vicente de Güemes, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo, the Viceroy of New Spain.

Although the islands have no state highways, the ferry routes serving them are designated as part of the state highway system.

History

House flag of the Straits Steamship Company, a shipping firm that operated steamships on Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The San Juan Islands were the subject of a territorial dispute between Great Britain and the United States from 1846 to 1872, leading to the Pig War in 1859. The bloodless conflict ended through arbitration led by Kaiser Wilhelm I, which awarded the islands to the United States. San Juan County was home to Henry Cayou, one of the first elected officials of Native descent in Washington.

On the 7th of June 2024, a T-34 plane flown by former astronaut and Air Force pilot William Anders crashed on the San Juan Islands. Anders did not survive the crash.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 621 square miles (1,610 km²), of which 174 square miles (450 km²) is land and 447 square miles (1,160 km²) (72%) is water. It is the smallest county in Washington by land area and fourth-smallest by total area.

San Juan County is a cluster of more than 400 islands and rocks with elevations above mean high tide. 134 of these islands and rocks are named. The county has a rugged, rocky shoreline and several mountains. The highest point in the county is Mount Constitution on Orcas Island at 2,407 feet (734 m) above sea level.

Geographic features

• Boundary Pass
• Haro Strait
• Rosario Strait
• San Juan Islands
• Strait of Georgia
• Strait of Juan de Fuca

Major islands

There are approximately 743 islands and rocks in the San Juan Island chain. Most of the county's population lives on the largest four islands, which are the only county islands served by the Washington State Ferries. The four largest islands are:

• Orcas Island (149.43 km²; 57.70 sq mi)
• San Juan Island (143.62 km²; 55.45 sq mi)
• Lopez Island (76.57 km²; 29.56 sq mi)
• Shaw Island (19.64 km²; 7.58 sq mi)
• Blakely Island
• Crane Island
• Decatur Island

Adjacent counties

• Whatcom County – northeast
• Skagit County – east
• Island County – southeast
• Jefferson County – south
• Clallam County – south/southwest
• Capital Regional District, British Columbia – west

National protected areas

• San Juan Island National Historical Park
• San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge
• San Juan Islands National Monument
• San Juan Wilderness

Demographics

The county's population grew from around 4,000 in 1970 to nearly 19,000 by 2022, including a significant contingent of remote workers. Due to high housing costs, San Juan County has the highest income inequality rate in Washington.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 17,788 people, and 8,378 households in the county. The population density was 102.3 people per square mile (39.5 people/km²). The racial makeup was 93.5% White, 0.9% African American, 1.1% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.8% of the population.

12.5% of the population were under 18, and 2.8% were under 5. People over 65 made up 35.1% of the population. The gender makeup of the county was 50.9% female, and 49.1% male.

The median household income was $68,577, and the per capita income was $52,881. 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 15,769 people, 7,613 households, and 4,438 families residing in the county. The population density was 90.7 people per square mile (35.0 people/km²). There were 13,313 housing units at an average density of 76.5 units per square mile (29.5 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.6% white, 1.1% Asian, 0.7% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.6% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.4% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:

Of the 7,613 households, 19.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 41.7% were non-families, and 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.56. The median age was 52.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,726 and the median income for a family was $61,096. Males had a median income of $44,190 versus $32,911 for females. The per capita income for the county was $35,487. About 7.6% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

According to a 2020 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, San Juan County has the highest concentration of religiously unaffiliated people of any county in the United States. The unaffiliated make up 49% of the population.

Law enforcement

The San Juan County Sheriff's Office is responsible for maintaining the county jail, providing security at the San Juan County Superior Court, serving civil processes, coordinating emergency management among the county's emergency services, and maintaining law and order throughout the county, as there are no municipal police departments in San Juan County. Due to San Juan County's island geography, the sheriff also operates a robust marine unit equipped with four small patrol craft, used for search and rescue and for transporting deputies and prisoners to and from remote islands. The sheriff has a mutual aid agreement with the National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers assigned to the San Juan Island National Historical Park and, in the event of an exigency, can also request assistance from the Washington State Patrol's District 7 field detachment.

The county's first sheriff was Stephen Boyce, who was known among area Native Americans as Hyas Tyee ("great and powerful man" in the Coast Salish language). Boyce helped investigate the sensational "Kanaka Joe" murders of 1873, and supervised the hanging of Joe "Kanaka Joe" Nuanna.

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  Stephen Boyce, San Juan County's first sheriff.

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  A San Juan County sheriff's office patrol boat photographed in 2009.

Transportation

San Juan County is connected to the rest of Washington by the state ferry system, which operates the Anacortes–San Juan Islands ferry. The ferry's runs include inter-island service as well as bypass runs that only serve Friday Harbor and Anacortes. It also includes service to Sidney, British Columbia, which was suspended in 2020. Due to high demand, vehicle spaces on the ferry runs generally require reservations during the summer months.

A public transit system, named San Juan Transit, was established in 1993 and primarily operates buses on San Juan Island for residents and visitors.

Communities

Town

• Friday Harbor (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

See also

In Spanish: Condado de San Juan (Washington) para niños