Sultan 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 approximately east of
Everett at the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of 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 the
Sultan River, a minor
tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
. The city had a population of 5,146 at the
2020 census.
The city was founded in 1880 at the site of a
Skykomish village and initially settled during a small
gold rush
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...
. Sultan was
plat
In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...
ted in 1889, just prior to the arrival of the
Great Northern Railway, and was a hub for
mining
Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...
and the
lumber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...
industry. It was
incorporated on June 28, 1905, with a population of 700. The city was home to a
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...
camp during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
and undertook several civic improvements in the post-war years.
Sultan has since become a
bedroom community
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
for large employment centers in the
Puget Sound region
The Puget Sound region is a coastal area of the Pacific Northwest in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, including Puget Sound, the Puget Sound lowlands, and the surrounding region roughly west of the Cascade Range and east of the ...
. The city has several public
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
s, a historic
museum
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
, and is located near outdoor recreation areas in the
Cascade Mountains
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as many of those in the ...
. It is connected to nearby cities 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 ...
.
History
The area around the Sultan and Skykomish rivers was occupied by the
Skykomish, a branch of the
Snohomish people
The Snohomish people (, , ) are a List of Lushootseed-speaking peoples, Lushootseed-speaking Coast Salish, Southern Coast Salish people who are Indigenous peoples, indigenous to the Puget Sound region of Washington (state), Washington State. Mo ...
, prior to the arrival of American settlers. The Skykomish had a permanent village at the confluence named , along with a nearby
fishery
Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a., fishing grounds). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish far ...
named . Following the discovery of a rich
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
vein along the Sultan River, the land around the confluence was
claimed
"Claimed" is the eleventh episode of the The Walking Dead season 4, fourth season of the Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic Horror fiction, horror television series ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Walking Dead'', wh ...
for a
homestead
Homestead may refer to:
*Homestead (building), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses
* Nguni homestead, a cluster of houses inhabited by a single extended family, typically with a kraal ...
by John Nailor and his wife in 1880.
Among the first arrivals to the area were
Chinese prospectors, who later settled the land but were evicted in 1885. Nailor built a small
store and hotel to serve miners and loggers, eventually serving as the first
postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
after the settlement received a
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
in 1885.
The town and river were named "Sultan", an
anglicization
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English languag ...
of (also known as Tseul-dan), then chief of the Skykomish tribe.
The Nailors sold of their homestead to William B. Stevens in 1889, who filed the first
plat
In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...
for Sultan City that October. The
Great Northern Railway placed a
supply depot
Supply depots are a type of military installation used by militaries to store battlefield supplies temporarily on or near the front lines until they can be distributed to military units. Supply depots are responsible for nearly all other types of ...
for its railroad workers in Sultan in 1891, meeting river
steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...
s and contributing to the town's early growth.
Sultan gained its first
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
in 1891 and a
shingle mill in 1895, as the local economy transitioned away from mining and towards logging. Sultan was officially incorporated as a city on June 28, 1905.
At the time, the city had a population of 700 people and three general stores, along with a variety of small industries. By 1912, the city had a
public library
A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...
, electrical service, paved streets, and was considering a plan to build a
hydroelectric dam
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
that would also provide
municipal water
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...
service. A bridge across the Skykomish River was built in 1908 to connect to new farms on the south bank.
An economic slowdown after
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
led to a population decrease in the Skykomish Valley, causing Sultan voters to approve a reduction in the city's size in June 1920.
The area was home to various illicit industries during the
Prohibition era
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...
and experienced several major crimes, including the murder of
town marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated of ...
Percy Brewster on March 2, 1927, by a serial robber who later escaped from prison before being re-captured. The area also experienced an economic downturn during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
and was home to a
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...
camp that primarily dealt with firefighting and forest management.
The
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...
also completed several projects in the city, including two expansions of the
high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
and its gymnasium in 1929 and 1939.
Several major fires struck Sultan in the 1940s, including one in October 1945 that destroyed a block of buildings on Main Street and another in 1947 that decimated the Sultan Union High School.
Sultan residents participated a civic improvement program during the 1950s and 1960s that upgraded or replaced several major facilities, often with assistance from the state government. A new
city hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
was opened in 1954, the elementary school was expanded in 1957, and a new
landing field for airplanes and helicopters opened in 1958. The city annexed of rural land to the southeast in 1958 and it was subsequently developed for housing. The Skykomish River Bridge was also replaced by a new span in 1961. The
Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD) constructed the
Culmback Dam on the Sultan River, creating the
Spada Lake reservoir and providing electricity and drinking water for
Everett and much of the county beginning in 1965.
The
Sky River Rock Festival and Lighter Than Air Fair, one of the first outdoor U.S. music festivals, was hosted at a
raspberry
The raspberry is the edible fruit of several plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the Rosaceae, rose family, most of which are in the subgenus ''Rubus#Modern classification, Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Ras ...
farm south of Sultan beginning August 30, 1968.
The three-day festival, organized by radio station
KRAB
Krab or KRAB may refer to:
* Krab (surname)
* Crab stick, or krab, processed seafood
* Russian submarine ''Krab''
* AHS Krab, a Polish 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
* KRAB, a radio station in Greenacres, California, U.S.
* KRAB, a former r ...
and the ''
Helix
A helix (; ) is a shape like a cylindrical coil spring or the thread of a machine screw. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is for ...
'' newspaper, attracted an estimated 20,000
hippie
A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
s, of whom 13,000 had paid tickets, and was considered to be a forerunner for later festivals like
Woodstock
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...
.
Musical acts at the festival included
Santana
Santana may refer to:
Transportation
* Volkswagen Santana, an automobile
* Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles
* Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer
* Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp
** Santana 20
** Santan ...
, the
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
,
Country Joe McDonald
Joseph Allen "Country Joe" McDonald (born January 1, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter and musician who was the lead vocalist of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish.Richard Brenneman"Country Joe McDonald Revives Anti ...
,
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...
,
Buffy St. Marie, and
John Fahey, among others.
The Sultan city government declined to allow the festival to return the following year due to the traffic and logistical issues that were experienced, including the venue running out of
drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...
.
The event was largely forgotten by local residents, but was revived for a one-time festival in 2017.
Sultan has since developed into a
bedroom community
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
for workers commuting to Everett,
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, and
Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French.
Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Bellevue, Queensland
* Bellevue, Western Australia
* Bellevue Hill, New South Wales
Canada
* Bellevue, Alberta
* Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...
.
Several suburban
subdivision
Subdivision may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Subdivision (metre), in music
* ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009
* "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2)
* ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005
* "Subdivisions" (song), by Rush ...
s were built in the 1990s and early 2000s, contributing to a population boom and political strife over the area's rural and small-town character.
The
Department of Veteran Affairs considered the Sultan area for a new
national military cemetery, but ultimately chose a site near
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
. Sultan celebrated its centennial in 2005 with several festivals and the dedication of a new visitor's center. Despite the population growth, the city's traditional businesses have left Sultan and caused a decline in local employment options.
During the
2007 financial crisis
The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
, a
Monroe
Monroe or Monroes may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Monroe (surname)
* Monroe (given name)
* James Monroe, 5th President of the United States
* Marilyn Monroe, actress and model
Places United States
* Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...
city councilmember unsuccessfully suggested merging the two cities to resolve development issues and Sultan's city budget shortfall. The Sultan city government instead began outsourcing its policing and library services to county agencies while undergoing other reforms. The city government has endorsed schemes to lure new industries, including offering tracts of land and opening new parks and a
shooting range
A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, venue, or field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or competitions. Some shooting ranges are operated by milita ...
in a bid to appeal to outdoor recreation companies.
Geography
Sultan is located along 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 ...
at its confluences with the
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
Wallace rivers in south-central Snohomish County, approximately east of
Everett, 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 ...
.
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 ...
and the
BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...
's
Scenic Subdivision bisect the city from west to east, connecting it to Everett,
Monroe
Monroe or Monroes may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Monroe (surname)
* Monroe (given name)
* James Monroe, 5th President of the United States
* Marilyn Monroe, actress and model
Places United States
* Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...
,
Gold Bar
A gold bar, also known as gold bullion or a gold ingot, is a quantity of refined metallic gold that can be shaped in various forms, produced under standardized conditions of manufacture, labeling, and record-keeping. Larger varieties of gold ...
, and
Stevens Pass
Stevens Pass (elevation ) is a mountain pass through the Cascade Mountains located at the border of King County and Chelan County in Washington, United States. U.S. Route 2 travels over the pass, reaching a maximum elevation of . The Pacific ...
.
The
city limit
City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate li ...
s of Sultan are generally defined by the Skykomish River to the south, the Sultan River and Old Owens Road to the west, and several county roads to the north and east. 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 .
The city is located within the Skykomish Valley, which is flanked to the north and south by the
Cascade
Cascade, or Cascading may refer to:
Science and technology Science
* Air shower (physics), a cascade (particle shower) of subatomic particles and ionized nuclei
** Particle shower, a cascade of secondary particles produced as the result of a high ...
foothills. Several prominent peaks of the mountain range are visible on the northern and eastern horizons, including
Mount Pilchuck
Mount Pilchuck () is a mountain located in Snohomish County, Washington. It is northeast of Seattle. It is part of the Cascade Range.
Mount Pilchuck is located within Mount Pilchuck State Park, but the area surrounding the mountain, inclu ...
,
Mount Index,
Mount Persis, and
Mount Stickney.
The Sultan Basin is located on the north side of the Skykomish River and is a flat
plain
In geography, a plain, commonly known as flatland, is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and ...
with some rolling hills.
Downtown Sultan is one of three identified
flood zones within the city, which covers 30 percent of residents, and has experienced major floods as recently as 1991 and 2009. The city government installed three
emergency sirens to alert residents of an incoming flood or another disaster.
Economy
, Sultan had an estimated
workforce
In macroeconomics, the workforce or labour force is the sum of people either working (i.e., the employed) or looking for work (i.e., the unemployed):
\text = \text + \text
Those neither working in the marketplace nor looking for work are out ...
population of 3,709 and an unemployment rate of 10.4 percent—far above the county average of 3.1 percent.
The most common employers for Sultan residents are in the
retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...
sector (20.9%), followed by educational and health services (15.3%), manufacturing (11.9%), and construction (7.0%).
Only 8.8 percent of employed residents work within Sultan city limits, while the rest commute to other areas for work. The most common commuting destinations for Sultan residents include Monroe (11.0%), Seattle (9.7%), Everett (8.2%),
Redmond (6.0%), and Bellevue (5.5%). The average one-way commute for the city's workers was approximately 38.8 minutes; 80 percent of commuters drove alone to their workplace, while 9.4 percent
carpool
Carpooling is the sharing of Automobile, car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car, and prevents the need for others to have to drive to a location themselves. Carpooling is considered a Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) serv ...
ed and 3.6 percent used
public transit
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...
.
Sultan businesses and employers provide approximately 1,010 jobs, and are primarily in the services and manufacturing industries. The city's largest employer is the
Sultan School District, which provides 254 jobs.
Demographics
Sultan is one of the smallest cities in Snohomish County, with a population of 5,146 at the
2020 census.
The city's population has significantly increased since the start of suburban development in the late 1960s, reaching over 3,300 by 2000.
Sultan's population grew an additional 20 percent between 2000 and 2005. The city government has made various preparations for additional population growth, including new connections to the
Spada Lake water supply to supplement its own system. By 2035, the city and its surrounding
urban growth area is expected to have a population of 8,369.
2010 census
As of the
2010 U.S. census, there were 4,651 people, 1,607 households, and 1,142 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 1,752 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the city was 86.2% White, 0.2% African American, 1.0% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 7.1% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.2% of the population.
Of the 1,607 households, 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% 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, 12.3% had a single female householder with no spouse present, 6.3% had a single male householder with no spouse present, and 28.9% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.36.
The median age in the city was 32.3 years. 30.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 32% were from 25 to 44; 21.6% were from 45 to 64; and 7.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.5% male and 48.5% female.
2000 census
As of the
2000 census, there were 3,344 people, 1,211 households, and 858 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,121.2 people per square mile (433.3/km
2). There were 1,291 housing units at an average density of 432.8 per square mile (167.3/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.30% White, 0.27% African American, 1.20% Native American, 1.56% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.56% from other races, and 4.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.78% of the population.
Of the 1,211 households, 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a single female householder with no spouse present, and 29.1% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% 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 3.25.
The median age in the city was 32 years. 31.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 34.5% were from 25 to 44; 18.0% were from 45 to 64; and 8.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,619, and the median income for a family was $51,038. Males had a median income of $38,924 versus $26,096 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 $18,822. About 4.9% of families and 7.0% 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 9.1% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Sultan is a non-charter 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 council meets twice per month at
city hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
and has seven members who are elected to four-year terms in
non-partisan
Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias.
While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...
elections. The office of mayor is also a four-year position and is currently held by Russell Wiita, a former city councilmember who was elected in 2019. The city hall, located in downtown Sultan, is shared with a
public library
A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...
operated by
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 ...
.
An attempt to switch to a
council–manager government
The council–manager government is a form of local government commonly used for municipalities and counties in the United States and Ireland, in New Zealand regional councils, and in Canadian municipalities. In the council-manager government, ...
was defeated by voters in 2003.
The city government has 15 full-time employees and had a budgeted expenditure of $11.1 million in 2016.
The city funds various departments and services, including public sanitation, water and sewer systems, planning, and parks.
Other services, including
fire services
A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade ( Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention an ...
and the library, are contracted out to regional agencies. The local police department was disbanded in 2008 and transitioned to services from the
Snohomish County Sheriff's Office for public safety.
Sultan's
public library
A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...
was established in 1927 by the Women's Improvement Club, but was later transferred to city control. It is currently operated by the countywide
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 and located in the city hall building in downtown.
The library was formerly operated by the city government, but was annexed into the Sno-Isle system in March 2008 due to a potential shutdown caused by the budget shortfall.
At the federal level, Sultan 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 all of Chelan County except for
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 ...
. Sultan 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 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.
Culture
Arts and events
The city hosts an annual three-day
street fair
A street fair celebrates the character of a neighborhood. As its name suggests, it is typically held on the main street of a neighborhood.
The principal component of street fairs are booths used to sell goods (particularly food) or convey informa ...
in July, known as the "Sultan Shindig", which was established in 1983 and attracts 20,000 visitors. It includes
carnival
Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
Carnival typi ...
rides, street vendors, live music, games, a parade, and a car show.
The celebration also honors the history of the Skykomish Valley by holding several logging contests, including
axe throwing,
firewood
Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not heavily processed, and is in some sort of firelog, recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellet fuel, pellets. ...
chopping, speed
climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders) to small boulders. Climbing is done for locom ...
, and wood sculpting. The 2018 festival marked the debut of the Shindig Shandy, a sweet
beer
Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...
produced by Timber Monster Brewing for the event. Another festival is held in late September to commemorate the return of spawning salmon to the Sultan River.
Parks and recreation
Sultan has four city parks, all located near downtown, and several athletic and recreational facilities.
The city's largest park is the Osprey Park, located along the eastern bank of the Sultan River and home to a regular
salmon
Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
spawning ground. The park also features picnic tables, sports fields, basketball courts, and a
dog park
A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners.
Description
Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a fence, separate double-gated entry an ...
. Traveler's Park on U.S. Route 2 features a tree round from a 1,000-year-old
Douglas fir
The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is the tallest tree in the Pinaceae family. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Or ...
that was donated to the city government in 1976 by a local logging company. Sultan opened a
skate park
A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, quarter pipe ...
in 2008.
The city is also home to a
Boys & Girls Club that opened at its current location in 2015, five years after a fire destroyed the previous club.
Notable people
*
Carolyn Eslick, state legislator and former mayor
*
John Koster, former state legislator and county councilmember
*
Boeda Strand, basket weaver and member of the
Snohomish tribe
The Snohomish people (, , ) are a Lushootseed-speaking Southern Coast Salish people who are indigenous to the Puget Sound region of Washington State. Most Snohomish are enrolled in the Tulalip Tribes of Washington and reside on the reservat ...
Education
Public schools in the Sultan area are operated by the
Sultan School District, which also covers nearby Gold Bar and other rural areas north and west of
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 ...
. The school district had an enrollment of approximately 1,992 students in 2016, with 104 total teachers. It has one
high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
, one
middle school
Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school.
Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...
, and two
elementary school
A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
s (of which one serves Sultan). The
current high school was constructed in 1951 to replace an earlier building that was destroyed four years prior.
A $56 million
bond issue
In finance, a bond is a type of security under which the issuer (debtor) owes the holder (creditor) a debt, and is obliged – depending on the terms – to provide cash flow to the creditor (e.g. repay the principal (i.e. amount borrowed) of t ...
to upgrade the district's four schools and construct a new administrative building was rejected by voters in 2016. The Sky Valley Historical Society maintains a small local
museum
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
in the city's
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
building in downtown Sultan.
Infrastructure
Transportation

Sultan is connected to nearby communities 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 ...
(US 2), which runs east–west along the Skykomish and
Snohomish rivers from
Everett to
Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the H ...
via
Stevens Pass
Stevens Pass (elevation ) is a mountain pass through the Cascade Mountains located at the border of King County and Chelan County in Washington, United States. U.S. Route 2 travels over the pass, reaching a maximum elevation of . The Pacific ...
. The nearest cities on the highway are Monroe, to the west, and Gold Bar to the east.
The highway carries
daily average of approximately 18,000 vehicles through Sultan, with higher volumes during summer months and ski season. Due to its high rate of accidents, including more than 2,600 in the county in the early 2000s and 100 within Sultan city limits from 1999 to 2000, the highway is considered one of the most dangerous in the state. Sections of US 2 near Sultan were rebuilt to add safety features, including
roundabout
A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...
s,
rumble strip
Rumble strips (also known as sleeper lines or alert strips) are a traffic calming feature to alert inattentive drivers of potential danger, by causing a tactile vibration and audible rumbling transmitted through a vehicle's wheels into its inte ...
s, warning signage, and additional policing. A plan to widen the highway to four lanes through Sultan and add additional roundabouts was endorsed by the city government in 2023. The
BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...
's
Scenic Subdivision also runs along U.S. Route 2, connecting Everett to
Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the H ...
and also carrying
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's ''
Empire Builder
The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...
'' train.
The highway and railroad cross over the
Sultan River on a pair of
truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
s, while a third is planned to be built for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Public transit service along US 2 is operated by
Community Transit
Community Transit (CT) is the public transit authority of Snohomish County, Washington, United States, in the Seattle metropolitan area. It operates Public transport bus service, local bus, paratransit and vanpool service within Snohomish Count ...
and consists of two routes that travel from
Everett Station
Everett Station is a train station serving the city of Everett, Washington, United States. The station has been served by ''Amtrak Cascades, Cascades'' and ''Empire Builder'' since opening in 2002, replacing an earlier station near the Port o ...
to Snohomish, Monroe, Sultan, and Gold Bar. The city also has a small
park and ride
A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...
lot that is served by Community Transit. A private airfield,
Sky Harbor Airport, is located near Sultan and is open to small aircraft. It has a single, unpaved runway.
Utilities
Electric power
Electric power is the rate of transfer of electrical energy within a electric circuit, circuit. Its SI unit is the watt, the general unit of power (physics), power, defined as one joule per second. Standard prefixes apply to watts as with oth ...
for Sultan residents and businesses is provided by the
Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD), a consumer-owned
public utility
A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and ...
that serves all of Snohomish County. The PUD operates the
Culmback Dam north of Sultan, which generates electricity for the region and also provides 80 percent of Snohomish County's
water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...
. The Sultan city government provides
water
Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
and
water treatment
Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, ...
to residents and businesses, via a separate city-owned reservoir located north of Sultan.
Wastewater
Wastewater (or waste water) is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. Another definition of wastewater is "Used water from any combination of do ...
and
stormwater
Stormwater, also written storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed lan ...
is treated at a treatment plant that discharges into the Skykomish River.
Solid waste
Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, ...
collection is provided by the city government, while
recycling
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the propert ...
and
yard waste collection is contracted to
Allied Waste
Allied Waste Industries, Inc. was a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. A vertically integrated company that owned and operated solid waste collection businesses, recycling facilities, and landfills, it was a leader in the so ...
.
Health care
Sultan's nearest
general hospital
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
is the
Valley General Hospital
EvergreenHealth is an American regional healthcare system based in the Seattle metropolitan area of Washington state. It has two general hospitals in Kirkland and Monroe, and several smaller clinics and urgent care facilities in King and Snoh ...
in Monroe, part of the
EvergreenHealth
EvergreenHealth is an American regional healthcare system based in the Seattle metropolitan area of Washington state. It has two general hospitals in Kirkland and Monroe, and several smaller clinics and urgent care facilities in King and Snoh ...
system. EvergreenHealth also operates one of two medical
clinic
A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care needs ...
s in Sultan, which was previously an independent operation from 2003 to 2015. The other clinic, Cascade Health Clinic, remains independent.
References
External links
City website
{{Authority control
Cities in Snohomish County, Washington
Cities in the Seattle metropolitan area
1880 establishments in Washington Territory
Populated places established in 1880