The Skagit Valley lies in the northwestern corner of the state of Washington, United States. Its defining feature is the Skagit River, which snakes through local communities which include the seat of Skagit County, Mount Vernon, as well as Sedro-Woolley, Concrete, Lyman-Hamilton, and Burlington.
The local newspaper is Skagit Valley Herald , published in Mount Vernon, Washington.
Between 1967 and 1983, there was a plan by Puget Sound Power and Light Co. to build two nuclear power plants in Skagit Valley, but due to controversy, these plans were shelved. [1] [2]
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is a spring festival attended by thousands of visitors.
Several local musical groups, including the Fidalgo Youth Symphony [3] and the Skagit Valley Chorale, bring together local amateur musicians from across the Skagit Valley. In 2020, the Skagit Valley Chorale made international headlines during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States when an infected person attended a choir rehearsal, before COVID-19 was known to be spreading in the local community. As one of the clearest superspreading events early in the pandemic – choir members were able to tell researchers who stood next to whom throughout most of the evening – it was carefully studied by researchers, which resulted in recommendations used worldwide about how to avoid transmitting the virus. [4] [5] [6]
Skagit County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,523. The county seat and largest city is Mount Vernon. The county was formed in 1883 from Whatcom County and is named for the Skagit Indian tribe, which has been indigenous to the area prior to European-American settlement.
Burlington is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. Its population was recorded as 9,152 in the 2020 census. Burlington is located approximately halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. The city is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area.
La Conner is a town in Skagit County, Washington, United States with a population of 965 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town hosts several events as part of the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival held in April.
Mount Vernon is the county seat of Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 35,219 at the 2020 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. Downtown Mount Vernon is known for its annual Tulip Festival Street Fair, which is part of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. The climate of Skagit County is similar to that of Northern France, with millions of tulips grown in the Skagit Valley. In 1998, Mount Vernon was rated the #1 "Best City in America" by the New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities.
Richard Read is a freelance reporter based in Seattle, where he was a national reporter and bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times from 2019 to 2021. A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, he was a senior writer and foreign correspondent for The Oregonian, working for the Portland, Oregon newspaper from 1981 to 1986 and 1989 until 2016.
Bow is an unincorporated community in Skagit County, Washington. It is located near the towns of Bay View, Edison, Burlington, and Mount Vernon. Bow is included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bow overlooks Samish Bay. The population of Bow is 203 in the 2020 census.
Skagit Valley College (SVC) is a public community college in Mount Vernon, Washington. It serves students in Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties in northwest Washington state. Established in 1926, SVC grants academic transfer pathways, professional/technical degrees, and certificates. The academic transfer degree and several professional/technical degrees can be completed online. SVC also offers Basic Education for Adults and Community Education courses. Courses are offered during Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters.
The Bellingham Railway Museum was a nonprofit museum located in downtown Bellingham, Washington, USA, that displayed a pictorial and text history of railroad traffic in Bellingham and Whatcom/Skagit Counties, as well as a large electric model railroad, an exhibit of railroad lanterns, and a train simulator based on Microsoft Train Simulator software. A research library was also hosted. It opened in 2003 and was volunteer operated until its permanent closure in June of 2020 due to a loss of income during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mount Vernon High School (MVHS) is a high school in Mount Vernon, Washington, located at 1075 E Fulton St. The school was originally known as Mount Vernon Union High School.
The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe is a federally recognized Native American tribe located in the state of Washington. Before European colonization, the tribe occupied lands along the Skagit River, from as far downstream as present-day Mount Vernon, Washington, and villages going north as far as Newhalem along the Skagit River, as well as lands on the Baker, and the Sauk rivers.
KMWS is a radio station licensed to Mount Vernon, Washington. The station is owned by Washington State University, and airs Northwest Public Broadcasting's news and talk programming, consisting of syndicated programming from NPR, APM and PRX, as well as locally produced offerings.
Snee Oosh is a populated place on Fidalgo Island in the U.S. state of Washington, on the Swinomish Indian Reservation. Population was reported as 302 in 1999.
Kiket Island is a small islet in Washington, co-managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. Located at Snee Oosh, less than four miles (6.4 km) northwest of the town of LaConner in Skagit County, Washington, Kiket is connected to Fidalgo Island by a tombolo, over which runs an access road.
KZAZ is a radio station licensed to Bellingham, Washington. The station is owned by Washington State University, and airs Northwest Public Broadcasting's news and talk and classical music programming.
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is a tulip festival in the Skagit Valley of Washington state, United States. It is held annually in the spring, April 1 to April 30.
Pioneer News Group was an American media company.
Avon, Washington is an unincorporated community in Skagit County, Washington, along the Skagit River. Its neighboring towns include Mount Vernon and Burlington. Local historians have speculated that Avon is named after Stratford-upon-Avon.
The Skagit Valley Herald is a daily newspaper serving Skagit County, Washington. It has a circulation of 8,774.
The 2020 Washington wildfire season officially began in March 2020. The season was a part of the 2020 Western United States wildfires. By September, wildfires had burned over 713,000 acres, 181 homes had been lost, and one death occurred as a result. The 2020 fire season saw more individual fires than in any other recorded year.
Media related to Skagit Valley at Wikimedia Commons
48°30′N122°02′W / 48.500°N 122.033°W