Sedro-Woolley is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Mount Vernon–

Anacortes Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.Metropolitan Statistical Area and had a population of 12,421 at the 2020 census. The city is home to

North Cascades National Park North Cascades National Park is an American national park in the state of Washington. At more than , it is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the North Cascades National Park Complex. North Cascades National Par ...

History

Incorporated on December 19, 1898, Sedro-Woolley was formed from neighboring rival towns of Sedro (once known as Bug) and Woolley in Skagit County, northwestern Washington, inland from the Puget Sound, south of the border with Canada and north of Seattle. Four British bachelors, led by David Batey, homesteaded the area in 1878, the time logjam obstructions were cleared downriver at the site of Mount Vernon. In 1884–85, Batey built a store and home for the Mortimer Cook family from Santa Barbara, California where Cook had been mayor for two terms. Cook intended to name his new Pacific Northwest town Bug due to the number of mosquitos present, but his wife protested along with a handful of other local wives. Cook was already the namesake for the town Cook's Ferry on the Thompson River in British Columbia. With "Bug" being so unpopular, Cook derived a town name from Spanish; knowing "cedro" was the word for cedar, he replaced one letter to make the name unique, settling on "Sedro". Sedro, on the northern banks of the Skagit River, proved susceptible to floods. In 1889,

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, whic ...

developer Nelson Bennett began laying track from the town of Fairhaven, northwest on Bellingham Bay, and real estate developer Norman R. Kelley platted a new town of Sedro on high ground a mile northwest of Cook's site. The

Fairhaven and Southern Railroad The Fairhaven and Southern Railroad and its successor the Seattle and Montana Railroad were railroads in northwest part of the U.S. state of Washington, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They ran roughly south from Blaine, Washingto ...

arrived in Sedro on Christmas Eve 1889, in time for Bennett to receive a performance bonus from the towns at both ends, and a month after Washington became the 42nd state in the Union. Within months, two more railroads crossed the F&S roadbed a half mile north of new Sedro, forming a triangle where 11 trains eventually arrived daily. Railroad developer Philip A. Woolley moved his family from Elgin, Illinois, to Sedro in December 1899 and bought land around the triangle. He built the Skagit River Lumber & Shingle Mill next to where the railroads crossed and he started his namesake company town there that was based on sales of railroad ties to the three rail companies, including the

Seattle and Northern Railway 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 region of ...

(forerunner of the Great Northern Railway) and the Northern Pacific Railroad. Sedro-Woolley - on Metcalf 02

Meanwhile, a fourth town rose nearby when the F&S laid rails on a " wye" that led northeast from Sedro about four and a half miles to coal mines. Bennett bought the mines, along with Montana mining financier

Charles X. Larrabee Charles Xavier Larrabee (November 19, 1843September 16, 1914) was an American businessman and a co-founder of the town of Fairhaven, Washington. Later in life, Larrabee and his wife Frances donated much land for civic purposes, including schools ...

, and they soon sold their interests to

James J. Hill James Jerome Hill (September 16, 1838 – May 29, 1916) was a Canadian-American railroad director. He was the chief executive officer of a family of lines headed by the Great Northern Railway, which served a substantial area of the Upper Midwes ...

, owner of the Great Northern. The resulting ore soon turned out to be more suitable for coking coal and a town began there named Cokedale. Cokedale faded in importance when the mine declined and the other towns all merged on December 19, 1898, as Sedro-Woolley. On May 15, 1922, a large circus elephant known as

Tusko Tusko is a popular name given to elephants in captivity. Several notable elephants have been given this moniker. Etymology The name Tusko is derived from the tusks from the elephant. Notable elephants The Meanest Elephant Formerly known as "Ned ...

escaped from the

Al G. Barnes Circus Al G. Barnes Circus was an American circus run by Alpheus George Barnes Stonehouse that operated from 1898 to 1938. History Stonehouse started his show in 1895 with a pony, a phonograph, and a stereopticon. By 1929, the "Al G. Barnes Wild Anima ...

, which was making one of its stops in Sedro-Woolley, at that time. The elephant stomped his way through the little logging town and into local history, demolishing fences, knocking over laundry lines and trees, telephone poles, and a Model T. After logging and coal-mining declined, the major employers and industries became the nearby

Northern State Hospital Northern State Hospital is a historic hospital campus in Sedro-Woolley, Washington. It was originally opened in 1912 and closed in 1973. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located 4 miles northeast from the city, and ...

(a mental-health facility) and Skagit Steel & Iron Works, which rose from the back room of a local hardware store to become a major supplier of implements and parts for logging and railroad customers. The firm manufactured machines and parts for the war effort in World War II and artillery shells, starting in 1953. By 1990, the company was gone and the hospital was closed but new industry, including robotics and aerospace, is developing north of town and on the campus of the old hospital.

Government

The City of Sedro-Woolley is a non-charter code city that operates under a Mayor-Council form of government with seven councilmembers. Six councilmembers are elected by wards and one is elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

. Each councilmember serves a four-year term. The mayor is elected at-large every four years and is responsible for the executive functions of the city. The mayor appoints a city supervisor, subject to confirmation by the city council, who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the city and oversees the department directors. The municipal judge is appointed by the mayor, subject to confirmation of the city council, and operates independently of the other branches of government. Sedro-Woolley is a full-service city with its own police department, fire department, wastewater treatment plan, solid waste operation, storm water division, street department, parks department and administration. The city maintains a large number of public parks and open spaces such as Hammer Heritage Square in downtown Sedro-Woolley. Riverfront Park situated on the north bank of the Skagit River is the signature park. It consists of nearly and includes picnic shelters, baseball fields, RV park, amphitheater, and an off-leash dog park. Every year on the 4th of July the city celebrates with a festive carnival, and hosts the Loggerodeo parade.

Education

The

Sedro-Woolley School District Sedro-Woolley School District No. 101 is a public school district in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, United States. It serves the city of Sedro-Woolley and the communities of Big Lake, Clear Lake, Lyman, Hamilton, in Skagit County. In May 2021, the ...

operates public schools in the city as well as nearby communities, including Big Lake and Clear Lake. The district has one high school ( Sedro-Woolley High School), one middle school, seven elementary schools, and several alternative schooling programs. This includes a Job Corps center, known as Cascades, where the Office Administration Teacher has told his student's to sadly edit stuff on Wikipedia for an assignment on Instructure, also known as Canvas.

Culture

Sedro-Woolley is the home of Loggerodeo, a celebration staged annually since the mid-1930s close to the Fourth of July. The annual event is well known in Western Washington and one of the oldest rural summer celebrations in the state with many of the events dating back more than 100 years. Loggerodeo features a carnival, foot-race, log drive, old-time logging show, championship rodeo, children's parade, the annual Fourth of July parade, and an invitation-only chainsaw carving competition. Favorite chainsaw carved log creations from the carving competitions of past years line the downtown Sedro-Woolley area. It is also home to the legendary Hal's drive in an institution in the town for decades.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

Sedro-Woolley has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) according to the Köppen climate classification system, but nearly qualifies as having an

Oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(Cfb) due to its less pronounced drying trend in summer, as compared with elsewhere in western Washington.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,540 people, 3,995 households, and 2,609 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,303 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.1% White, 0.3% African American, 1.9% Native American, 1.4%

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 ...

, 6.8% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or

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 14.0% of the population. There were 3,995 households, of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% 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, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.7% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.12. The median age in the city was 33.7 years. 27.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.2% were from 25 to 44; 22.7% were from 45 to 64; and 12.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,658 people, 3,205 households, and 2,176 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,547.7 people per square mile (983.2/km²). There were 3,334 housing units at an average density of 981.1 per square mile (378.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.97% White, 0.25% African American, 1.59% Native American, 0.81%

, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 3.25% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or

of any race were 7.23% of the population. There were 3,205 households, out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.14. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 28.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,914, and the median income for a family was $40,918. Males had a median income of $35,215 versus $23,636 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,517. About 10.7% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.9% of those under age 18 and 16.1% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

*
Chamber website

Skagit River Journal: History of Sedro-Woolley and Skagit County

Loggerodeo website

Sedro-Woolley Means Business Official Website

Live Video from the Sedro-Woolley Skate Park
{{Authority control Cities in Washington (state) Cities in Skagit County, Washington Populated places established in 1898 1898 establishments in Washington (state)