Spokane County, Washington

Spokane County
County
Spokane County Courthouse
Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 47°37′N 117°24′W / 47.62°N 117.4°W / 47.62; -117.4
Country	United States
State	Washington
Founded	January 29, 1858 (created) January 19, 1864 (annexed to Stevens Co.) October 30, 1879 (separated from Stevens Co.)
Named for	Spokane people
Seat	Spokane
Largest city	Spokane
Government
• Sheriff	John Nowels
Area
• Total	1,781 sq mi (4,610 km2)
• Land	1,764 sq mi (4,570 km2)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km2)  0.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	539,339
• Estimate  (2023)	551,455
• Density	275/sq mi (106/km2)
Demonym	Spokanite
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	5th
Website	www.spokanecounty.org

Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 539,339, making it the fourth-most populous county in Washington.^[1] The largest city and county seat is Spokane,^[2] the second largest city in the state after Seattle. The county is named after the Spokane people.

Spokane County is part of the Spokane metropolitan area, which is also part of the greater Spokane–Coeur d'Alene combined statistical area that includes nearby Kootenai County, Idaho.

The first humans to arrive in what is now Spokane County arrived between 12,000 and 8,000 years ago and were hunter-gatherer societies who lived off the plentiful game in the area. Initially, the settlers hunted predominantly bison and antelope, but after the game migrated out of the region, the native people became dependent on gathering various roots, berries, and nuts, and harvesting fish.^[3] The Spokane tribe, after which the county is named, means "Children of the Sun" or "sun people" in Salishan^[4] Explorer-geographer David Thompson, working as head of the North West Company's Columbia Department, became the first European to explore what is now the Inland Northwest.^[5] After establishing the Kullyspell House and Saleesh House fur trading posts in what are now Idaho and Montana, Thompson then attempted to expand further west. He sent out two trappers, Jacques Raphael Finlay and Finan McDonald, to construct a fur-trading post on the Spokane River in Washington and trade with the local Indians.^[6] This post was established in 1810, at the confluence of the Little Spokane and Spokane Rivers, becoming the first enduring European settlement of significance in Washington.^[5] Known as the Spokane House, or simply "Spokane", it was in operation from 1810 to 1826.^[4]

Spokane County was established by the Washington Territorial Legislature effective January 29, 1858, from a portion of Walla Walla County, which originally encompassed most of eastern Washington Territory between the Cascades and Rockies. The new county was bound to the west by the Columbia and Snake rivers and to the east by the Rockies; it included portions of modern-day Idaho and Montana.^[7][8] The territorial legislature designated the farm of Angus McLeod as the temporary county seat and appointed officials to several positions for Spokane County, but they never took office and did not organize a government. In late 1859, a group of settlers in the Bitterroot Valley petitioned to create their own county, which was not granted at that time; the territorial legislature reorganized Spokane County on January 17, 1860, with a seat on a land claim near Fort Colville.^[7][9]

The first county government met on May 8, 1860, and began conducting business.^[7] The eastern and southern portions of Spokane County were partitioned several times as new counties were created, beginning with Missoula County in December 1860 and followed by Shoshone County and Nez Perce County in 1861.^[10][11] These areas became part of the new Idaho Territory, which was organized by the U.S. Congress on March 3, 1863, and reduced the size of Spokane County even further.^[12] On January 19, 1864, the county was annexed into neighboring Stevens County, which had been created a year earlier from the northern portions of Walla Walla County. The seat of Stevens County was Pinkney City (now Colville) until it was temporarily relocated to the town of Spokane Falls (now Spokane) in 1875.^[7][13]

Spokane County was re-established on October 30, 1879, from the portions of Stevens County south of the Columbia, Spokane, and Wenatchee rivers.^[7][14] The western portion of the county was used to create Lincoln County, which was established on November 23, 1883.^[15] The first post office in the county was located at Spokane Bridge.^[16]

The selection of a permanent county seat was to be decided in an election in November 1880 between the growing cities of Cheney and Spokane Falls, both candidates for a major Northern Pacific Railway hub. The unofficial returns showed a 14-vote margin in favor of Cheney, but the result was disputed by county officials from Spokane Falls based on "irregularities" in the ballots. The official result had a margin of two or three votes for Spokane Falls, but Cheney residents demanded a recount, which was granted by a court order that was ignored by county officials in Spokane Falls. On March 21, 1881, a group of armed Cheney residents forcibly took custody of the county auditor, recount ballots, and other county records during a nighttime raid. After declaring their own recount had been in favor of Cheney as county seat, the records and the county auditor were moved from Spokane Falls; other government officials also moved to Cheney after a court order upheld the Cheney recount.^[13][17] A new ballot question in 1886 resulted in Spokane becoming the permanent county seat.^[17]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,781 sq mi (4,610 km²), of which 17 square miles (44 km²) (0.9%) are covered by water.^[18] The lowest point in the county is the Spokane River behind Long Lake Dam (boundary of Stevens County) at 1,538 feet (469 m) above sea level. (Virtually no change in elevation occurs between the dam and the mouth of the Little Spokane River inside Riverside State Park.) The highest point in the county is the summit of Mount Spokane at 5,887 ft (1,794 m). NAVD 88^[19]

Spokane County has a complex geologic history and varied topography. To the west is the barren landscape of the Columbia Basin and to the east are the foothills of the Rockies—the Coeur d'Alene Mountains, which rise to the east in northern Idaho. Spokane County lies in a transition area between the eastern edge of the basaltic Channeled Scablands steppe plains to the west and the rugged, timbered Rocky Mountain foothills to the east.^[20] The area exhibits signs of the prehistoric geologic events that shaped the area and region such as the Missoula Floods, which ended 12,000 to 15,000 years ago.^[21] The geography to the southeast, such as the Saltese Flats and Saltese Uplands is characterized as a shrub–steppe landscape with grassy hills and ravines.^[22]

In ecology, as with the topography, the county is also in a transition area, roughly split between the Columbia Plateau ecoregion in the southwest portion, where it is at the eastern edge of the basaltic Channeled Scablands steppe plain and the Northern Rockies ecoregion in the northwest portion, which is the rugged and forested Selkirk Mountains.^[23][24]

• Mount Spokane
• Mount Kit Carson
• Mica Peak
• Krell Hill

• Dishman Hills Natural Conservation Area
• Riverside State Park
• Riverfront Park
• Manito Park
• Mount Spokane State Park

• Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge

As of the 2020 census, there were 539,339 people, 212,470 households, and 132,324 families residing in the county.^[31] The population density was 305.7 inhabitants per square mile (118.0/km²) averaging 2.46 persons per household. There were 224,019 housing units had an average density of 128.0 per square mile (49.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.1% White, 2.0% African American, 1.5% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, 2.2% from some other races and 9.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.6% of the population.^[32] 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.5% were under 5 years of age, and 17.5% were 65 and older.

Females consisted of 50.1% of the county. 5.3% of the county consist of foreign born persons.^[33]

Of those 25 years or older, 94.2% people in the county hold a high school diploma, GED, or higher; and 31.5% obtaining a bachelor's degree or higher. Of those below the age of 65 years, 10.% have a disability and 6.3% are without health insurance. The median household income was $64,079 (in 2021 dollars) and 11.2% of the county are living in poverty.^[33]

As of the 2010 census, there were 471,221 people, 187,167 households, and 118,212 families were residing in the county.^[34] The population density was 267.2 people per square mile (103.2 people/km²). The 201,434 housing units had an average density of 114.2 units per square mile (44.1 units/km²).^[35] The racial makeup of the county was 89.2% White, 2.1% Asian, 1.7% African American, 1.5% American Indian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.5% of the population.^[34] In terms of ancestry, 27.0% were German, 15.4% were Irish, 13.5% were English, 6.9% were Norwegian, and 4.4% were American.^[36]

Of the 187,167 households, 30.9% had children under 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were not families; 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44, and the average family size was 2.99. The median age was 36.8 years.^[34]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,250 and for a family was $59,999. Males had a median income of $44,000 versus $33,878 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,127. About 9.1% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.^[37]

As of the 2000 census, there were 417,939 people, 163,611 households, and 106,019 families were in the county. The population density was 237 people per square mile (92 people/km²). The 175,005 housing units had an average density of 99 units per square mile (38 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.62% White, 2.00% African American, 1.40% Native American, 1.88% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 0.82% from other races, and 2.76% from two or more races; 2.77% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. About 22.0% were of German, 10.7% Irish, 9.9% English, 7.6% American, and 6.4% Norwegian ancestry.

Of the 163,611 households, 32.4% had children under 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were not families. About 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46, and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the age distribution was 25.7% under 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females. there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,308, and for a family was $46,463. Males had a median income of $35,097 versus $25,526 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,233. About 8.30% of families and 12.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those age 65 or over.

Spokane County is governed by a partisan board of county commissioners, one from each of five districts. They run in a partisan primary election within their own district, then compete countywide in the general election. Other elected officials include the sheriff, auditor (who is also responsible for elections), assessor, treasurer, and prosecutor, which are also partisan offices. Spokane County has an appointed medical examiner. In 2023, Spokane County expanded the number of County Commissioner seats from 3 to 5.^[38] As of January 2023, the current commissioners for Spokane County are Chris Jordan (Democrat), Amber Waldref (Democrat), Josh Kerns (Republican), Mary Kuney (Republican), and Al French (Republican), from the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth county districts, respectively.^[39] The previous Sheriff was Ozzie D. Knezovich,^[40] who was appointed on April 11, 2006, and retired on December 31, 2022.^[41][42] The current elected Sheriff of Spokane County is John Nowels, whose term began on January 1, 2023.^[43]

Transportation planning within the county is handled by the Spokane Regional Transportation Council, a metropolitan planning organization that was created in 1962. It distributes federal and state funds for transportation projects and updates the long-range transportation plan for Spokane County.^[44]

Spokane County is rather conservative for an urban county. It has voted Republican all but three times since 1948. Lyndon Johnson was the last Democrat to win a majority of the county's vote. It gave a plurality of votes to Bill Clinton in both elections. Democratic strength is concentrated in Spokane itself and in Cheney, which is home to Eastern Washington University, while the suburban areas are heavily Republican.^[45]

The Republican edge has narrowed somewhat since the turn of the century. In the last five elections, the margin has been under 9% each time.

The county government adopted an official flag in 1988 following a public design contest sponsored by the Spokane County Centennial Commission. The winning entry from Stephanie Bumgarner-Ott, the daughter of state legislator Gary Bumgarner, depicts the ceremonial headdress of the Spokane people against a yellow sun; the background is green with a diagonal blue stripe to represent the Spokane River.^[47] The flag was sent for display at the Washington State Capitol for the state centennial in 1989 and 25 copies were made at a cost of $1,751.75; it was used for official events, including the funeral of a county commissioner, but was not on permanent display in Spokane County buildings.^[48] One copy of the flag was stored in a vault in the county courthouse until 1995 and later lost again.^[48][49] The county government announced plans to decommission the design in 2002 and hold a new public contest due to the original flag's appearance, which was deemed potentially offensive to Native Americans.^[50] A new county seal was adopted in 2005 that depicts the county courthouse.^[51]

• Fairfield
• Latah
• Rockford
• Waverly

School districts in the county include:^[52]

Community colleges include:

• Spokane Community College
• Spokane Falls Community College

Universities include:

• Eastern Washington University
• Gonzaga University
• Washington State University
• Whitworth University
• University of Washington

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Spokane County, Washington
• List of counties in Washington

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spokane County, Washington.

• Official website

47°37′N 117°24′W / 47.62°N 117.40°W / 47.62; -117.40