Douglas County is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
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 so ...
of
Washington. As of the
2020 census, its population was 42,938.
The
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is
Waterville,
while its largest settlement is
East Wenatchee. The county was created out of
Lincoln County on November 28, 1883
and is named for
American statesman Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas (né Douglass; April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. As a United States Senate, U.S. senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party (United States) ...
.
Douglas County is part of the
Wenatchee, WA
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.6%) is water.
Geographic features
*
Columbia River
The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...
Major highways
*
U.S. Route 2
*
U.S. Route 97
Adjacent counties
*
Okanogan County – north
*
Grant County Grant County may refer to:
Places
;Australia
* County of Grant, Victoria
;United States
* Grant County, Arkansas
* Grant County, Indiana
* Grant County, Kansas
*Grant County, Kentucky
Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...
– south
*
Kittitas County – southwest
*
Chelan County – west
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
2010 census, there were 38,431 people, 13,894 households, and 10,240 families living in the county.
The population density was . There were 16,004 housing units at an average density of .
The racial makeup of the county was 79.6% White, 1.1% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 15.6% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 28.7% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 20.2% were
German, 11.2% were
English, 9.4% were
Irish, 6.0% were
Norwegian, and 5.0% were
American.
Of the 13,894 households, 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.3% were non-families, and 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.18. The median age was 36.8 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $48,708 and the median income for a family was $55,766. Males had a median income of $39,991 versus $31,706 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,359. About 10.2% of families and 14.3% 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 ...
, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.
2000 census
As of the
2000 census, there were 32,603 people, 11,726 households, and 8,876 families living in the county. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...
was . There were 12,944 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.65%
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 ...
, 0.31%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 1.09%
Native American, 0.55%
Asian, 0.10%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 10.83% from
other races, and 2.48% from two or more races. 19.73% of the population were
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. 18.0% were of
German, 10.0%
English, 9.3%
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
or American and 7.8%
Irish ancestry. 81.5% spoke
English, and 17.7%
Spanish as their first language.
There were 11,726 households, out of which 38.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.60% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.30% were non-families. 20.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.50% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,464, and the median income for a family was $43,777. Males had a median income of $35,917 versus $24,794 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 county was $17,148. About 11.20% of families and 14.40% 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 ...
, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 6.90% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
*
Bridgeport
*
East Wenatchee
*
Rock Island
Towns
*
Coulee Dam (partial)
*
Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...
*
Waterville (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
*Beebe
*
Douglas
*
Lamoine
*Leahy
*
Orondo
*
Palisades
*
Withrow
Ghost Towns
*
Alstown
*
Baird
*
Bonita
*
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...
*
Jameson
*
Saint Andrews
*
Sanderson
*
Touhery
Politics
Federally, Douglas County is represented primarily by
Dan Newhouse (
R) of the
4th while parts of East Wenatchee have been siphoned off into the
8th
Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight.
Eighth may refer to:
* One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole
* Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet)
* Octave, an interval b ...
, represented by
Democrat Kim Schrier. It is one of the most strongly Republican counties in the state in presidential elections, and has not voted for a Democratic candidate since 1964, in Lyndon B. Johnson's rout of Barry Goldwater.
See also
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Douglas County, Washington
*
Mansfield Branch (Great Northern Railway)
Notes
References
Further reading
Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection
External links
Douglas County – official websiteDouglas County photos
{{authority control
1883 establishments in Washington Territory
Populated places established in 1883
Wenatchee–East Wenatchee metropolitan area
Eastern Washington