Gold Bar is a city in
Snohomish County
Snohomish County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 72nd-most popul ...
,
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, United States. It is located on the
Skykomish River
The Skykomish River is a long river in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington which drains the west side of the Cascade Mountains in the southeast section of Snohomish County and the northeast corner of King County, Washington, K ...
between
Sultan
Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
and
Index
Index (: indexes or indices) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Index (''A Certain Magical Index''), a character in the light novel series ''A Certain Magical Index''
* The Index, an item on the Halo Array in the ...
, connected by
U.S. Route 2
U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected ...
. The population was 2,403 at the
2020 census.
History
The
Skykomish people
The Skykomish (, ) are a Lushootseed-speaking Coast Salish people indigenous to the Skykomish Valley in the Cascade Mountains of Washington.
The Skykomish inhabited at least 8 permanent villages with a pre-contact population believed to numbe ...
have lived in the area around what is now Gold Bar long before the arrival of American settlers. The Skykomish had a community at the present site of Gold Bar. The village was populated by 40 families, roughly equating to 240 people. The community was large, stretching to the
Wallace River
The Wallace River is a medium-sized river in Washington, United States. It is a tributary of the Skykomish River and joins near Sultan, just upstream from the mouth of the Sultan River. The Wallace River is long. ArcExplorer GIS data viewer. It ...
, and had many houses, including the largest
potlatch
A potlatch is a gift-giving feast practiced by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and the United States,Harkin, Michael E., 2001, Potlatch in Anthropology, International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Scienc ...
house on the Skykomish River. The village was used as a base camp for travelers coming to the area to hunt in the Sultan Basin.
The modern settlement of Gold Bar started as a prospectors camp in 1869, named by a miner who found traces of gold on a river gravel bar. After Gold Bar became a construction camp for the
Great Northern Railway, anti-Chinese sentiment was inflamed by a shooting fray started by disreputable camp followers. To save the lives of the threatened Chinese, construction engineer Eduard Bauer slipped them out of camp in hastily constructed coffins. Gold Bar was officially incorporated on September 16, 1910. The 1940 population was 307.
In 2012, the city government considered disincorporation to avoid bankruptcy due to low
sales tax
A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...
revenue and high expenses attributed to filling
public records
Public records are documents or pieces of information that are not considered confidential and generally pertain to the conduct of government.
Depending on jurisdiction, examples of public records includes information pertaining to births, deat ...
requests and fighting lawsuits from an activist. The city council voted against disincorporation and placed a
property tax
A property tax (whose rate is expressed as a percentage or per mille, also called ''millage'') is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or Wealth t ...
levy on the ballot, which was rejected by voters in November 2012.
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 city has a total area of , all of it land.
The city center is bordered to the south by the
Skykomish River
The Skykomish River is a long river in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington which drains the west side of the Cascade Mountains in the southeast section of Snohomish County and the northeast corner of King County, Washington, K ...
and to the north by the Wallace River.
Gold Bar is adjacent to
Wallace Falls State Park, located northeast.
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, Gold Bar 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.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
2010 census, there were 2,075 people, 782 households, and 519 families living in the city. 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 837 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the city was 85.1% White, 0.6% African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.7% Pacific Islander, 7.0% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.1% of the population.
There were 782 households, of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% 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, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.6% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.20.
The median age in the city was 36.6 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.8% were from 45 to 64; and 7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.8% male and 47.2% female.
2000 census
As of the
2000 census, there were 2,014 people, 705 households, and 525 families living in the city. The population density was 1,887.2 people per square mile (726.7/km
2). There were 769 housing units at an average density of 720.6 per square mile (277.5/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.56% White, 0.40% African American, 0.70% Native American, 1.29% Asian, 0.40% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 4.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.28% of the population.
There were 705 households, out of which 44.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 33.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,714, and the median income for a family was $48,152. Males had a median income of $40,250 versus $25,815 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 city was $18,712. About 5.6% of families and 7.1% 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 ...
, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.
Attractions
Gold Bar is known as a white-water rafting destination for those seeking to float the
Skykomish River
The Skykomish River is a long river in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington which drains the west side of the Cascade Mountains in the southeast section of Snohomish County and the northeast corner of King County, Washington, K ...
.
One of the most popular low elevation hikes in the metro Seattle area, the trail to Wallace Falls, is located on the north margin of the city. More than 160,000 people visit Wallace Falls State Park annually.
Gold Bar hosts the Gold Dust days every fourth weekend in July. It is a street fair with vendors selling wares, local music, and food. Traditionally, there is also a car show that takes place on the Saturday of the weekend.
Government
Gold Bar is a noncharter code city with a
mayor–council government
A mayor–council government is a system of local government in which a mayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected city council constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most comm ...
.
The city's residents elect a
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
and five members to the
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
, all serving four-year terms from
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 tha ...
seats. The city council serves as the legislative body, while the mayor is empowered to cast
tiebreaking votes in addition to their normal duties as the administrator of the city government.
Since 2022, the city's mayor has been former councilmember Steve Yarbrough.
The city was annexed into the
Sno-Isle Libraries
Sno-Isle Libraries is a public library system serving Island County, Washington, Island and Snohomish County, Washington, Snohomish counties in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The system is among the largest in Washington state ...
system in 1997, becoming the second-to-last municipality in Snohomish County to join. Gold Bar's
volunteer fire department
A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respo ...
provides fire protection services for a area. It is also contracted by
King County
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 12th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle ...
to provide
paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional trained in the medical model, whose main role has historically been to respond to emergency calls for medical help outside of a hospital. Paramedics work as part of the emergency medical services (EMS), ...
services in
Skykomish and on the U.S. Route 2 corridor between Gold Bar and Stevens Pass.
At the federal level, Gold Bar is part of the
8th congressional district, which encompasses the eastern portions of the Snohomish,
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
, and
Pierce counties as well as the entirety of
Chelan and
Kittitas counties. It was part of the
1st congressional district until 2022, when the 8th district was extended into Snohomish County. At the state level, the city is part of the
12th legislative district, which also crosses the Cascade Mountains and includes
Skykomish, part of
Snoqualmie, and most of Chelan County outside of
Wenatchee
Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and most populous city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and has increased to 35,508 as of 2020. Located in the north-central part of the stat ...
. Gold Bar was previously part of the
39th legislative district until it was moved into the cross-mountain district as part of a redistricting compromise in 2022. The city also lies within the
Snohomish County Council
The Snohomish County Council is the legislative body of Snohomish County, Washington. The county council was created in 1979 and consists of five members serving four-year terms.
Members
:'
;Notes
History
The county council was created on ...
's 5th district, which includes the Skykomish Valley, Snohomish, and
Lake Stevens.
In popular culture
Gold Bar, along with neighboring Sultan and Index, was a filming location for the 2016 film ''
Captain Fantastic''.
References
External links
City website
{{Authority control
Cities in Washington (state)
Cities in Snohomish County, Washington