King County, Washington

King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census,[1] making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle,[2] also the state's most populous city.

"King County" redirects here. For other uses, see King County (disambiguation).

King County
County
City Hall Park and King County Courthouse in downtown Seattle
City Hall Park and King County Courthouse in downtown Seattle
Flag of King County
Flag
Official logo of King County
Logo
Map of Washington highlighting King County
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Map of the United States highlighting Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 47°28′N 121°50′W
Country United States
State Washington
FoundedDecember 22, 1852
Named for
SeatSeattle
Largest citySeattle
Area
 • Total2,307 sq mi (5,980 km2)
 • Land2,116 sq mi (5,480 km2)
 • Water191 sq mi (490 km2)  8.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total2,269,675
 • Estimate 
(2022)
2,266,789 Decrease
 • Density980/sq mi (380/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional districts1st, 7th, 8th, 9th
Websitewww.kingcounty.gov

The county is named after Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent civil rights activist during the Civil Rights Movement. It is one of three Washington counties that are included in the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan statistical area. (The others are Snohomish County to the north, and Pierce County to the south.) About two-thirds of King County's population lives in Seattle's suburbs.

History

When Europeans arrived in the region that would become King County, it was inhabited by several Coast Salish groups. Villages around the site that would become Seattle were primarily populated by the Duwamish people. The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe occupied the area that would become eastern King County. The Green River and White River were home for the Muckleshoot tribal groups.[3] In the first winter after the Denny Party landed at Alki Point, the settlement at the point consisted of a few dozen settlers and over a thousand Native Americans. The local tribes provided the settlers with construction labor, domestic service, and help with subsistence activities.[4]

On December 22, 1852 the Oregon Territory legislature formed King County out of territory from within Thurston County. The county was named after Alabamian William R. King, who had just been elected Vice President of the United States under President Franklin Pierce. Seattle was made the county seat on January 11, 1853.[5][6] The area became part of the Washington Territory when it was created later that year.

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.[7]

Coal was discovered in 1853 by M. Bigelow along the Black River, and in subsequent decades several companies formed to mine coal around Lake Washington and deliver it to Seattle. The Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad started servicing the Renton coal fields in 1877, and the Newcastle fields in 1878. By 1880, King County produced 22% of the coal mined on the West Coast, most of that coal being found within the Renton Formation's Muldoon coal seam.[8][9][10][11][12]

Name
King County's former flag, used from the 1980s to the 2000s

On February 24, 1986, the King County Council approved a motion to rename the county to honor civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (no relation to William R. King), preserving the name "King County" while changing its namesake.[13][14][15] The motion stated, among other reasons for the change, that "William Rufus DeVane King was a slaveowner" who "earned income and maintained his lifestyle by oppressing and exploiting other human beings," while Martin Luther King's "contributions are well-documented and celebrated by millions throughout this nation and the world, and embody the attributes for which the citizens of King County can be proud, and claim as their own."[16]

Because only the state can charter counties, the change was not made official until April 19, 2005, when Governor Christine Gregoire signed into law Senate Bill 5332, which provided that "King county is renamed in honor of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr." effective July 24, 2005.[17][18][19]

The County Council voted on February 27, 2006, to adopt the proposal sponsored by Councilmember Larry Gossett to change the county's logo from an imperial crown to an image of Martin Luther King Jr.[20] On March 12, 2007, the new logo was unveiled.[21][22] The new logo design was developed by the Gable Design Group and the specific image was selected by a committee consisting of King County Executive Ron Sims, Council Chair Larry Gossett, Prosecutor Norm Maleng, Sheriff Sue Rahr, District Court Judge Corrina Harn, and Superior Court Judge Michael Trickey.[23] The same logo is used in the flag.

Martin Luther King Jr. had visited King County once, for three days in November 1961.[24][25]

Geography
Map of King County

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,307 square miles (5,980 km2), of which 2,116 square miles (5,480 km2) is land and 191 square miles (490 km2) (8.3%) is water.[26] King County has nearly twice the land area of the state of Rhode Island. The highest point in the county is Mount Daniel at 7,959 feet (2,426 meters) 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
The Cascade Range (including Granite Mountain shown here) dominates the eastern part of King County.

Terrain

Water

Major highways

Public transit

King County Metro is the eighth-largest transit bus agency in the United States. Sound Transit manages Link light rail, Sounder commuter rail, and Sound Transit Express buses in King County that provide connections to adjacent counties. King County also runs passenger ferry service, the King County Water Taxi, to West Seattle & Vashon Island from downtown Seattle.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1860302—
18702,120602.0%
18806,910225.9%
189063,989826.0%
1900110,05372.0%
1910284,638158.6%
1920389,27336.8%
1930463,51719.1%
1940504,9808.9%
1950732,99245.2%
1960935,01427.6%
19701,156,63323.7%
19801,269,7499.8%
19901,507,31918.7%
20001,737,03415.2%
20101,931,24911.2%
20202,269,67517.5%
2022 (est.)2,266,789[27]−0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[28]
1790–1960[29] 1900–1990[30]
1990–2000[31] 2010–2020[1]

The center of population of the state of Washington in 2010 was located in eastern King County (47.330750°N 121.619994°W / 47.330750; -121.619994 (Washington center of population, 2010)).[32] King County's own center of population was located on Mercer Island (47.548320°N 122.229983°W / 47.548320; -122.229983 (King County center of population, 2010)).[33]

As of the fourth quarter of 2021, the median home value in King County was $817,547, an increase of 19.6% from the prior year.[34]

In 2021 King County experienced its first population decline in 50 years.[35]

Racial and ethnic composition since 1960
Racial composition 2020[36]2010[36]20001990198019701960
White (non-Hispanic) 54.2%64.8%73.4%83.2%87.2%--
Asian (non-Hispanic) 19.8%14.5%10.8%7.8%--2.0%
Hispanic or Latino 10.7%8.9%5.4%2.9%2.1%1.8%-
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 6.5%6.0%5.4%5.0%4.4%3.5%2.9%
Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 0.9%0.7%0.5%----
Native American (non-Hispanic) 0.5%0.7%0.9%1.1%--0.3%
Mixed (non-Hispanic) 6.8%4.1%4.0%----
Ethnic origins in King County

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 1,931,249 people, 789,232 households, and 461,510 families residing in the county.[37] The population density was 912.9 inhabitants per square mile (352.5/km2). There were 851,261 housing units at an average density of 402.4 per square mile (155.4/km2).[38] The racial makeup of the county was 68.7% White (64.8% Non-Hispanic White), 6.2% African American, 14.6% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, 0.8% Native American, 3.9% from other races, and 5.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.9% of the population.[37] In terms of ancestry, 17.1% were German, 11.6% were English, 11.1% were Irish, 5.5% were Norwegian, and 2.9% were American.[39]

Of the 789,232 households, 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 41.5% were non-families, and 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 37.1 years.[37]

The median income for a household in the county was $68,065 and the median income for a family was $87,010. Males had a median income of $62,373 versus $45,761 for females. The per capita income for the county was $38,211. About 6.4% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.[40]

Native American tribes

King County is home two federally-recognized tribes, the Muckleshoot tribe and the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe tribe, and other unrecognized groups.[41] The Muckleshoot Indian Reservation is located southeast of Auburn and is home to a resident population of 3,606 as of the 2000 census.

The Snoqualmie tribe's casino property was federally recognized as their reservation in 2006, however few tribe members live near the reservation.[42]

Government
The present King County Courthouse (2007)

The King County Executive heads the county's executive branch; the position has been held by Dow Constantine since 2009.[43] The King County Prosecuting Attorney (Dan Satterberg since 2007), Elections Director, and the King County Assessor are elected executive positions.[44] The King County Sheriff is appointed by the county executive and approved by the county council. It was previously an elected position from 1996 until 2020 and has been held by Patti Cole-Tindall since 2022.[45][46] 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 a near-entirety of the population in the 7th and 9th Congressional Districts, a majority of the population in the 8th Congressional District and a plurality of the population in the 1st Congressional District. 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 the near-entirety of the 30th legislative district, about one-half of the 32nd legislative district, about one-third of the 1st and 31st legislative district, and a mere 627 people in the 39th legislative district. The only legislative districts represented by Republicans that include any part of King County are the 31st and 39th districts.

The people of King County voted on September 5, 1911, to create a Port District. King County's Port of Seattle was established as the first Port District in Washington State. The Port of Seattle is King County's only Port District. It is governed by five Port Commissioners, who are elected countywide and serve four-year terms. The Port of Seattle owns and operates many properties on behalf of King County's citizens, including Sea-Tac International Airport; many seaport facilities around Elliott Bay, including its original property, publicly owned Fishermen's Terminal, home to the North Pacific fishing fleet and the largest homeport for fishermen in the U.S. West Coast; four container ship terminals; two cruise ship terminals; the largest grain export terminal in the U.S. Pacific Northwest; three public marinas; 22 public parks; and nearly 5,000 acres of industrial lands in the Ballard-Interbay and Lower Duwamish industrial centers.

Council members
Main article: King County Council

Politics

King County and Seattle are strongly liberal; the area is a bastion for the Democratic Party. No Republican presidential candidate has garnered the majority of the county's votes since Ronald Reagan's landslide reelection victory in 1984. In the 2008 election, Barack Obama defeated John McCain in the county by 42 percentage points, a larger margin for the Democrats than that seen in any previous election up to that point in time. Slightly more than 29% of Washington state's population reside in King County, making it a significant factor for the Democrats in a few recent close statewide elections. In the 2000 Senate elections, King County's margin of victory pushed Maria Cantwell's total over that of incumbent Republican Slade Gorton, defeating and unseating him in the United States Senate. In 2004, King County gave a lead to Democrat Christine Gregoire in her 2004 victory gubernatorial election, pushing her ahead of Republican Dino Rossi, who led by 261 votes after the initial count.[47] Rossi resided in the county at the time of the election, in Sammamish. In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by earning 75% of King County votes. Governor Jay Inslee also defeated Republican challenger Loren Culp with 74% of the King County vote in the concurrent gubernatorial election. These were the largest margins by any candidate in a presidential race and a gubernatorial race since the county's creation.[48]

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).[49][50] It has recently been revived as Cascade County.[51] According to a map published by the Seattle Times,[52] four different geographic borders are being considered. Additional plans (see Skykomish County, Washington) also exist or have existed.

United States presidential election results for King County, Washington[53]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 269,167 22.24% 907,310 74.95% 34,030 2.81%
2016 216,339 21.04% 718,322 69.85% 93,789 9.12%
2012 275,700 28.36% 668,004 68.72% 28,317 2.91%
2008 259,716 28.03% 648,230 69.97% 18,511 2.00%
2004 301,043 33.65% 580,378 64.87% 13,307 1.49%
2000 273,171 34.40% 476,700 60.02% 44,325 5.58%
1996 232,811 31.41% 417,846 56.38% 90,447 12.20%
1992 212,986 27.36% 391,050 50.23% 174,557 22.42%
1988 290,574 44.78% 349,663 53.88% 8,720 1.34%
1984 332,987 52.09% 298,620 46.71% 7,654 1.20%
1980 272,567 45.42% 235,046 39.16% 92,544 15.42%
1976 279,382 50.79% 248,743 45.22% 21,994 4.00%
1972 298,707 56.39% 212,509 40.12% 18,478 3.49%
1968 218,457 46.00% 223,469 47.05% 33,009 6.95%
1964 177,598 39.41% 268,216 59.52% 4,826 1.07%
1960 224,150 50.85% 208,756 47.36% 7,904 1.79%
1956 213,504 55.28% 167,443 43.35% 5,276 1.37%
1952 200,507 53.93% 165,583 44.54% 5,681 1.53%
1948 131,039 44.93% 143,295 49.14% 17,301 5.93%
1944 118,719 41.42% 165,308 57.68% 2,577 0.90%
1940 95,504 39.50% 143,134 59.19% 3,165 1.31%
1936 66,544 31.68% 138,597 65.98% 4,904 2.33%
1932 63,346 34.42% 108,738 59.09% 11,947 6.49%
1928 96,263 65.63% 46,604 31.77% 3,811 2.60%
1924 60,438 53.51% 7,404 6.56% 45,098 39.93%
1920 58,584 54.69% 17,369 16.21% 31,171 29.10%
1916 38,959 40.71% 52,362 54.71% 4,387 4.58%
1912 15,579 21.85% 20,088 28.17% 35,642 49.98%
1908 22,297 55.75% 14,644 36.62% 3,052 7.63%
1904 20,434 70.39% 5,266 18.14% 3,329 11.47%
1900 10,218 54.26% 7,804 41.44% 810 4.30%
1896 6,413 44.83% 7,733 54.06% 159 1.11%
1892 6,520 44.17% 4,974 33.69% 3,268 22.14%

Religion

In 2010 statistics, the largest religious group in King County was the Archdiocese of Seattle, with 278,340 Catholics worshipping at 71 parishes, followed by 95,218 non-denominational adherents with 159 congregations, 56,985 LDS Mormons with 110 congregations, 25,937 AoG Pentecostals with 63 congregations, 25,789 ELCA Lutherans with 68 congregations, 24,909 PC-USA Presbyterians with 54 congregations, 18,185 Mahayana Buddhists with 39 congregations, 18,161 UMC Methodists with 50 congregations, 14,971 TEC Episcopalians with 35 congregations, and 12,531 ABCUSA Baptists with 42 congregations. Altogether, 37.6% of the population was claimed as members by religious congregations, although members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information.[54] In 2014, King County had 944 religious organizations, the 8th most out of all US counties.[55]

Education

K–12 schools

School districts include:[56]

Public libraries

Most of King County is served by the King County Library System, while the city of Seattle is served by its own system.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Former cities and towns

Ghost towns

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  2. "Court Directory: County-City Reference List". Washington Courts. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  3. Long, Priscilla (June 3, 2006). "King County – Thumbnail History". HistoryLink.org. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  4. Thrush, Coll-Peter (2002). "Creation Stories". In Mary C. Wright (ed.). More Voices, New Stories. pp. 45–46. ISBN 0295983108.
  5. "Milestones for Washington State History — Part 2: 1851 to 1900". HistoryLink.org. March 6, 2003.
  6. Reinartz, Kay. "History of King County Government 1853–2002" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 1, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  7. Bill Speidel, Doc Maynard, The Man Who Invented Seattle (Seattle: Nettle Creek Publishing Co., 1978) (ISBN 0-914890-02-6).
  8. Landes, Henry (1902). "The Coal Deposits of Washington, in Washington Geologic Survey Annual Report for 1901, Part IV". Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  9. Melder, F.E. (1938). "History of the Discoveries and Physical Development of the Coal Industry in the State of Washington". The Pacific Northwest Quarterly. 29 (2): 151–165. JSTOR 40486284.
  10. Smith, E. Eggleston. "Coals of the State of Washington, USGS Bulletin 474" (PDF). USGS. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  11. Speidel, William (1967). Sons of the Profits. Seattle: Nettle Creek Publishing Company. pp. 144–151.
  12. Booth, Derek; Walsh, Timothy; Troost, Kathy; Shimel, Scott. "Geologic Map of the East Half of the Bellevue South 7.5' x 15' Quadrangle, Issaquah Area, King County, Washington,U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3211, scale 1:24,000" (PDF). USGS. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  13. "County's Name Is Same, But Meaning Is All New". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. February 25, 1986.
  14. "What's in a Name? King County renamed for civil rights leader". Spokane Chronicle. Associated Press. February 25, 1986.
  15. Sims, Ron. "Motion redesignating King County's name". Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  16. "King County Council names county after Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on February 24, 1986. - HistoryLink.org". www.historylink.org.
  17. "2005 Senate Bill 5332: Honoring the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr". WashingtonVotes.org. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  18. "Bill Information, SB 5332 - 2005-06 - Honoring the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr". Washington State Legislature. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  19. ENGROSSED SENATE BILL 5332, 59th Legislature of the State of Washington, 2005 Regular Session.
  20. Ervin, Keith (February 28, 2006). "County logo to get makeover, show MLK". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 14, 2006.
  21. "Executive praises County Council for approval of new logo". December 29, 2007. Archived from the original on November 2, 2007.
  22. "King County updates logo to reflect namesake", https://www.kingcounty.gov/about/logo.aspx (archive)
  23. "Background about the logo- King County - King County". www.kingcounty.gov.
  24. "Martin Luther King Jr. arrives for his sole Seattle visit on November 8, 1961". historylink.org. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  25. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  26. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  27. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  28. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  29. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  30. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  31. "Centers of Population by State: 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  32. "Centers of Population by County: 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  33. "County Median Home Price". National Association of Realtors. January 4, 2019. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  34. "Seattle's population dropped, but another King County city saw fastest growth in WA". The Seattle Times. May 26, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  35. "Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino By Race". data.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. August 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  36. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  37. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  38. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  39. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  40. "Federally Recognized Indian Tribes". GOIA. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  41. Mapes, Lynda V.; Miletich, Steve (November 2, 2009). "Snoqualmie Tribe's big bet". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019.
  42. Gutman, David (November 2, 2021). "King County Executive Dow Constantine holds wide lead in bid for 4th term". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  43. "Meet your elected officials". King County. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  44. Greenstone, Scott (November 3, 2020). "Amendments to appoint, restructure King County sheriff leading in election night results". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  45. Gutman, David (November 23, 2021). "Patti Cole-Tindall to become King County interim sheriff; department workers, new hires could get bonuses up to $15K". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  46. "It's Rossi by 261; recount is next". The Seattle Times. November 18, 2004. Archived from the original on March 23, 2006.
  47. "Washington Election Results". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  48. Radford, Dean (January 26, 2005). "Proposal would ease creation of new county". King County Journal. Archived from the original on April 4, 2005.
  49. Radford, Dean (February 6, 2005). "Calls for new county intensify – Rural rage revives drive to escape Seattle influence". King County Journal. Archived from the original on November 18, 2005.
  50. Cascadecounty.org Archived February 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  51. "Cascade County (GIF)".
  52. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
  53. "County Membership Report King County (Washington)". The Association of Religion Data Archives. 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  54. "Social Capital Variables Spreadsheet for 2014". PennState College of Agricultural Sciences, Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development. December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  55. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: King County, WA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022. - Text list
  • King County website
  • King County Snapshots presents King County, Washington, through 12,000 historical images carefully chosen from twelve cultural heritage organizations' collections. These catalogued 19th and 20th century images portray people, places, and events in the county's urban, suburban, and rural communities.

47.47°N 121.84°W / 47.47; -121.84

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