Nooksack ( ) is a city in

Whatcom County, Washington Whatcom County (, ) is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, bordered by the Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts) of the ...

, United States, south of the border with Canada. The population was 1,471 at the 2020 census. Despite the name, it is actually located right next to the upper stream of the Sumas River, and is northeast of the nearest bank of the

Nooksack River The Nooksack River is a river in western Whatcom County of the northwestern U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, draining Nooksack Valley, extensive valley systems within the North Cascades around Mount Shuksan, Mount Baker and the Twin ...

. Nooksack shares Nooksack Valley School District with the nearby Sumas and Everson. State Route 9 runs through Nooksack.

History

Nooksack was officially incorporated on December 6, 1912, and experienced much growth in its early years. It had a

rail station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing such ...

, connecting it to the national train network. However, serious fires in the town in the early 20th century caused most of the growth to halt. A merger between Nooksack and neighboring Everson into a single city was proposed by a citizens group in February 2009 with support from local officials. Names for the proposed new city included "Nooksack Valley". The proposal was dropped in May following a unanimous vote by the Nooksack City Council to not move forward based on public feedback. Noosack lacks its own ZIP code due to a decision by the

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

in 1992 to station the postmaster in Everson, forcing the two cities to share ZIP code 98247. As a result, the city was found to have lost

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 that was instead distributed to Everson based on the ZIP code.

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.

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, Nooksack 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 1,338 people, 434 households, and 357 families residing 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 457 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.4%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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 ...

, 2.3% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 9.4% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races.

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 were 17.9% of the population. There were 434 households, of which 49.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% 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, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 17.7% were non-families. 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.37. The median age in the city was 29.6 years. 31.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.8% were from 25 to 44; 20.7% were from 45 to 64; and 7.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 851 people, 276 households and 218 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,207.9 per square mile (469.4/km²). There were 296 housing units at an average density of 420.2 per square mile (163.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.54%

, 0.47%

, 1.29% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 3.29% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 6.58% of the population. There were 276 households, of which 46.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.2% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.54. 36.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $44,000 and the median family income was $49,000. Males had a median income of $36,429 compared with $21,750 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 $16,019. About 2.3% of families and 3.2% 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 3.3% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education is provided by the Nooksack Valley School District. It operates one high school ( Nooksack Valley High School), one middle school, and three elementary schools that serve Nooksack, Everson, and surrounding areas.

Notable people

* Louie Gong, Native American artist and activist * Darius and Tabitha Kinsey, notable early twentieth century photographers * Jim Sterk, former college

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches a ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Cities in Washington (state) Cities in Whatcom County, Washington Populated places established in 1912 1912 establishments in Washington (state) Washington (state) placenames of Native American origin