Whatcom County, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Whatcom County
U.S. county
Whatcom County Courthouse in Bellingham
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Washington
Founded	March 9, 1854
Named for	Chief Whatcom
Seat	Bellingham
Largest city	Bellingham
Area
• Total	2,503 sq mi (6,480 km2)
• Land	2,107 sq mi (5,460 km2)
• Water	397 sq mi (1,030 km2)  16%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	226,847
• Estimate  (2022)	230,677
• Density	103/sq mi (40/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	https://www.whatcomcounty.us/

Sign at county boundary, 1970

Sheriff's Department vehicle in Bellingham

Whatcom County (/ˈwɒtkəm/, /ˈhwɒtkəm/) is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts) of British Columbia to the north, Okanogan County to the east, Skagit County to the south, San Juan County across Rosario Strait to the southwest, and the Strait of Georgia to the west. Its county seat and largest population center is the coastal city of Bellingham, comprising the Bellingham, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, and as of the 2020 census, the county's population was 226,847.

The county was created from Island County by the Washington Territorial Legislature in March 1854. It originally included the territory of present-day San Juan and Skagit Counties, which were later independently organized after additional settlement. Its name derives from the Lummi word Xwotʼqom, also spelled [x̣ʷátqʷəm], perhaps meaning "noisy" or "noisy water" and referring to a waterfall. Whatcom County has a diversified economy with a significant agricultural base, including approximately 60% of the nation's annual production of raspberries.

History

The Whatcom County area has known human habitation for at least twelve millennia. At least three aboriginal tribes have been identified in the area: Lummi (San Juan Islands, between Point Whitehorn and Chuckanut Bay), Nooksack (between Lynden and Maple Falls) and Semiahmoo (the northern portion, near Blaine).

This area was part of the Oregon Country at the start of the nineteenth century, inhabited both by fur prospectors from Canada and Americans seeking land for agricultural and mineral-extraction opportunities. Unable to resolve which country should control this vast area, the Treaty of 1818 provided for joint control. In 1827 the Hudson's Bay Company established Fort Langley near present Lynden.

By 1843, the Provisional Government of Oregon had been established, although at first there were questions as to its authority and extent. During its existence, that provisional government formed the area north of the Columbia River first into the Washington Territory, and then (December 19, 1845) into two vast counties: Clark and Lewis. In 1852, a portion of Lewis County was partitioned off to form Thurston County, and in 1853 a portion of the new county was partitioned off to form Island County.

The Washington Territory was formed as a separate governing entity in 1853. In 1854, that legislature carved several counties out of the existing counties, including Whatcom County on March 9, 1854, with area taken from Island County. The original county boundary was reduced in 1873 by the formation of San Juan County, and again in 1883 by the formation of Skagit County.

In 1855 the settlers erected a blockhouse west of Whatcom Creek, to protect against forays from the aboriginal inhabitants who were attempting to defend their homelands. That year the Treaty of Point Elliott was signed, which assigned the Lummi and Semiahmoo peoples a greatly-restricted reserved area.

The short-lived Fraser Canyon Gold Rush (1857–58) caused a short-term increase in the county's population, which briefly swelled to over 10,000 before the bubble burst.

In 1857 the federal government began the field work necessary to establish the national border between the United States and Canada, which had been agreed on as the forty-ninth parallel in this area, and which would also mark the north line of Whatcom County. As the work moved east, several of the workers chose to remain in the area as settlers.

Border crossings

Whatcom County's northern border is the Canada–US border with the Canadian province of British Columbia. Adjoining the county on the north (from west to east) are the Metro Vancouver suburbs of Delta, Surrey, Langley, the central Fraser Valley city of Abbotsford and the rural Fraser Valley Regional District.

The border crossing points are (from west to east):

• the Point Roberts Tyee Dr to Tsawwassen (a neighborhood in Delta, BC).
• the Peace Arch Border Crossing, where Interstate 5 meets British Columbia Highway 99
• the Pacific Highway Border Crossing connecting State Route 543 with British Columbia Highway 15, between Blaine and Surrey
• the Lynden–Aldergrove Border Crossing where (SR 539 connects to British Columbia Highway 13
• the Sumas–Huntingdon Border Crossing at Sumas (SR 9 connecting to Abbotsford, BC)
• An additional unmanned legal crossing connects British Columbia's Skagit Valley Provincial Park to North Cascades National Park in Washington State.

Several shopping malls and other services in Bellingham and elsewhere in the county are geared to cross-border shopping and recreation.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,503 square miles (6,480 km²), of which 2,107 square miles (5,460 km²) is land and 397 square miles (1,030 km²) (16%) is covered by water.

Western Whatcom County is part of the Fraser Lowland, the plain of the Fraser River, most of which is in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. At some periods in the past, one of the Fraser River's distributaries may have entered Bellingham Bay near Bellingham at or near the modern-day mouth of the Nooksack River.

The remainder of Whatcom County is in the Cascade Range, including Mount Baker. In their foothills is Lake Whatcom, which is drained by Whatcom Creek into Bellingham Bay.

A small part of the county, Point Roberts, about 5 square miles (13 km²), is an extension of the Tsawwassen Peninsula, which is bisected by the Canada–US border along the 49th parallel. The highest point in the county is the peak of the active volcano Mount Baker at 10,778 feet (3,285 m) above sea level. The lowest points are at sea level along the Salish Sea, an arm of the Pacific Ocean.

Geographic features

National protected areas

• Mount Baker National Recreation Area
• Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest (part)
• North Cascades National Park (part)
• Ross Lake National Recreation Area (part)
• Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (part)

State protected areas

• Birch Bay State Park
• Lake Terrell Wildlife Refuge
• Larrabee State Park
• Lookout Mountain (DNR)
• Lummi Island (part) (DNR)
• Stewart Mountain (DNR)
• Lake Whatcom Watershed

Major highways

• Interstate 5 connecting with Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego and points south.
• SR 20 connecting US 101 and Sidney, British Columbia with Newport, Washington via the North Cascades Highway. Farthest north highway thru the Cascade Mountains in USA. Note that this highway does not connect to most of Whatcom County – Instead, a person would have to travel south to Sedro-Woolley in Skagit County to connect to Highway 20.
• Alaska Marine Highway connecting Alaska highways to the Interstate Highway System.

Adjacent counties

• Metro Vancouver Regional District, British Columbia – north
• Fraser Valley Regional District, British Columbia – northeast
• Cowichan Valley Regional District, British Columbia – west
• Capital Regional District, British Columbia – west
• Okanogan County – east
• San Juan County – southwest
• Skagit County – south

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 201,140 people, 80,370 households, and 48,862 families resided in the county. The population density was 95.5 people per square mile (36.9 people/km²). The 90,665 housing units averaged 43.0 units per square mile (16.6 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.4% White, 3.5% Asian, 2.8% American Indian, 1.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.3% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.8% were German, 12.8% were Irish, 12.6% were English, 8.0% were Dutch, 6.9% were Norwegian, and 4.4% were American.

Of the 80,370 households, 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.2% were not families, and 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43, and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 36.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,031 and for a family was $64,586. Males had a median income of $47,109 versus $34,690 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,407. About 7.8% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Coal mines, a sawmill, and a military fort were established on Bellingham Bay in the 1850s. Logging was the principal economic activity at first, and agriculture developed as land was cleared by logging activity. Canneries, both of fish and crops, shipped the county's products far and wide.

Pacific American Fisheries organized in 1899 in Fairhaven, and became the world's largest canning operation, employing over 1,000 Chinese and 4,500 "white persons". Smaller canneries at Semiahmoo also produced 2,000 cases of canned salmon daily. The Fairhaven Shipyard constructed fleets of fishing ships, and also produced freighters during World War I.

Whatcom County annually produces 60–80 million pounds of raspberries, 99% of Washington's crop, typically around 85% of the entire United States' raspberry harvest.

Cross border activity is a significant driver of the economy.

Education

Primary and secondary education

Whatcom County residents are served by public and private schools, providing preschool, primary (K-5), and secondary (6–12) education. Public schools are operated by eight school districts. Each school district is an independent local government managed by an elected school board. Seven districts serve the western portion of Whatcom County. One district serves the southeast corner of Whatcom County. The remaining portion of the county is national forest or national park land, which has no permanent residents.

These districts (including any with any portion in the county, even if the schools are not in the county) are:

• Bellingham School District serves Bellingham, Chuckanut, Lake Samish, and Sudden Valley.
• Blaine School District serves Blaine, Birch Bay, and Point Roberts.
• Concrete School District serves the county's southeast corner, including Newhalem and Diablo.
• Ferndale School District serves Ferndale, Custer, Lummi Island, and the Lummi Nation.
• Lynden School District serves Lynden and surrounding areas.
• Meridian School District serves rural communities between Bellingham and Lynden.
• Mount Baker School District serves communities along the Mount Baker Highway and Nooksack River.
• Nooksack Valley School District serves Everson, Nooksack, and Sumas.
• Sedro-Woolley School District

Numerous private schools operate in Whatcom County, including Assumption Catholic School, St. Paul's Academy, Lynden Christian Schools, Bellingham Christian Schools, and the Waldorf School.

Higher education

Whatcom County hosts five institutions of higher education. Western Washington University (Western) is the third-largest public university in Washington. Western offers bachelor's and master's degrees through seven colleges and enrolls more than 15,000 students. Whatcom Community College is a public community college offering academic certificate programs and associate degrees. Two universities and two colleges are located in Bellingham. One college is located on the Lummi Nation (Lummi Reservation) west of Bellingham. Bellingham Technical College is a public technical and vocational college located in Bellingham. Trinity Western University (TWU) is a private, Christian university based in Langley, BC, about 25 miles north of Bellingham. TWU operates a branch campus in Bellingham, offering undergraduate courses and supports TWU's bachelor's degree completion program.

Northwest Indian College is a college supported by the Lummi Nation and serves the Native American community. Northwest Indian College is located on the Lummi Nation (Lummi Reservation), about five miles west of Bellingham.

Communities

Cities

• Bellingham (county seat)
• Blaine
• Everson
• Ferndale
• Lynden
• Nooksack
• Sumas

Census-designated places

• Acme
• Birch Bay
• Custer
• Deming
• Geneva
• Glacier
• Kendall
• Maple Falls
• Marietta-Alderwood
• Peaceful Valley
• Point Roberts
• Sudden Valley

Unincorporated communities

• Blue Canyon
• Chuckanut
• Clearbrook
• Clipper
• Dewey
• Diablo
• Laurel
• Lummi Island
• Newhalem
• Saxon
• Semiahmoo
• Van Buren
• Wahl
• Welcome
• Wickersham

Ghost town

• Barron
• Chancellor
• Gold Hill
• Goshen
• Park
• Semiahmoo
• Shuksan

Notable people

• Steve Alvord, defensive tackle in the NFL in 1987–88
• Tim Soares (born 1997), basketball player for Ironi Ness Ziona of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Ryan Stiles, Emmy Award-nominated actor and comedian
• Hilary Swank, award-winning movie actress

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Whatcom para niños