Stevens County is a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
located in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
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 o ...
along the
Canada–US border. At the
2020 census, its population was 46,445.
As of July 2021, the population was estimated to be 47,426. The
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
and largest city is
Colville.
The county was created in 1863
and named after
Isaac Stevens
Isaac Ingalls Stevens (March 25, 1818 – September 1, 1862) was an American military officer and politician who served as governor of the Territory of Washington from 1853 to 1857, and later as its delegate to the United States House of Represe ...
, the first
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of Washington Territory.
Stevens County is included in the
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
.
Geography
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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.5%) is water.
Geographic features
*
Columbia River
Adjacent counties
*
Pend Oreille County
Pend Oreille County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, along the Canada–United States border, Canada–US border. As of the 2020 United States census, 20 ...
– east
*
Spokane County
Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 539,339, making it the fourth-most populous county in Washington. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest cit ...
– southeast
*
Lincoln County – southwest
*
Ferry County
Ferry County is a county located on the northern border of the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,178, making it the fourth-least populous county in Washington. The county seat and largest city is Republic. Th ...
– west
*
Kootenay Boundary Regional District, British Columbia
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) is one of 28 regional districts in the province of British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2016 Canadian census, the population was 31,447. The area is 8,095.62 km2 (3,125.74 sq mi). The RDKB w ...
– northeast
*
Regional District of Central Kootenay, British Columbia – north
National protected areas
*
Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail
The Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT) is a 1200-mile hiking trail running from the Continental Divide in Montana to the Pacific Ocean on Washington's Olympic Coast. Along the way, the PNT crosses three national parks, seven national forests, and tw ...
(part)
*
Colville National Forest
The Colville National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in northeastern Washington state. It is bordered on the west by the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest and the Kaniksu National Forest to the east. The forest also borders Little P ...
(part)
*
Kaniksu National Forest
The Kaniksu National Forest (pronounced "Kuh-NICK-su") is a U.S. National Forest located in northeastern Washington, the Idaho Panhandle, and northwestern Montana. It is one of three forests that are aggregated into the Idaho Panhandle National ...
(part)
*
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is a U.S. national recreation area that encompasses the long Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake between Grand Coulee Dam and Northport, Washington, in eastern Washington state. The Grand Coulee Dam was built on ...
(part)
*
Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge
The Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve, one of the national wildlife refuges operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge is located east of Colville, Washington, along the west slope of the ...
(part)
Demographics
2000 census
At the
2000 census there were 40,066 people, 15,017 households, and 11,022 families in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile (6/km
2). There were 17,599 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km
2). The
racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the county was 90.05%
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 o ...
, 0.28%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
or
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 ...
, 5.66%
Native American, 0.48%
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 ...
, 0.16%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.68% from other races, and 2.70% from two or more races. 1.84%.
were
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 ...
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. 20.6% were of
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
**Ge ...
, 18.9%
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
or American, 10.0%
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, 7.9%
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
and 5.0%
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
ancestry.
Of the 15,017 households 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 22.00% of households were one person and 8.80% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.08.
The age distribution was 28.70% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 27.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.60 males.
The median household income was $34,673 and the median family income was $40,250. Males had a median income of $35,256 versus $23,679 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,895. About 11.50% of families and 15.90% 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 19.80% of those under age 18 and 11.90% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
At the
2010 census,
the population density was . There were 21,156 housing units at an average density of .
The
racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the county was 88.9% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.5% from other races, 3.7% two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 24.6% 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
**Ge ...
, 14.2% were
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
, 13.7% were
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, 6.4% were
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
, and 6.1% 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 households, 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.9% were non-families, and 24.6% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 45.0 years.
The median household income was $42,845 and the median family income was $51,544. Males had a median income of $46,721 versus $33,651 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,773. About 11.0% of families and 15.1% 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 21.1% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
*
Chewelah
Chewelah ( ) is a city in Stevens County, Washington, United States. It is located approximately northwest of Spokane, Washington, Spokane. The population was 2,607 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, a 19.3% increase from 2000.
Hist ...
*
Colville (county seat)
*
Kettle Falls
Kettle Falls ( Salish: Shonitkwu, meaning "roaring or noisy waters", also Schwenetekoo translated as "Keep Sounding Water") was an ancient and important salmon fishing site on the upper reaches of the Columbia River, in what is today the U.S. ...
Towns
*
Marcus
*
Northport
*
Springdale
Census-designated places
*
Addy
*
Clayton
*
Loon Lake
*
Suncrest
*
Valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...
Unincorporated communities
*
Arden
Arden may refer to:
Places
;Australia
*Arden, an area in North Melbourne, Victoria near the Arden Street Oval
;Canada
* Arden, Ontario
;Denmark
* Arden, Denmark, a town
**Arden Municipality, a former municipality, including the town of Arden
; ...
*
Bluecreek
*
Cedonia
* Daisy
*
Echo
In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...
*
Evans
Evans may refer to:
People
*Evans (surname)
*List of people with surname Evans
Places United States
*Evans Island, an island of Alaska
*Evans, Colorado
*Evans, Georgia
*Evans County, Georgia
*Evans, New York
*Evans Mills, New York
*Evans City, ...
*
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
*
Fruitland
*
Gifford
*
Hunters
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
*
Nine Mile Falls
*
Onion Creek
*
Rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
*
Tumtum (also known as Tum Tum)
*
Wellpinit
Politics
See also
*
References
Further reading
Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection
External links
Stevens County, Washington Government Page* Th
Stevens County Wiki Project A community wiki project, dedicated to creating an online wiki guide to Stevens County, Washington. Powered by Media Wiki.
Stevens County Rural Library District hosts of the Stevens County Wiki Project, the Stevens County Library District (SCRLD) has various regional links available from their website.
Stevens County HeritageHistorical photos and documents from the Libraries of Stevens County.
uppercolumbia.net a regional portal site for Stevens County and beyond. Includes business links and events calendar.
The Heritage Network History and Genealogy Resources for the Upper Columbia Region.
*
An 1884 hailstorm in Stevens County on Wikisource
Crossroads on the ColumbiaPreserve America Project Interpretive Section
Crossroads on the ColumbiaPreserve America Project collection, exhibits, and images from museum and private collections covering Stevens County
{{Coord, 48.40, -117.85, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-WA_source:UScensus1990
1863 establishments in Washington Territory
Populated places established in 1863
Eastern Washington