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Yakima County, Washington

Coordinates: 46°28′N 120°44′W / 46.467°N 120.733°W / 46.467; -120.733
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Yakima County
County
Yakima County Courthouse
Yakima County Courthouse
Map of Washington highlighting Yakima County
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Map of the United States highlighting Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°28′N 120°44′W / 46.467°N 120.733°W / 46.467; -120.733
Country United States
State Washington
FoundedJanuary 21, 1865
Named forYakama Nation
SeatYakima
Largest cityYakima
Area
 • Total4,310.41 sq mi (11,163.9 km2)
 • Land4,294.51 sq mi (11,122.7 km2)
 • Water15.90 sq mi (41.2 km2)  0.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total256,728
 • Estimate 
(2023)
256,643 Decrease
 • Density59.75/sq mi (23.07/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district4th
Websitewww.yakimacounty.us

Yakima County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 256,728.[1] The county seat and most populous city is Yakima.[2] The county was formed out of Ferguson County in January 1865 and is named for the Yakama tribe of Native Americans.

Yakima County comprises the Yakima, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area and is Washington state's most populous majority-Hispanic county as of 2020.[3]

History

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The area that now comprises Yakima County was part of the Oregon Country at the start of the nineteenth century, inhabited both by fur prospectors from Canada, and Americans seeking land for agricultural and mineral-extraction opportunities. Unable to resolve which country should control this vast area, the Treaty of 1818 provided for joint control. By 1843, the Provisional Government of Oregon had been established, although at first there were questions as to its authority and extent. During its existence, that provisional government formed the area north of the Columbia River first into the Washington Territory, and then (December 19, 1845) into two vast counties: Clark and Lewis.

The Washington Territory was formed as a separate governing entity in 1853. In 1854, that legislature carved several counties out of the two original large counties, including Skamania County. Later in 1854 the new Skamania County was reduced in size by carving out Walla Walla County. This arrangement lasted until January 23, 1863, when Ferguson County was carved out of Walla Walla County.[4] However, the Ferguson County government and boundary was dissolved on January 18, 1865, and its area was assigned to Yakima County three days later.[5]

Since its creation, the Yakima County boundary has been altered two times. In 1883 a portion of its area was carved off in the creation of Kittitas County, and in 1905 a further reduction added to the creation of Benton County.[5]

The Yakama Indian Reservation was created in 1855. However, several tribes felt the agreement creating this reserved area had been completed without sufficient native input, and skirmishes and local war (the Yakima War, which lasted until 1858) meant that the reservation was not fully operational for two decades. The Reservation is the 15th largest reservation in America, covering 1,573 sq mi (4,070 km2),[6] and comprising 36% of the county's total area. Its population was 31,799 in 2000, and its largest city is Toppenish.

Geography

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Orchards near Selah
Mount Adams, highest point in Yakima County
Southeastern Yakima County's vast farmlands

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,310.41 square miles (11,163.9 km2), of which 4,294.51 square miles (11,122.7 km2) is land and 15.90 square miles (41.2 km2) (0.4%) is water.[7] Yakima County is the second-largest county in Washington by land area and third-largest by total area. Yakima County is reputed to be one of the most difficult places on earth to predict weather, because of its surrounding mountains. The county's area is larger than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined.[8] The highest point in the county is Mount Adams, which is the second tallest peak in Washington and the third tallest in the Cascade Range.

Geographic features

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Mountain Goats near the glaciers of Goat Rocks Wilderness

Major rivers

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National protected areas

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Major roads

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Adjacent counties

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1870432—
18802,811550.7%
18904,42957.6%
190013,462204.0%
191041,709209.8%
192063,71052.7%
193077,40221.5%
194099,01927.9%
1950135,72337.1%
1960145,1126.9%
1970144,971−0.1%
1980172,50819.0%
1990188,8239.5%
2000222,58117.9%
2010243,2319.3%
2020256,7285.5%
2023 (est.)256,643[9]0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12]
1990–2000[13] 2010–2020[1]

As of the first quarter of 2024, the median home value in Yakima County was $338,930, an increase of 6.67% from the prior year.[14]

As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 89,414 estimated households in Yakima County with an average of 2.82 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $69,525. Approximately 15.8% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Yakima County has an estimated 62.9% employment rate, with 18.3% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 78.8% holding a high school diploma.[15]

The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (59.7%), Spanish (38.8%), Indo-European (0.4%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.5%), and Other (0.6%).

The median age in the county was 33.8 years.

Yakima County, Washington – racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) Pop. 1980[16] Pop. 1990[17] Pop. 2000[18] Pop. 2010[19] Pop. 2020[20]
White alone (NH) 137,380
(79.64%)		 132,147
(69.98%)		 125,733
(56.49%)		 116,024
(47.70%)		 103,578
(40.35%)
Black or African American alone (NH) 1,558
(0.90%)		 1,785
(0.95%)		 1,842
(0.83%)		 1,743
(0.72%)		 1,718
(0.67%)
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 6,656
(3.86%)		 7,695
(4.08%)		 8,947
(4.02%)		 9,072
(3.73%)		 9,357
(3.64%)
Asian alone (NH) 1,233
(0.71%)		 1,667
(0.88%)		 1,957
(0.88%)		 2,359
(0.97%)		 2,785
(1.08%)
Pacific Islander alone (NH) — — 109
(0.05%)		 142
(0.06%)		 221
(0.09%)
Other race alone (NH) 226
(0.13%)		 415
(0.22%)		 215
(0.10%)		 331
(0.14%)		 1,045
(0.41%)
Mixed race or multiracial (NH) — — 3,873
(1.74%)		 4,090
(1.68%)		 7,975
(3.11%)
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 25,455
(14.76%)		 45,114
(23.89%)		 79,905
(35.90%)		 109,470
(45.01%)		 130,049
(50.66%)
Total 172,508
(100.00%)		 188,823
(100.00%)		 222,581
(100.00%)		 243,231
(100.00%)		 256,728
(100.00%)

2020 census

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As of the 2020 census, there were 256,728 people, 85,882 households, and 61,823 families residing in the county.[21] The population density was 59.8 inhabitants per square mile (23.1/km2). There were 90,504 housing units at an average density of 21.07 inhabitants per square mile (8.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 48.47% White, 0.83% African American, 5.06% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 29.24% from some other races and 15.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 50.66% of the population.[22] 28.6% of residents were under the age of 18, 6.9% were under 5 years of age, and 14.7% were 65 and older.

2010 census

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As of the 2010 census, there were 243,231 people, 80,592 households, and 58,790 families living in the county. The population density was 56.6 inhabitants per square mile (21.9/km2). There were 85,474 housing units at an average density of 19.9 inhabitants per square mile (7.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 63.75% White, 0.95% African American, 4.34% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 26.07% from some other races and 3.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 45.01% of the population.

In terms of ethnicity, 15.8% reported German, 8.0% English, 7.3% Irish, and 3.6% American ancestry.

Of the 80,592 households, 42.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.1% were non-families, and 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.46. The median age was 32.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,877 and the median income for a family was $48,004. Males had a median income of $37,029 versus $29,824 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,325. About 16.8% of families and 21.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.9% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

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At the last census, the county harvested 1,027 acres (416 ha) of potato (Solanum tuberosum).[23]: 395 

The northeastern corner of the county is part of the U.S. Army's Yakima Training Center.

Wine regions

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Washington ranks second in the United States in the production of wine, behind only California.[24] The Yakima Valley AVA was established in 1983 in the state's oldest agricultural region. It is Washington's third largest officially designated American Viticultural Area (AVA), and is responsible for more than 40% of the state's wine production.

Located within the larger Columbia Valley AVA, the Yakima Valley AVA is sub-divided into the three smaller wine regions, each with distinctive growing conditions. They are Red Mountain AVA, Snipes Mountain AVA, and Rattlesnake Hills AVA.[25] Of the viticultural region's 665,000 acres (269,000 ha), nearly 11,120 acres (4,500 ha) were planted in 2008.[24]

Pests

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Common agricultural pests here include the Green Peach Aphid (Myzus persicae), the Spotted Cutworm (Xestia c-nigrum), and the Beet Leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus) in potato.[26]

Communities

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Cities

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Towns

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Census-designated places

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Unincorporated communities

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Politics

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Yakima County leans Republican in statewide elections. On only four occasions has it backed a Democrat for President – it has voted for the same candidate as the state of South Dakota in every election since they first voted for President – and the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate it backed was Albert D. Rosellini in 1956.[27]

Only Adams County and Columbia County, which last backed a Democrat for governor in 1936 when Clarence D. Martin swept every county in the state, have consistently backed Republicans for governor for longer.[27] Although Yakima County did narrowly support Maria Cantwell in 2012, the previous statewide candidate to carry Yakima County for the Democrats was popular Senator "Scoop" Jackson in 1982.[28]

United States presidential election results for Yakima County, Washington[29]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 50,555 52.56% 43,179 44.89% 2,459 2.56%
2016 41,735 52.34% 31,291 39.24% 6,715 8.42%
2012 42,239 54.50% 33,217 42.86% 2,050 2.64%
2008 41,946 54.10% 33,792 43.58% 1,796 2.32%
2004 43,352 59.56% 28,474 39.12% 964 1.32%
2000 39,494 58.61% 25,546 37.91% 2,342 3.48%
1996 27,668 46.61% 25,676 43.25% 6,016 10.13%
1992 25,841 44.58% 21,026 36.27% 11,102 19.15%
1988 30,026 55.70% 23,221 43.07% 663 1.23%
1984 40,678 61.46% 24,724 37.36% 780 1.18%
1980 33,815 55.21% 21,873 35.71% 5,565 9.09%
1976 29,478 53.12% 24,223 43.65% 1,791 3.23%
1972 32,240 58.93% 19,729 36.06% 2,736 5.00%
1968 27,488 53.69% 19,499 38.09% 4,211 8.22%
1964 22,786 43.21% 29,604 56.14% 340 0.64%
1960 31,683 58.68% 21,958 40.67% 354 0.66%
1956 31,984 60.21% 20,991 39.51% 149 0.28%
1952 32,317 64.06% 17,647 34.98% 483 0.96%
1948 21,396 51.00% 19,760 47.10% 801 1.91%
1944 20,864 56.76% 15,643 42.56% 249 0.68%
1940 20,398 52.63% 18,092 46.68% 270 0.70%
1936 12,555 39.66% 17,200 54.33% 1,902 6.01%
1932 11,151 41.54% 13,880 51.70% 1,815 6.76%
1928 16,694 73.07% 6,008 26.30% 146 0.64%
1924 12,124 63.72% 2,157 11.34% 4,747 24.95%
1920 11,571 59.39% 4,062 20.85% 3,851 19.76%
1916 7,188 49.10% 6,136 41.91% 1,316 8.99%
1912 3,304 25.21% 3,209 24.49% 6,592 50.30%
1908 3,998 63.86% 1,650 26.35% 613 9.79%
1904 3,484 70.36% 929 18.76% 539 10.88%
1900 1,507 55.90% 1,066 39.54% 123 4.56%
1896 948 42.57% 1,266 56.85% 13 0.58%
1892 625 41.47% 498 33.05% 384 25.48%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "P2: HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Smith, Charles W. (July 1909). "The Naming of Counties in the State of Washington". The Magazine of History With Notes and Queries. X (1). New York: William Abbatt: 80–83, 85. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via HathiTrust.
  5. ^ HistoryLink.org: Yakima County – Thumbnail History
  6. ^ "2024 County Gazetteer Files – Washington". United States Census Bureau. November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  7. ^ List of U.S. states and territories by area
  8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  9. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  10. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  11. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  12. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  13. ^ "County Median Home Price". National Association of Realtors. November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  14. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Yakima County, Washington". www.census.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  15. ^ "Yakima County, Washington — Population by Race". CensusScope. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  16. ^ "Yakima County, Washington — Population by Race". CensusScope. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  17. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Yakima County, Washington". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  18. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Yakima County, Washington". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  19. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Yakima County, Washington". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  20. ^ "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  21. ^ "How many people live in Yakima County, Washington". USA Today. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  22. ^ "National Agricultural Statistics Service - 2017 Census of Agriculture - Volume 1, Chapter 1: State Level Data". USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  23. ^ a b A. Domine (ed) Wine pp. 798-800 Ullmann Publishing 2008 ISBN 978-3-8331-4611-4
  24. ^ J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Ed. pp. 761-762 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0-19-860990-6
  25. ^ Capinera, John (2020). Handbook of Vegetable Pests (2 ed.). London, UK; San Diego, Ca, US: Academic Press. pp. xv+799. ISBN 978-0-12-814488-6. OCLC 1152284558. ISBN 9780128144893.
  26. ^ a b David Leip. "Gubernatorial General Election Map Comparison - Washington". Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas.
  27. ^ David Leip. "Senatorial General Election Map Comparison – Washington". Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas.
  28. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 10, 2018.

Further reading

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  • William Denison Lyman, History of the Yakima Valley, Washington: Comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties. In Two Volumes. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919. Volume 1 and Volume 2.
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