Thurston County, Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Thurston County, Washington | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Washington |
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 Washington's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | January 12, 1852 |
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| Seat | Olympia |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
774 sq mi (2,005 km²) 727 sq mi (1,883 km²) 47 sq mi (122 km²), 6.03% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
234,670 285/sq mi (110/km²) |
| Website: www.co.thurston.wa.us | |
Thurston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after Samuel R. Thurston, the Oregon Territory's first delegate to Congress. As of July 1, 2006, the population was 234,670. The county seat is at Olympia, the state capital and also the county's largest city.
Thurston County was created out of Lewis County by the government of Oregon Territory on January 12, 1852. At that time, it covered all of the Puget Sound region and the Olympic Peninsula. On December 22 of the same year, Pierce, King, Island, and Jefferson Counties were split off from Thurston County.[1][2]
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 774 square miles (2,004 km²), of which, 727 square miles (1,883 km²) of it is land and 47 square miles (121 km²) of it (6.03%) is water.
Major watersheds: Nisqually, Henderson, Budd/Deschutes, Eld, Totten & Chehalis
[edit] Geographic features
- Alder Lake
- Black Lake
- Budd Inlet
- Deschutes River
- Mima Mounds
- Nisqually River
- Puget Sound
- Summit Lake
- Totten Inlet
[edit] Major highways
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Pierce County, Washington - northeast
- Lewis County, Washington - south
- Grays Harbor County, Washington - west
- Mason County, Washington - north/northwest
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 207,355 people, 81,625 households, and 54,933 families residing in the county. The population density was 285 people per square mile (110/km²). There were 86,652 housing units at an average density of 119 per square mile (46/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.66% White, 2.35% Black or African American, 1.52% Native American, 4.41% Asian, 0.52% Pacific Islander, 1.69% from other races, and 3.85% from two or more races. 4.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.1% were of German, 10.2% English, 9.8% Irish, 6.9% United States or American and 5.5% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 81,625 households out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.70% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out with 25.30% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $46,975, and the median income for a family was $55,027. Males had a median income of $40,521 versus $30,368 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,415. About 5.80% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.80% of those under age 18 and 5.00% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Census-recognized communities
[edit] Other communities
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[edit] School Districts
School Districts in Thurston County:
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[edit] References
- ^ Reinartz, Kay. History of King County Government 1853 – 2002. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
- ^ Milestones for Washington State History — Part 2: 1851 to 1900. HistoryLink.org (March 6, 2003).
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- OlympiaCommunitySchool.org - Independent K-3 Education
- Thurston Conservation District - Local Solutions to Local Problems
- Thurston County
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