Maple Falls is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in

Whatcom County, Washington Whatcom County (, ) is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, bordered by the Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts) of the ...

, United States. The population was 291 at the 2020 census.

Geography

Maple Falls is located on the Mount Baker Highway, east of Bellingham, three miles east of a junction at Kendall, with State Route 547, which connects over a low pass on the northeast flank of

Sumas Mountain Sumas Mountain is a mountain located in Whatcom County, Washington, 15 miles northeast of Bellingham and southwest of Vedder Mountain. Located in the Skagit Range, the mountain is notable for its high biodiversity and year-round hiking tra ...

to Sumas and the border crossing with

Abbotsford, British Columbia Abbotsford is a city in British Columbia next to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver, and the Fraser River. With a census population of 153,569 people (2021), it is the most populous municipality in the province outside metropol ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

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

Climate

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Maple Falls has a

marine west coast climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.

History

Among the first settlers of Maple Falls was Herbert Everant Leavitt, a native of

Melbourne, Quebec Melbourne is a township municipality located in Le Val-Saint-François Regional County Municipality in the Estrie region of Quebec, Canada. The name Melbourne comes from the name of an English town in Derbyshire and Hampshire. History The vill ...

, Canada. After leaving Canada, Leavitt spent time in

Truckee, California Truckee is an List of municipalities in California, incorporated town in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 16,180, reflecting an increase of 2,316 from the 13,864 counted in the 2 ...

, where he worked as a carpenter before setting out for Columbia Township in Washington state. In 1888 Leavitt took up a homestead in Whatcom County where present-day Maple Falls is located. Leavitt packed his supplies in from

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the county seat of Whatcom County, Washington, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It lies south of the Canada–United States border, U.S.–Canada border, between Vancouver, British Columbia, ...

some 30 miles to his new farm. In subsequent years, besides farming, Leavitt operated a blacksmith shop at Maple Falls, was the proprietor of a Bellingham restaurant, and ran two hotels, in addition to serving as county constable for some 24 years.

Demographics

As of 2010 census, there were 324 people residing in Maple Falls. As of the census of 2000, there were 277 people, 109 households, and 70 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 128 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.61%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.53% Native American, and 6.86% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population. There were 109 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.04. In the CDP, the age distribution of the population shows 27.4% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 125.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 128.4 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $41,250, and the median income for a family was $56,477. Males had a median income of $40,250 versus $17,125 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $24,216. None of the families and 3.5% of the population were living 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 ...

Education

The community is served by the Mount Baker School District.

References