Asotin County, Washington

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Asotin County, Washington
Asotin County Courthouse.JPG
Asotin County Courthouse
Map of Washington highlighting Asotin County
Location in the U.S. state of Washington
Map of the United States highlighting Washington
Washington's location in the U.S.
Founded October 27, 1883
Seat Asotin
Largest city Clarkston
Area
 • Total 641 sq mi (1,660 km2)
 • Land 636 sq mi (1,647 km2)
 • Water 4.4 sq mi (11 km2), 0.7%
Population (est.)
 • (2014) 22,189
 • Density 35/sq mi (14/km²)
Congressional district 5th
Time zone Pacific: UTC-8/-7
Website www.co.asotin.wa.us

Asotin County /əˈstən/ is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 21,623.[1] The county seat is at Asotin,[2] and its largest city is Clarkston. The county was created out of Garfield County on October 27, 1883[3] and derives its name from a Nez Perce word meaning "Eel Creek".

Asotin County is part of the Lewiston, ID-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of both Nez Perce County, Idaho, and Asotin County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 641 square miles (1,660 km2), of which 636 square miles (1,650 km2) is land and 4.4 square miles (11 km2) (0.7%) is water.[4] It is the fifth-smallest county in Washington by total area. It is part of the Palouse, a wide and rolling prairie-like region of the middle Columbia basin.

Geographic features

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1890 1,580
1900 3,366 113.0%
1910 5,831 73.2%
1920 6,539 12.1%
1930 8,136 24.4%
1940 8,365 2.8%
1950 10,878 30.0%
1960 12,909 18.7%
1970 13,799 6.9%
1980 16,823 21.9%
1990 17,605 4.6%
2000 20,551 16.7%
2010 21,623 5.2%
Est. 2014 22,189 [5] 2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8]
1990–2000[9] 2010–2014[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 21,623 people residing in the county. 94.3% were White, 1.4% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.8% of some other race and 2.4% of two or more races. 3.0% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 20,551 people, 8,364 households, and 5,654 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 9,111 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.62% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 1.27% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. 1.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.9% were of German, 12.4% English, 11.9% Irish and 11.0% United States or American ancestry. 97.9% spoke English and 1.6% Spanish as their first language.

There were 8,364 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.40% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.50% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,524, and the median income for a family was $40,592. Males had a median income of $35,810 versus $22,218 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,748. About 11.60% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.70% of those under age 18 and 6.70% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Generally, Asotin County is considered a staunchly Republican area, although it has been known to vote for Democrats, especially on the state level. Currently the county is represented at the county level by two Democrats and one Republican.

In the 2004 Presidential election gave slightly over 60 percent of the vote to Republican George W. Bush. It was one of 11 of Washington's 39 counties where Bush received a lower percentage of the vote in 2004 than in 2000. Conversely, even though nearly 60 percent of voters selected the Democratic Governor Gary Locke in 2000, in 2004 the Democratic gubernatorial nominee Christine Gregoire received only 41 percent of the vote.

In 2004, 27% of presidential votes were cast from incorporated Clarkston, while 61% was from unincorporated suburbs of Clarkston (34% from Clarkston Heights, 12% from West Clarkston, 9% from South Clarkston, and 6% from Swallows Nest). An additional 6% was cast from the incorporated city of Asotin, with rural areas around Asotin accounting for 4% of the vote and areas around the unincorporated community of Anatone making up 2% of the vote.

By and large, the most competitive areas are Clarkston and its suburbs. Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry won two precincts in 2004, one each in Clarkston and West Clarkston. Bush received 54 percent of the vote in West Clarkston, 55 in Clarkston, and 57 percent in South Clarkston. However, he received larger victories of 64 percent in Clarkston Heights and 67 percent in Swallows Nest. Areas around both Asotin and Anatone delivered 2-to-1 victories, with the lone exception of one of the two incorporated Asotin precincts.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

See also

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Further reading

Images

External links

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.