Spokane County, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Spokane County
U.S. county
Spokane County Courthouse
Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Washington
Founded	January 29, 1858 (created) January 19, 1864 (annexed to Stevens Co.) October 30, 1879 (separated from Stevens Co.)
Named for	Spokane people
Seat	Spokane
Largest city	Spokane
Area
• Total	1,781 sq mi (4,610 km2)
• Land	1,764 sq mi (4,570 km2)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km2)  0.9%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	539,339
• Estimate  (2023)	551,455
• Density	275/sq mi (106/km2)
Demonym(s)	Spokanite
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	5th

Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 539,339, making it the fourth-most populous county in Washington. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest city in the state after Seattle. The county is named after the Spokane people.

Spokane County is part of the Spokane metropolitan area, which is also part of the greater Spokane–Coeur d'Alene combined statistical area that includes nearby Kootenai County, Idaho.

History

The first humans to arrive in what is now Spokane County arrived between 12,000 and 8,000 years ago and were hunter-gatherer societies who lived off the plentiful game in the area. Initially, the settlers hunted predominantly bison and antelope, but after the game migrated out of the region, the native people became dependent on gathering various roots, berries, and nuts, and harvesting fish. The Spokane tribe, after which the county is named, means "Children of the Sun" or "sun people" in Salishan Explorer-geographer David Thompson, working as head of the North West Company's Columbia Department, became the first European to explore what is now the Inland Northwest. After establishing the Kullyspell House and Saleesh House fur trading posts in what are now Idaho and Montana, Thompson then attempted to expand further west. He sent out two trappers, Jacques Raphael Finlay and Finan McDonald, to construct a fur-trading post on the Spokane River in Washington and trade with the local Indians. This post was established in 1810, at the confluence of the Little Spokane and Spokane Rivers, becoming the first enduring European settlement of significance in Washington. Known as the Spokane House, or simply "Spokane", it was in operation from 1810 to 1826.

Spokane County was established by the Washington legislature effective January 29, 1858. It was annexed by Stevens County on January 19, 1864, and recreated on October 30, 1879. The first post office in the county was located at Spokane Bridge. The current Spokane county seat holder, Spokane, wrested the seat from Cheney in 1886.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,781 sq mi (4,610 km²), of which 17 square miles (44 km²) (0.9%) are covered by water. The lowest point in the county is the Spokane River behind Long Lake Dam (boundary of Stevens County) at 1,538 feet (469 m) above sea level. (Virtually no change in elevation occurs between the dam and the mouth of the Little Spokane River inside Riverside State Park.) The highest point in the county is the summit of Mount Spokane at 5,887 ft (1,794 m).NAVD 88

Spokane County has a complex geologic history and varied topography. To the west is the barren landscape of the Columbia Basin and to the east are the foothills of the Rockies—the Coeur d'Alene Mountains, which rise to the east in northern Idaho. Spokane County lies in a transition area between the eastern edge of the basaltic Channeled Scablands steppe plains to the west and the rugged, timbered Rocky Mountain foothills to the east. The area exhibits signs of the prehistoric geologic events that shaped the area and region such as the Missoula Floods, which ended 12,000 to 15,000 years ago. The geography to the southeast, such as the Saltese Flats and Saltese Uplands is characterized as a shrub–steppe landscape with grassy hills and ravines.

In ecology, as with the topography, the county is also in a transition area, roughly split between the Columbia Plateau ecoregion in the southwest portion, where it is at the eastern edge of the basaltic Channeled Scablands steppe plain and the Northern Rockies ecoregion in the northwest portion, which is the rugged and forested Selkirk Mountains.

Rivers and streams

Lakes and reservoirs

Notable summits and peaks

• Mount Spokane
• Mount Kit Carson
• Mica Peak
• Krell Hill

Notable parks

• Dishman Hills Natural Conservation Area
• Riverside State Park
• Riverfront Park
• Manito Park
• Mount Spokane State Park

National protected area

• Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 539,339 people, 212,470 households, and 132,324 families residing in the county. The population density was 305.7 inhabitants per square mile (118.0/km²) averaging 2.46 persons per household. There were 224,019 housing units had an average density of 128.0 per square mile (49.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.1% White, 2.0% African American, 1.5% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, 2.2% from some other races and 9.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.6% of the population. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.5% were under 5 years of age, and 17.5% were 65 and older.

Females consisted of 50.1% of the county. 5.3% of the county consist of foreign born persons.

Of those 25 years or older, 94.2% people in the county hold a high school diploma, GED, or higher; and 31.5% obtaining a bachelor's degree or higher. Of those below the age of 65 years, 10.% have a disability and 6.3% are without health insurance. The median household income was $64,079 (in 2021 dollars) and 11.2% of the county are living in poverty.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 471,221 people, 187,167 households, and 118,212 families were residing in the county. The population density was 267.2 people per square mile (103.2 people/km²). The 201,434 housing units had an average density of 114.2 units per square mile (44.1 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.2% White, 2.1% Asian, 1.7% African American, 1.5% American Indian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.0% were German, 15.4% were Irish, 13.5% were English, 6.9% were Norwegian, and 4.4% were American.

Of the 187,167 households, 30.9% had children under 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were not families; 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44, and the average family size was 2.99. The median age was 36.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,250 and for a family was $59,999. Males had a median income of $44,000 versus $33,878 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,127. About 9.1% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Towns

• Fairfield
• Latah
• Rockford
• Waverly

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns/neighborhoods

Education

School districts in the county include:

Community colleges include:

• Spokane Community College
• Spokane Falls Community College

Universities include:

• Eastern Washington University
• Gonzaga University
• Washington State University
• Whitworth University
• University of Washington

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Spokane para niños