Carbonado () is a town in Pierce County,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, United States. Carbonado is located near the

Carbon River The Carbon River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. It flows about 30 miles (48 km) from its source, the Carbon Glacier on Mount Rainier, to join the Puyallup River at Orting. Charles Wilkes called the river the "Upthascap River", ...

in northern Pierce County, approximately 50 miles (80 km) southeast of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. Carbonado is the last town before entering Mount Rainier National Park and is also a popular spot for jeeping. Carbonado served as an important

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

community in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when the town operated the largest coal mine in Pierce County. The population was 734 at the 2020 census.

History

Carbonado was one of quite a few towns in the

valley to be settled during an economic boom in the region. The boom was brought on by raw material demands in nearby growing towns such as

and Tacoma. Starting with the town of Wilkeson and moving on through Burnett, Carbonado, Montezuma, Fairfax, and finally Manley Moore, these settlements sprawled up the valley to the very boundary of

Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is an American national park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. The park was established on March 2, 1899, as the fourth national park in the United States, preservi ...

. Most of these towns were company towns, meaning that they specialized in the harvest of raw materials on the plot of land that the town was situated on which was owned by a commercial company. Often—and such was the case of Carbonado—the company also owned the houses and the energy resources as well. The energy resource in Carbonado was also the raw material that the citizens of the company town were harvesting, coal. More than 100 miners died in mining accidents in and around Carbonado, including 31 killed in an explosion in Carbon Hill Coal Company's Mine Number 7 on December 9, 1899. During the time of the initial boom in the valley Carbonado grew to rival the size of Tacoma at the time. The railroad, which was integral to the transportation of people, of the raw materials harvested and the supplies need by the towns, stretched all the way up the valley too. Not only did it service the towns but also several homesteads farther up the valley. These homesteads were settled predominantly by Polish immigrants. They supplied the towns down the valley with fresh milk and eggs. Two survive to present day, one known as Carbon River Ranch (the main house is the old Fairfax school and can be seen from the highway) and the other formerly known as Huckle-Chuck. At Huckle-Chuck the original homesteaders house and one of their barns are still used and functional. At the peak of the boom both of these homesteads and the towns which they supplied were quite productive and lively. However, the boom did not last as the economy took a downturn and with it came the end of the need for the lower grade coal being mined at Carbonado and the timber being harvested for use in the settlements further up the valley. Since the decline of the mining era, Carbonado has experienced extreme shrinking and small booms ultimately ending with a steady population. All of the current residents work elsewhere and what was once an economic center for the valley is now a residential community. The railroad also pulled out. The Rails to Trails project has most of the actual rail line land in its possession. The time that Carbonado did spend as a coal mining town is forever kept by the cemetery, abandoned mines, a grown-over coal slag pile, a school, and the company houses left behind. The cemetery holds the memories of older and more recent dead with many of the graveholders family still living nearby. Huge concrete monoliths that once held that cables for the mining carts, point straight towards the old mine shafts and openings and stand overgrown and utilized now only by the town's children. One hill in town started out as the coal slag pile and now has been carpeted by ivy and trees. The school makes up what is known as the Carbonado Historical School District and grades K-8th still attend there. Many of the houses that the company built and originally owned still line main street. They look very similar to each other as was the style of the company builders at the time. And though many of the miners abandoned the town, in some of those houses still live the direct descendants of the original miners. Carbonado was officially incorporated on September 13, 1948.

Geography

Carbonado is located at (47.079724, -122.051433). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 610 people, 208 households, and 153 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 218 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 93.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.7%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.0% Native American, 1.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.2%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 1.5% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 4.8% of the population. There were 208 households, of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 9.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.4% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.37. The median age in the town was 34.9 years. 43.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 52.5% male and 47.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 621 people, 200 households, and 158 families living in the town. The

was 1,527.9 people per square mile (584.8/km²). There were 210 housing units at an average density of 516.7 per square mile (197.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.46%

, 0.48% Native American, 0.64% from

, and 2.42% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.93% of the population. There were 200 households, out of which 48.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.5% were

living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.56. In the town, the population was spread out, with 34.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $50,250, and the median income for a family was ?? Males had a median income of $38,583 versus $24,821 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $16,135. About 1.4% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Miscellaneous notes

Frank Robinson Frank Robinson (August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019) was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams, from to . The only player to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of bot ...

, founder and CEO of Robinson Helicopters was born in Carbonado in 1930. Carbonado School District is a historical school district which started in 1887.

Paul Strand Paul Strand (October 16, 1890 – March 31, 1976) was an American photographer and filmmaker who, along with fellow modernist photographers like Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston, helped establish photography as an art form in the 20th century. ...

, pitcher (6-2), World Champion Boston Braves, born in Carbonado, 1893.

References

{{Authority control Towns in Pierce County, Washington Towns in Washington (state)