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King County, Washington
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King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2000 census was 1,737,034, and in 2006 was an estimated 1,835,300. By population, King is the largest county in Washington, and the 14th largest in the United States. It is one of the most heavily educated counties in the nation, with approximately half of the population holding advanced degrees.
The county seat is Seattle, which is the state's largest city. About two-thirds of the county's population lives in the city's suburbs. King County ranks among the 100 highest-income counties in the United States.
History The county was formed out of territory within Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the Oregon Territory legislature, and was named after Alabama resident William Rufus King, Vice President under President Franklin Pierce. Seattle was made the county seat on January 11, 1853.
King County originally extended to the Olympic Peninsula. According to historian Bill Speidel, when peninsular prohibitionists threatened to shut down Seattle's saloons, Doc Maynard engineered a peninsular independence movement; King County lost what is now Kitsap County, but preserved its entertainment industry..
On February 24, 1986, the King County Council passed Council Motion 6461, "setting forth the historical basis for the 'renaming' of King County in honor of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.". Because only the state can charter counties, this change was not made official until April 19, 2005, when Washington Governor Christine Gregoire signed Senate Bill 5332 into law. Due primarily to the advocacy of councilmember Larry Gossett, the County Council voted on February 27, 2006 to change the county's logo from a royal crown to an image of King's face. On March 12, 2007, the new logo was unveiled.
Government The King County Executive, currently Ron Sims, heads the county's executive branch. The King County Council is the legislative branch of government. The King County Prosecutor, Dan Satterberg, and the King County Assessor, Scott Noble, are also elected executive positions. Judicial power is vested in the King County Superior Court and the King County District Court. Seattle houses the King County Courthouse.
King County is represented in the United States Congress through the Washington 7th Congressional District and parts of the 1st, 2nd, 8th, and 9th districts. In the state legislature, King contains the entirety of the 5th, 11th, 33rd, 34th, 36th, 37th, 41st, 43rd, 45th, 46th, 47th, and 48th legislative districts as well as parts of the 1st, 25th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, and 39th districts.
Politics Presidential Election Results 1980-2004 | Year | Democrat | Republican |
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| 2004 | 64.95% 580,378 | 33.69% 301,043 | | 2000 | 60.02% 476,700 | 34.40% 273,171 | | 1996 | 56.38% 417,846 | 31.41% 232,811 | | 1992 | 50.23% 391,050 | 27.36% 212,986 | | 1988 | 53.88% 349,663 | 44.78% 290,574 | | 1984 | 46.71% 298,620 | 52.09% 332,987 | | 1980 | 39.16% 235,046 | 45.42% 272,567 | |
Western King County, which includes Seattle, is a major center for liberal politics and is a bastion for the Democratic Party. In the 2004 election, John Kerry defeated George W. Bush in the county by 32%, a larger margin than Al Gore had in the 2000 election. King County has also been the deciding factor for the Democrats in a few recent close statewide elections. In 2000, it was King County that pushed Maria Cantwell's total over that of incumbent Republican Slade Gorton, winning her a seat in the United States Senate. In 2004, King County gave a lead to Democrat Christine Gregoire in the second recount in the state's razor-thin governor's race, pushing her ahead of Republican Dino Rossi, who led by 42 votes after the initial count. Both candidates were from King County--Rossi from Sammamish, and Gregoire from Auburn.
The suburbs east and south of Seattle have historically tended to be moderate. In the 2005 County Executive race, Republican David Irons beat Democrat Ron Sims outside of Seattle (which voted 74% for Sims). In 2004, John Kerry received landslide victories in much of the Bellevue and Redmond area's. Generally the suburbs are becoming more progressive on the state and county levels.
In 2004, voters passed a referendum reducing the size of the County Council from 13 members to 9. This resulted in all council seats ending up on the 2005 ballot.
Some residents of eastern King County have long desired to secede and form their own county. This movement was most vocal in the mid-1990s (see Cedar County, Washington). It has recently been revived as . According to a map published by the Seattle Times, four different geographic borders are being considered. Additional plans (see Skykomish County, Washington) also exist or have existed.
Council members
Geography
King County has nearly twice the land area of the state of Rhode Island. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,307 square miles (5,974 kmē). It is the 11th largest county in Washington (of 39) by area. 2,126 square miles (5,506 kmē) of it is land and 180 square miles (467 kmē) of it is water. 7.82% of the total area is water. The highest point in the county is Mount Daniel at 2426 meters (7,959 feet) above sea level.
King County borders Snohomish County to the north, Kitsap County to the west, Kittitas County to the east, and Pierce County to the south. It also shares a small border with Chelan County to the northeast. King County includes Vashon Island and Maury Island in Puget Sound.
Geographic features
Major highways
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,737,034 people, 710,916 households, and 420,151 families residing in the county. The population density was 817 people per square mile (315/kmē). There were 742,237 housing units at an average density of 349 per square mile (135/kmē). The racial makeup of the county was 75.73% White, 5.40% Black or African American, 0.92% Native American, 10.81% Asian, 0.52% Pacific Islander, 2.56% from other races, and 4.06% from two or more races. 5.48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.2% were of German, 9.1% English, 8.3% Irish and 5.5% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000. 81.7% spoke English, 4.2% Spanish, 1.8% Chinese or Mandarin, 1.5% Vietnamese, 1.3% Tagalog and 1.0% Korean as their first language.
There were 710,916 households out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.40% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.90% were non-families. 30.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the county, the population was spread out with 22.50% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 34.70% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 10.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.
The center of population of Washington in the year 2000 was located in the city of Enumclaw, in King County.
The median income for a household in the county was $53,157, and the median income for a family was $66,035. Males had a median income of $45,802 versus $34,321 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,521. About 5.30% of families and 8.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.40% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.
Census-recognized communities See also .
Incorporated areas
Census-designated places (CDPs)
Other communities This list may contain communities located entirely within incorporated cities, towns, or CDPs, which should be removed.
Ghost towns
Schools
See also - King County Metro Transit Authority
External links- presents King County, Washington, through 12,000 historical images carefully chosen from twelve cultural heritage organizations' collections. These cataloged 19th and 20th century images portray people, places, and events in the county's urban, suburban, and rural communities.
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