King County is located in the
U.S. state of
Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the
2020 census,
making it the most populous county in Washington, and the
13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is
Seattle, also the state's most populous city.
King County 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
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
s.
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 Green River may refer to:
Rivers
Canada
*Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River
*Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte
*Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...
and
White River were home for the
Muckleshoot tribal groups. In the first winter after the
Denny Party landed at
Alki Point
Alki Point is a point jutting into Puget Sound, the westernmost landform in the West Seattle district of Seattle, Washington. Alki is the peninsular neighborhood on Alki Point. Alki was the original settlement in what was to become the city of S ...
, 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.
The county was formed out of territory within
Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the
Oregon Territory legislature and was named after
Alabamian
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
William R. King
William Rufus DeVane King (April 7, 1786 – April 18, 1853) was an American politician and diplomat. He was the 13th vice president of the United States from March 4 until his death in April 1853. Earlier he had served as a U.S. represent ...
, who had just been elected
Vice President of the United States under
President Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...
. Seattle was made the county seat on January 11, 1853.
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.
Coal was discovered in 1853 by Dr. 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.
Name
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.
The motion stated, among other reasons for the change, that "
William Rufus DeVane King was a
slaveowner
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
" 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."
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.
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.
On March 12, 2007, the new logo was unveiled.
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
Norman "Kim" Maleng (September 17, 1938 – May 24, 2007) was an American attorney and politician who served as the King County Prosecuting Attorney for 28 years. He was also an architect of Washington's Sentencing Reform Act.
Early life a ...
, Sheriff Sue Rahr, District Court Judge Corrina Harn, and Superior Court Judge Michael Trickey. The same logo is used in the flag.
Martin Luther King Jr. had visited King County once, for three days in November 1961.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (8.3%) is water.
King County has nearly twice the land area of the state of Rhode Island. The highest point in the county is
Mount Daniel
Mount Daniel is the highest summit on the Cascade Range crest of Alpine Lakes Wilderness of the central Washington, USA. It is the highest point in King and Kittitas counties. Streams on its eastern slopes form the headwaters of the Cle Elum R ...
at above sea level.
King County borders
Snohomish County to the north,
Kitsap County to the west,
Kittitas County
Kittitas County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. At the 2020 census, its population was 44,337. Its county seat and largest city is Ellensburg. The county was created in November 1883 when it was carved out of Yakima Coun ...
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
Terrain
*
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...
*
Issaquah Alps
*
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
*
Mount Daniel
Mount Daniel is the highest summit on the Cascade Range crest of Alpine Lakes Wilderness of the central Washington, USA. It is the highest point in King and Kittitas counties. Streams on its eastern slopes form the headwaters of the Cle Elum R ...
, the highest point
*
Mount Si
*
Harbor Island
Harbor Island is an artificial island in the mouth of the Duwamish River in Seattle, Washington, US, where it empties into Elliott Bay. Built by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company, it was completed in 1909 and was then the largest art ...
*
Maury Island
*
Mercer Island
*
Sammamish Plateau
*
Vashon Island
Water
*
Cedar River
*
Green/Duwamish River
*
Elliott Bay
*
Greenwater River
The Greenwater River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. Its watershed drains a portion of the Cascade Range east and northeast of Mount Rainier, including parts of the Norse Peak Wilderness. It flows into the White River at Greenwat ...
*
Issaquah Creek
Issaquah Creek is a small stream flowing through the city of Issaquah and nearby communities, in the U.S. state of Washington. Its headwaters are on the slopes of Cougar, Squak, Tiger, and Taylor mountains in the Issaquah Alps. Tributaries of Is ...
*
Lake Sammamish
*
Lake Union
Lake Union is a freshwater lake located entirely within the city limits of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is a major part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, which carries fresh water from the much larger Lake Washington on the east to ...
*
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle.
It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest natural lake in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It borders the cities of Seattle on the west, ...
*
Lake Youngs
*
Pratt River
*
Puget Sound
*
Raging River
*
Skykomish River
The Skykomish River is a long river in the U.S. state of Washington which drains the west side of the Cascade Mountains in the southeast section of Snohomish County and the northeast corner of King County. The river starts with the confluence ...
*
Snoqualmie Falls
*
Snoqualmie River
*
Taylor River
*
Tolt River
*
White River
Major highways
*
Interstate 5
*
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...
*
Interstate 405
*
U.S. Route 2
*
State Route 18
*
State Route 99
International
* European route E99
Australia
* Springbrook Road, Queensland
Canada
* British Columbia Highway 99
* Ontario Highway 99 (former)
* Saskatchewan Highway 99
China
* G99 Expressway
India
* National Highway 99 (India)
I ...
*
State Route 167
*
State Route 520
*
State Route 522
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.
Adjacent counties
*
Snohomish County – north
*
Pierce County – south
*
Chelan County – east/northeast
*
Kittitas County
Kittitas County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. At the 2020 census, its population was 44,337. Its county seat and largest city is Ellensburg. The county was created in November 1883 when it was carved out of Yakima Coun ...
– east/southeast
*
Kitsap County – west
National protected areas
*
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (part, also in
Skagway, Alaska)
*
Snoqualmie National Forest (part)
Demographics
The
center of population
In demographics, the center of population (or population center) of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population. There are several ways of defining such a "center point", leading to different geogr ...
of the state of Washington in 2010 was located in eastern King County (). King County's own center of population was located on
Mercer Island ().
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.
In 2021 King County experienced its first population decline in 50 years.
Racial and ethnic composition since 1960
2010 census
As of the
2010 census, there were 1,931,249 people, 789,232 households, and 461,510 families residing in the county.
The population density was . There were 851,261 housing units at an average density of .
The racial makeup of the county was 68.7%
White (64.8%
Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...
), 6.2%
African American, 14.6%
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 ...
, 0.8%
Pacific Islander, 0.8%
Native American, 3.9% from other races, and 5.0% from
two or more races
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many culture ...
. Those of
Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.9% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 17.1% were
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
, 11.6% were
English, 11.1% were
Irish, 5.5% were
Norwegian, and 2.9% were
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
.
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.
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.
Native American tribes
King County is home two federally-recognized tribes, the
Muckleshoot tribe and the
Snoqualmie Indian Tribe tribe, and other unrecognized groups.
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.
Government
The
King County Executive heads the county's executive branch; the position has been held by
Dow Constantine since 2009. The
King County Prosecuting Attorney
The King County Prosecuting Attorney is a non-partisan elected official in King County, Washington. The Prosecuting Attorney leads the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, and prosecutes all felonies (as well as all misdemeanors in unincorpo ...
(
Dan Satterberg
Daniel Todd Satterberg is an American attorney and politician who served as the prosecuting attorney of King County, Washington, from 2007 to 2023.
Early life and education
Born in Seattle, Satterberg graduated from Highline High School and the ...
since 2007), Elections Director, and the
King County Assessor
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
are elected executive positions. The
King County Sheriff is appointed by the county executive and approved by the county council. It was previously was an elected position from 1996 until 2020 and has been held by
Patti Cole-Tindall
Patti may refer to:
People
* Patti (name)
* Patti caste, a group of people
Places
* Patti, Iran (disambiguation)
* Patti, Punjab, India
* Patti, Punjab Assembly constituency, India
* Patti, Sicily
* Patti, Uttar Pradesh, India
* Patti, Uttar Prad ...
since 2022. Judicial power is vested in the
King County Superior Court and the
King County District Court
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
.
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
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube (algebra), cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion ...
and
9th
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Arabic digit
In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
Congressional Districts, a majority of the population in the
8th
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
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
The Port of Seattle is a government agency overseeing the seaport and airport of Seattle, Washington, United States. With a portfolio of properties ranging from parks and waterfront real estate, to one of the largest airports and container t ...
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
marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
s; 22 public parks; and nearly 5,000 acres of industrial lands in the
Ballard-
Interbay and
Lower Duwamish industrial centers.
Council members
* District 1 – Rod Dembowski
* District 2 –
Girmay Zahilay
Girmay Hadish Zahilay ( ; born May 6, 1987) is an American politician and lawyer who is a member of the King County Council from District 2 in Seattle, Washington. He was elected in 2019, defeating longtime incumbent Larry Gossett.
Early life a ...
* District 3 – Sarah Perry
* District 4 –
Jeanne Kohl-Welles
Jeanne Elizabeth Pearl Kohl-Welles (née Jean Elizabeth Pearl Kohl; October 19, 1942) is an American politician and academic. Since January 2016 she has served as a member of the King County Council from the 4th district. She previously served as ...
* District 5 –
Dave Upthegrove
David Upthegrove (born May 3, 1971) is an American politician. He is a member of the King County Council, representing the 5th district since 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a member of the Washington House of Representatives, repr ...
* District 6 –
Claudia Balducci
Claudia M. Balducci (born September 24, 1967) is an American politician from the state of Washington. She is the Chair of the King County Council, representing District 6. She previously served as the mayor of Bellevue, Washington.
Educatio ...
* District 7 –
Pete von Reichbauer
Peter G. von Reichbauer (born December 30, 1944) is an American businessman and politician serving as a member of the nonpartisan King County Council, representing District 7, a region of South King County which includes all of the cities of A ...
* District 8 –
Joe McDermott
* District 9 –
Reagan Dunn
Politics
King County and Seattle are strongly liberal; the area is a bastion for the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
. No Republican presidential candidate has garnered the majority of the county's votes since
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
's
landslide reelection victory in 1984. In the
2008 election
This electoral calendar 2008 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2008 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, even though they are not elections. By-elections are no ...
,
Barack Obama defeated
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...
in the county by 42 percentage points, a larger margin for the Democrats than that seen in any previous election. 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, winning her a seat 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. Rossi resided in the county at the time of the election, in
Sammamish. In the
2020 presidential election
This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*5 January:
**C ...
,
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.
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''). It has recently been revived as Cascade County. According to a map published by the ''
Seattle Times
''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington st ...
'', four different geographic borders are being considered. Additional plans (see ''
Skykomish County, Washington'') also exist or have existed.
Religion
In 2010 statistics, the largest religious group in King County was the
Archdiocese of Seattle
''Formerly known as Diocese of Nesqually, 1850-1907.''
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the U.S. state of ...
, with 278,340 Catholics worshipping at 71 parishes, followed by 95,218
non-denominational
A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination.
Overview
The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...
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. In 2014, King County had 944 religious organizations, the 8th most out of all US counties.
Education
K–12 schools
School districts include:
[ ]
Text list
/ref>
* Auburn School District
Auburn School District No. 408 is a public school district in King County, Washington, seated in Auburn. The district encompasses a 62 square-mile area bridging King County, Washington and Pierce County, Washington, and serves approximately 75,0 ...
* Bellevue School District
* Enumclaw School District
* Federal Way Public Schools
* Fife Public Schools
Fife Public Schools is a school district comprising parts of the Washington state cities of Fife, Milton, Edgewood, Tacoma, Pacific as well as unincorporated census-designated places Lakeland South and Fife Heights. The district was establishe ...
* Highline School District
* Issaquah School District
* Kent School District
* Lake Washington School District
* Mercer Island School District
* Northshore School District
* Renton School District
* Riverview School District
* Seattle Public Schools
* Shoreline School District
* Skykomish School District
Skykomish is a town in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 198 as of the 2010 census, down from an estimated peak of "several thousand" in the 1920s.
Located in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, 49 miles east ...
* Snoqualmie Valley School District
* Tahoma School District
Tahoma School District is a school district based in Maple Valley, Washington, United States. The district provides for citizens in southeast King County and operates 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and the district's sole high school, Tah ...
* Tukwila School District
* Vashon Island School District Vashon Island School District is a school district headquartered in Vashon Island, Washington.
Schools
*Chautauqua Elementary School
*McMurray Middle School
*Vashon Island High School
Vashon Island High School (VHS) is a public high school located ...
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
* Algona
* Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
(partial)
* Bellevue
* Black Diamond
* Bothell (partial)
* Burien
Burien ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located south of Seattle on Puget Sound. As of the 2020 census, Burien's population was 52,066, which is a 56.3% increase since incorporation in 1993. An annexation in 2010 ...
* Carnation
* Clyde Hill
* Covington Covington may refer to:
People
* Covington (surname)
Places United Kingdom
* Covington, Cambridgeshire
* Covington, South Lanarkshire
United States
* Covington, Georgia
* Covington, Indiana
* Covington, Kentucky, the largest American cit ...
* Des Moines
Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
* Duvall
* Enumclaw
Enumclaw ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 12,543 at the 2020 census.
The Enumclaw Plateau, on which the city resides, was formed by a volcanic mudflow (lahar) from Mount Rainier approximately 5,700 ye ...
* Federal Way
Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 census. Federal Way is the tenth-largest city in Washington and the fifth-larges ...
* Issaquah
* Kenmore
* Kent
* Kirkland
* Lake Forest Park
Lake Forest Park is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located northeast of Seattle. It was developed in the 20th century as a bedroom community with single-family housing on medium to large-sized lots. Less than 4% of ...
* Maple Valley
* Medina
* Mercer Island
* Milton
Milton may refer to:
Names
* Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname)
** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet
* Milton (given name)
** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...
(partial)
* Newcastle
* Normandy Park
* North Bend
* Pacific (partial)
* Redmond
* Renton
* Sammamish
* SeaTac
* Seattle (county seat)
* Shoreline
* Snoqualmie
* Tukwila
* Woodinville
Towns
* Beaux Arts Village
Beaux Arts () is a town located in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States. It is the smallest municipality in the county, with a population of 299 as of the 2010 census and a land area of 0.1 sq mi. There is no town h ...
* Hunts Point
* Skykomish
* Yarrow Point
Yarrow Point is a town in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,001 at the 2010 census.
Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Yarrow Point ranks fifth of 522 areas in the state of Wash ...
Census-designated places
* Ames Lake
* Baring
* Boulevard Park
* Bryn Mawr-Skyway
* Cottage Lake
* East Renton Highlands
East Renton Highlands is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington, United States, located between Issaquah, Washington, Issaquah and Renton, Washington, Renton. The population was 11,9 ...
* Fairwood
* Fall City
* Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
* Inglewood-Finn Hill (former)
* Klahanie (former)
* Lake Holm
* Lake Marcel-Stillwater
* Lake Morton-Berrydale
* Lakeland North
* Lakeland South
* Maple Heights-Lake Desire
* Mirrormont
* Ravensdale
* Riverbend
* Riverton (former)
* Shadow Lake
* Tanner
Tanner may refer to:
* Tanner (occupation), the tanning of leather and hides
People
* Tanner (given name),
* Tanner (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
*The Tanner Sisters, also referred to as "The Harbingers of Weir ...
* Union Hill-Novelty Hill
* Vashon
* White Center
White Center is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. It lies between West Seattle and Burien. The population was 16,631 at the 2020 census.
White Center is sometimes referred to by the nickname "Rat City" ...
* Wilderness Rim
Other unincorporated communities
* Cedar Falls
* Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
* Denny Creek
* Ernie's Grove
Ernie's Grove is a small unincorporated community in King County, Washington, United States, near the North Fork of the Snoqualmie River
The Snoqualmie River is a long river in King County and Snohomish County in the U.S. state of Washington. ...
* Grotto
A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...
* Kanaskat
* Kangley
* Lake Joy
* Naco
* Novelty
* Palmer
* Preston
Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to:
Places
England
*Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement
**The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement
**County Boro ...
* Selleck
* Spring Glen
* Wabash
Former cities and towns
* East Redmond
* Foster
Foster may refer to:
People
* Foster (surname)
* Foster Brooks (1912–2001), American actor
* Foster Moreau (born 1997), American football player
* Foster Sarell (born 1998), American football player
* John Foster Dulles (1888–1959), American ...
* Houghton
Ghost towns
* Bayne
* Cedar Falls (aka Moncton)
* Edgewick
* Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
* Hot Springs
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
* Krain
* Lester
* Monohon
* Nagrom
* Osceola
* Taylor
Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to:
People
* Taylor (surname)
**List of people with surname Taylor
* Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah
* Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron
* Justice Taylor (disambiguation)
Plac ...
* Wellington
* Weston
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in King County, Washington
*Tukwila Formation
The ''Tukwila Formation'' is a geological formation in King County, Washington within the Puget Group. It is named after Tukwila area, which is close to the formation. The formation consists of various fossils of marine origin.
The Tukwila forma ...
References
External links
King County website
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.
{{Authority control
1852 establishments in Oregon Territory
Populated places established in 1852
Seattle metropolitan area
Western Washington
Memorials to Martin Luther King Jr.