Thurston County, Washington

Thurston County
U.S. county
Former Thurston County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°56′N122°50′W / 46.93°N 122.83°W / 46.93; -122.83
Country	United States
State	Washington
Founded	January 12, 1852
Named for	Samuel Thurston
Seat	Olympia
Largest city	Olympia
Area
• Total	774 sq mi (2,000 km2)
• Land	722 sq mi (1,870 km2)
• Water	52 sq mi (130 km2)  6.7%%
Population  (2010)
• Total	252,264
• Estimate  (2019)	290,536
• Density	368/sq mi (142/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional districts	3rd, 10th
Website	www.co.thurston.wa.us

Thurston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, its population was 252,264. ^[1] The county seat and largest city is Olympia, ^[2] the state capital.

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. ^{[3] [4]} It is named after Samuel R. Thurston, the Oregon Territory's first delegate to Congress. ^[5] In his role as congressional delegate, Thurston attempted to justify Oregon State's Exclusionary Acts, which barred people of color from suffrage and allowed for their exclusion from the state.

Thurston County comprises the Olympia-Tumwater, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 774 square miles (2,000 km²), of which 722 square miles (1,870 km²) is land and 52 square miles (130 km²) (6.7%) is water. ^[6]

Major watersheds: Black River, Budd/Deschutes, Chehalis River, Eld Inlet, Henderson Inlet, Nisqually River, Skookumchuck River, Totten Inlet and West Capitol Forest.

Geographic features

• Alder Lake
• Bald Hill Lake
• Barnes Lake
• Bass Lake
• Bigelow Lake
• Black Lake
• Black River
• Budd Inlet
• Capitol Lake
• Capitol Peak
• Capitol State Forest
• Chambers Lake
• Chehalis River
• Clear Lake
• Coopers Pothole
• Deep Lake
• Deschutes River
• Elbow Lake
• Eld Inlet
• Fifteen Lake
• Gehrke Lake
• Grass Lake
• Henderson Inlet
• Hewitt Lake
• Hicks Lake
• Lake Lawrence
• Lois Lake
• Long Lake
• McIntosh Lake
• Mima Mounds
• Munn Lake
• Nisqually River
• Offut Lake
• Patterson Lake
• Puget Sound
• Reichel Lake
• Rocky Prairie
• Saint Clair Lake
• Scott Lake
• Simmons Lake
• Skookumchuck River
• Smith Lake
• Southwick Lake
• Springer Lake
• Summit Lake
• Susan Lake
• Totten Inlet
• Trails End Lake
• Trosper Lake
• Ward Lake

Major highways

• Interstate 5
• U.S. 12
• U.S. 101
• SR 507
• SR 510

Adjacent counties

• Pierce County – northeast
• Lewis County – south
• Grays Harbor County – west
• Mason County – north/northwest

National protected areas

• Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	1,507		—
1870	2,246		49.0%
1880	3,270		45.6%
1890	9,675		195.9%
1900	9,927		2.6%
1910	17,581		77.1%
1920	22,366		27.2%
1930	31,351		40.2%
1940	37,285		18.9%
1950	44,884		20.4%
1960	55,049		22.6%
1970	76,894		39.7%
1980	124,264		61.6%
1990	161,238		29.8%
2000	207,355		28.6%
2010	252,264		21.7%
2019 (est.)	290,536	[7]	15.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 1790–1960 [9] 1900–1990 [10] 1990–2000 [11] 2010–2019 [1]

2000 census

As of the census ^[12] of 2000, there were 207,355 people, 81,625 households and 54,933 families living in the county. The population density was 285 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.

There were 81,625 households, 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.

Age distribution was 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 household income was $46,975, and the median family income 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.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 252,264 people, 100,650 households, and 66,161 families living in the county. ^[13] The population density was 349.4 inhabitants per square mile (134.9/km²). There were 108,182 housing units at an average density of 149.8 per square mile (57.8/km²). ^[14] The racial makeup of the county was 82.4% white, 5.2% Asian, 2.7% black or African American, 1.4% American Indian, 0.8% Pacific islander, 2.2% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.1% of the population. ^[13] In terms of ancestry, 21.2% were German, 13.4% were English, 13.2% were Irish, 5.0% were Norwegian, and 4.7% were American. ^[15]

Of the 100,650 households, 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.3% were non-families, and 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 38.5 years. ^[13]

The median income for a household in the county was $60,930 and the median income for a family was $71,833. Males had a median income of $53,679 versus $41,248 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,707. About 7.1% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over. ^[16]

Education

School Districts in Thurston County:

• North Thurston
• Olympia
• Rainier
• Rochester
• Tenino
• Tumwater
• Yelm

Higher Education in Thurston County:

• Evergreen State College
• Saint Martin's University
• South Puget Sound Community College

Media

• The Olympian , founded in 1889, is the newspaper of record for Thurston County. ^[17]
• The Weekly Volcano has covered Thurston County entertainment since 2001.

Communities

Cities

• Lacey
• Olympia (county seat)
• Rainier
• Tenino
• Tumwater
• Yelm

Towns

• Bucoda

Census-designated places

• Grand Mound
• Nisqually Indian Community
• North Yelm
• Rochester
• Tanglewilde-Thompson Place

Unincorporated communities

• Boston Harbor
• Driftwood
• East Olympia
• Gate
• Indian Summer
• Kellys Corner
• Lake Lawrence
• Littlerock
• Maytown
• Mushroom Corner
• Offutt Lake
• Saint Clair
• Schneiders Prairie
• Skookumcuck
• South Bay
• Steamboat Island
• Union Mill
• Vail

Ghost towns

• Tono

Politics

Presidential election results

Presidential election results ^[18]

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2016	36.2% 48,624	51.3%68,798	12.5% 16,769
2012	38.6% 49,287	58.0%74,037	3.5% 4,416
2008	38.0% 48,366	59.6%75,882	2.5% 3,142
2004	42.6% 47,992	55.6%62,650	1.9% 2,147
2000	41.0% 39,924	51.8%50,467	7.2% 7,031
1996	34.2% 29,835	52.2%45,522	13.7% 11,923
1992	30.3% 25,643	45.3%38,293	24.4% 20,633
1988	47.8% 31,980	50.6%33,860	1.6% 1,090
1984	55.5%34,442	43.3% 26,840	1.2% 763
1980	48.1%26,369	37.4% 20,508	14.5% 7,946
1976	47.7% 21,000	48.2%21,247	4.1% 1,809
1972	57.5%22,297	37.6% 14,596	4.9% 1,899
1968	45.1% 13,742	46.7%14,228	8.3% 2,529
1964	34.6% 9,351	65.1%17,578	0.3% 92
1960	54.4%13,921	45.4% 11,620	0.3% 65
1956	58.7%14,093	41.2% 9,897	0.1% 19
1952	58.3%13,904	41.0% 9,764	0.7% 172
1948	45.7% 9,511	50.3%10,461	4.0% 832
1944	44.5% 7,900	54.6%9,708	0.9% 158
1940	39.2% 7,275	59.7%11,092	1.1% 206
1936	28.1% 4,425	67.5%10,647	4.5% 703
1932	30.9% 4,241	46.0%6,308	23.1% 3,173
1928	69.6%7,203	29.1% 3,013	1.3% 135
1924	57.8%5,125	10.6% 943	31.6% 2,803
1920	52.8%3,899	18.5% 1,367	28.7% 2,122
1916	47.8%3,223	39.4% 2,658	12.9% 867
1912	30.7%1,937	23.1% 1,456	46.2% 2,918 [19]
1908	57.3%1,940	28.5% 964	14.3% 483
1904	68.5%2,121	21.6% 668	9.9% 307
1900	54.6%1,298	41.1% 978	4.3% 103
1896	42.3% 1,052	56.9%1,415	0.9% 22
1892	41.7%1,043	32.4% 810	25.9% 648

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Thurston County, Washington

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Reinartz, Kay. "History of King County Government 1853–2002" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 1, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
4. "Milestones for Washington State History — Part 2: 1851 to 1900". HistoryLink.org. March 6, 2003.
5. "Thurston County Place Names: A Heritage Guide" (PDF). Thurston County Historical Commission. 1992. p. 87. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
7. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates" . Retrieved April 11, 2020.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
13. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
14. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
15. "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 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
16. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
17. Newspapers: The Olympian, McClatchy Company, archived from the original on 2013-03-07, retrieved 2013-02-13
18. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
19. The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 1,471 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 1,160 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 270 votes, and Socialist Labor candidate Arthur Reimer received 17 votes.

External links

• Geographic data related to Thurston County, Washington at OpenStreetMap
• Thurston County, official county site
• Thurton County Chamber of Commerce
• Thurston County Transmission
• OlympiaCommunitySchool.org – Independent K-3 Education
• Thurston Conservation District – Local Solutions to Local Problems
• Thurston County Solid Waste – Waste prevention tips to become more green
• Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater Visitor & Convention Bureau

Coordinates: 46°56′N122°50′W / 46.93°N 122.83°W / 46.93; -122.83