Ferndale is a city in
Whatcom County
Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts of British Columbia) to the north, Okanogan Co ...
,
Washington, United States. The population was 11,415 at the
2010 census.
It is the third largest city in Whatcom County and located near the
Lummi Nation.
History
First settled in 1872, Ferndale was given its name because of the ferns that once grew around the original school house.
Ferndale was originally called Jam because the town was located next to a log jam on the
Nooksack River
The Nooksack River is a river in western Whatcom County of the northwestern U.S. state of Washington, draining extensive valley systems within the North Cascades around Mount Shuksan, Mount Baker and the Twin Sisters, and a portion of Fras ...
, but the original schoolteacher decided it needed a more picturesque name. Ferndale was officially incorporated on March 19, 1907.
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
An economy is an area of th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.
Downtown Ferndale is located near the river, along with Griffintown and a largely industrial area east of the Nooksack River. Northwest of these areas are suburban developments. Ferndale borders
Hovander Homestead Park
Hovander Homestead Park is a 350-acre county park in Ferndale, Washington, in the United States. The park borders the Nooksack River, and includes access to Tennant Lake. It is named for the Hovander family, who immigrated from Sweden to the prop ...
and
Tennant Lake along its southeast boundary.
Demographics
As of 2010 the median household income in the city was $52,831, and the median income for a family was $64,638. Males had a median income of $47,917 versus $37,447 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,837. About 13.3% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the census
of 2010, there were 11,415 people, 4,210 households, and 3,025 families residing in the city. The Washington state Office of Financial Management estimated for its April 1 annual population estimate that Ferndale had grown to 14,354 residents in 2019.
The population density was . There were 4,428 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.1%
White
White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 1.0%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 2.6%
Native American, 3.6%
Asian, 0.2%
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 Ocea ...
, 5.2% from
other races, and 4.2% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 12.0% of the population.
There were 4,210 households, of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.1% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.20.
The median age in the city was 34.2 years. 29.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 24% were from 45 to 64; and 10.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.
Climate
Ferndale experiences a mild climate, with no average monthly temperatures above . Although Ferndale has slightly higher average wind speeds for much of the year, average temperatures, cloud cover and rainfall are similar to other lowland communities in western Whatcom County, such as Bellingham and Lynden. Ferndale averages slightly less snow than Lynden.
Economy
Originally, Ferndale's economy was based on timber, and shortly after, agriculture of the surrounding land. Dairy processing was a significant employer for the town, and the old Carnation dairy plant has since been converted to offices. The construction of the
Ferndale Refinery west of town in the 1950s caused a population boom in the town. The
Cherry Point Refinery
The Cherry Point Refinery is an oil refinery in the northwest United States, near Bellingham, Washington, north of Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King Co ...
was constructed to the northwest in the 1970s. A shoe manufacturing plant for
Brooks Sports
Brooks Sports, Inc., also known as Brooks Running, is an American sports equipment company that designs and markets high-performance men's and women's sneakers, clothing, and accessories. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Brooks products are a ...
, capable of producing 500,000 pairs of shoes annually, resides in the city. On April 22, 2020,
Alcoa announced plans to close the Intalco aluminum smelter, located five miles away, laying off 700 workers. The city also serves as a bedroom community for
Bellingham.
Image:FerndaleGrain.JPG, Grain storage and rail line
Image:Ferndale, WA - rail bridge over the Nooksack - pano.jpg, Rail bridge over the Nooksack River
The Nooksack River is a river in western Whatcom County of the northwestern U.S. state of Washington, draining extensive valley systems within the North Cascades around Mount Shuksan, Mount Baker and the Twin Sisters, and a portion of Fras ...
Transportation
The main highway serving Ferndale is
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Calif ...
. The town is also bisected by the
BNSF Railway, which provides freight service and carries
Amtrak ''Cascades'' passenger trains.
Sister city
Ferndale has the following
sister city
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
relationship:
*
Minamibōsō
is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 37,143 in 17,175 households and a population density of 160 persons per km². The total area of the city is , making it the fifth largest city in Chiba ...
,
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to the n ...
, Japan.
Notable people
*
Jesse Brand
Jesse David Brand is an American songwriter, musician and actor.
Personal life
Jesse Brand was born in Ferndale, Washington. He is the youngest son of Steve Brand, former touring musician, playing drums and guitar for Country Music acts David Fr ...
– Nashville songwriter, musician, and actor
*
Dennis Erickson
Dennis Brian Erickson (born March 24, 1947) is an American football coach who most recently served as the head coach for the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football league. He was also the head coach at the University of Idaho ( ...
– Retired college football and
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
head coach
*
Michael Koenen – Former punter for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
*
Jake Locker
Jacob Cooper Locker (born June 15, 1988) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at the University of Washington, and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans eighth overall in the 2011 NFL Draft.
A backup during his en ...
– Former NFL quarterback for the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
*
Daran Norris – actor, most notably for voice work and a recurring role on the television series ''
Veronica Mars
''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series prem ...
''
*
Doug Pederson – Former NFL quarterback, head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars
*
Wendy B. Lawrence – Former NASA astronaut,
[ ] former captain in the US Navy
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Cities in Washington (state)
Cities in Whatcom County, Washington