Cowlitz County, Washington

Cowlitz County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 110,730.[1] The county seat is Kelso,[2] and its largest city is Longview. The county was formed in April 1854.[3] Its name derives from the anglicized version of the Cowlitz Indian term Cow-e-liske, meaning either 'river of shifting sands' or 'capturing the medicine spirit.' Cowlitz comprises the Longview, WA Metropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA Combined statistical area.[4]

Cowlitz County
County
Cowlitz County Courthouse
Cowlitz County Courthouse
Map of Washington highlighting Cowlitz 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°11′N 122°41′W
Country United States
State Washington
FoundedApril 21, 1854
SeatKelso
Largest cityLongview
Area
 • Total1,166 sq mi (3,020 km2)
 • Land1,140 sq mi (3,000 km2)
 • Water26 sq mi (70 km2)  2.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total110,730
 • Estimate 
(2022)
111,956 Increase
 • Density95/sq mi (37/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district3rd
Websitewww.co.cowlitz.wa.us

History

Prior to the Europeans' arrival to the area, it was inhabited by numerous Native American tribes, with the Cowlitz tribe being the largest. They were drawn to the region by the abundance of salmon. The Cowlitz are considered to be the first regional inhabitants to engage in commerce as they traded extensively with other tribes in Western and Eastern Washington. The Cowlitz Indian population declined significantly from the 1829-1830 smallpox outbreak.

European explorers discovered and began navigating the Columbia River in 1792 as British Lieutenant W. R. Broughton sailed up the river to and past present day Cowlitz County. Then on November 5, 1805, Lewis and Clark camped at the mouth of the Kalama River. Over the following days, they would reach the present sites of Kelso and Longview.

By the 1820s, the Hudson's Bay Company had established a lucrative fur trade in the region. Furs were shipped down the Cowlitz River to the Columbia where they were loaded and shipped around the world. Trade declined significantly in the late 1830s as over-hunting reduced the annual yields, and wearing fur had become less fashionable.

During the next several decades, white settlement of the region was in full swing. Most of the settlers homesteaded near the tributaries that fed the Columbia River, forming settlements. The first was Monticello, near present-day Longview. In 1841 several families with the HBC directed Sinclair expedition from Red River Colony settled there.

On November 25, 1852, at Monticello, settlers from the Cowlitz and Puget Sound regions drafted a petition (the Monticello Convention) to the federal government, calling for a separate territory north of the Columbia River to be carved out of the existing Oregon Territory. The petition was successful; three months later the United States Congress formed the Columbia Territory, although it was soon renamed Washington Territory.

The newly separated territory was governed by two existing counties. In August 1845, the Oregon Territorial government had created Vancouver County. Its boundary covered the entire area of present-day Washington state. In December of that same year, the Oregon Territorial government sliced off the eastern portion to create Lewis County. In 1849 the reduced Vancouver County was renamed Clark County. So when the new Washington Territorial government began functioning, among its first actions was the creation of Cowlitz County, from the southwestern portion of Clark County. This proclamation was finalized on April 24, 1854, signed into law by Governor Isaac Stevens. Later in 1854, the western portion of the new county was partitioned off to form Wahkiakum County; otherwise the county's boundary has remained unchanged until the present.

Nearly every town that sprang up in the late 19th century began around a logging or lumber-milling operation. In the latter half of the 1920s, the Weyerhaeuser Company and Long-Bell Lumber Company established processing facilities. At the time, these two facilities were the first and second largest in the world. The county is still heavily dependent on the timber industry.[5]

Four towns have functioned as the Cowlitz County seat:[6]

Geography

Cowlitz County is in the southwestern part of Washington state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,166 square miles (3,020 km2), of which 1,140 square miles (3,000 km2) is land and 26 square miles (67 km2) (2.2%) is water.[7]

Cowlitz County is part of the Puget Sound – Willamette Depression, a geologic formation extending southward from the Puget Sound to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Nestled against the Cascade Mountains, many of the county's major rivers originate in this range, including the Columbia, Cowlitz, Coweeman, Kalama, Lewis and Toutle.[5]

Cowlitz County is one of the state's smaller counties (28 of 39).[8]

Geographic features

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

County parks
  • Catlin Cemetery
  • Cougar Wayside
  • Finn Hall Wayside
  • Harry Gardner Park
  • Hog Island Access
  • Riverside Park
  • SRS Viewpoint
  • Woodbrook Park[9]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1860406—
187073079.8%
18802,062182.5%
18905,917187.0%
19007,87733.1%
191012,56159.5%
192011,791−6.1%
193031,906170.6%
194040,15525.9%
195053,36932.9%
196057,8018.3%
197068,61618.7%
198079,54815.9%
199082,1193.2%
200092,94813.2%
2010102,41010.2%
2020110,7308.1%
2022 (est.)111,956[10]1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790–1960[12] 1900–1990[13]
1990–2000[14] 2010–2020[1]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 110,730 people and 42,776 households in the county.[1] The population density was 97.0 people per square mile (37.5 people/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.4% White, 1.7% Asian, 2.2% American Indian, 1.2% African American, 0.5% Pacific Islander, and 4.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 9.9% of the population.[1]

22.5% of the population of the county was under 18, and 5.8% were under 5. People over 65 represented 19.4% of the population. The gender ratio was equal, with 50% of the population being female and 50% being male.[1]

The median income for a household in the county was $64,506, and the per capita income was $32,439. 12.6% of the population was below the poverty line.[1]

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 102,410 people, 40,244 households, and 27,241 families living in the county. The population density was 89.8 people per square mile (34.7 people/km2). There were 43,450 housing units at an average density of 38.1 units per square mile (14.7 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.9% white, 1.5% Asian, 1.5% American Indian, 0.6% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 3.5% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.4% were German, 15.0% were Irish, 12.3% were English, 6.2% were Norwegian, and 5.4% were American.

Of the 40,244 households, 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.3% were non-families, and 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age was 40.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,877 and the median income for a family was $55,002. Males had a median income of $48,329 versus $32,438 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,948. About 11.8% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.3% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

The county had been reliably Democratic in Presidential elections for over three decades, and Walter Mondale won this county in Ronald Reagan's 49-state landslide in 1984. Donald Trump won a majority of the vote here in 2016 and 2020, becoming the first Republican to win this county since Reagan in 1980.

United States presidential election results for Cowlitz County, Washington[15][16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 34,424 57.11% 23,938 39.71% 1,918 3.18%
2016 24,185 51.30% 17,908 37.99% 5,049 10.71%
2012 20,746 46.09% 22,726 50.49% 1,540 3.42%
2008 19,554 42.96% 24,597 54.05% 1,361 2.99%
2004 20,217 47.54% 21,589 50.76% 724 1.70%
2000 16,873 45.65% 18,233 49.33% 1,856 5.02%
1996 11,221 33.48% 18,054 53.87% 4,240 12.65%
1992 10,000 28.96% 15,052 43.59% 9,477 27.45%
1988 12,009 42.19% 16,090 56.53% 366 1.29%
1984 14,858 47.98% 15,361 49.60% 749 2.42%
1980 13,154 45.93% 12,560 43.86% 2,925 10.21%
1976 12,531 44.11% 14,958 52.66% 917 3.23%
1972 14,431 51.21% 12,682 45.00% 1,069 3.79%
1968 10,842 42.10% 13,363 51.90% 1,545 6.00%
1964 6,708 27.38% 17,605 71.85% 188 0.77%
1960 12,103 49.79% 12,054 49.58% 153 0.63%
1956 11,912 48.80% 12,448 51.00% 50 0.20%
1952 12,366 52.08% 11,242 47.34% 138 0.58%
1948 7,098 37.55% 11,075 58.59% 729 3.86%
1944 6,157 36.65% 10,485 62.41% 157 0.93%
1940 6,078 34.31% 11,420 64.47% 216 1.22%
1936 3,617 25.31% 10,147 71.00% 528 3.69%
1932 3,767 33.90% 5,443 48.98% 1,903 17.12%
1928 5,882 68.76% 2,581 30.17% 91 1.06%
1924 3,274 55.66% 927 15.76% 1,681 28.58%
1920 2,267 61.49% 801 21.72% 619 16.79%
1916 2,113 55.11% 1,282 33.44% 439 11.45%
1912 1,348 34.66% 919 23.63% 1,622 41.71%
1908 1,573 65.65% 617 25.75% 206 8.60%
1904 1,589 77.32% 317 15.43% 149 7.25%
1900 1,171 63.33% 619 33.48% 59 3.19%
1896 989 49.75% 974 48.99% 25 1.26%
1892 738 41.69% 566 31.98% 466 26.33%

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". July 30, 2023.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. "Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas" (PDF). Office of Management and Budget. February 28, 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 21, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  4. "Cowlitz and Wahkiakum County Profile" (PDF). Employment Security Department. October 1998. Archived from the original (CSV) on July 3, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  5. "Cowlitz County" (CSV). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 26, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  7. "Region 4" (PDF). Washington State Hazard Mitigation Plan. April 2004. Archived from the original (CSV) on July 19, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  8. "Cowlitz County Parks and Recreation Division". co.cowlitz.wa.us/. September 10, 2009. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009.
  9. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  12. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  13. "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 7, 2014.
  14. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  15. The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 1,006 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 527 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 79 votes, and Socialist Labor candidate Arthur Reimer received 10 votes.

46.19°N 122.68°W / 46.19; -122.68

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