Originally named after US representative, senator, and then vice president-elect William R. King in 1852, the county government amended its designation in 1986 to honor Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent activist and leader during the civil rights movement. The change was approved by the state government in 2005.
When Europeans arrived in the region that would become King County, it was inhabited by several Coast Salish groups. Villages around the site that would become Seattle were primarily populated by the Duwamish people. The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe occupied the area that would become eastern King County. The Green River and White River were home for the Muckleshoot tribal groups.[4] In the first winter after the Denny Party landed at Alki Point, the settlement at the point consisted of a few dozen settlers and over a thousand Native Americans. The local tribes provided the settlers with construction labor, domestic service, and help with subsistence activities.[5]
King County originally extended to the Olympic Peninsula. According to historian Bill Speidel, when peninsular prohibitionists threatened to shut down Seattle's saloons, Doc Maynard engineered a peninsular independence movement; King County lost what is now Kitsap County but preserved its entertainment industry.[8]
Coal was discovered in 1853 by M. Bigelow along the Black River, and in subsequent decades several companies formed to mine coal around Lake Washington and deliver it to Seattle. The Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad started servicing the Renton coal fields in 1877, and the Newcastle fields in 1878. By 1880, King County produced 22% of the coal mined on the West Coast, most of that coal being found within the Renton Formation's Muldoon coal seam.[9][10][11][12][13]
Name
King County's former flag, used from 1984 to 2007
On February 24, 1986, the King County Council approved a motion to rename the county to honor civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (no relation to William R. King), preserving the name "King County" while changing its namesake.[14][15][16] The motion stated, among other reasons for the change, that "William Rufus DeVane King was a slaveowner" who "earned income and maintained his lifestyle by oppressing and exploiting other human beings," while Martin Luther King's "contributions are well-documented and celebrated by millions throughout this nation and the world, and embody the attributes for which the citizens of King County can be proud, and claim as their own."[17]
Because only the state can charter counties, the change was not made official until April 19, 2005, when Governor Christine Gregoire signed into law Senate Bill 5332, which provided that "King county is renamed in honor of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr." effective July 24, 2005.[18][19][20]
The County Council voted on February 27, 2006, to adopt the proposal sponsored by Councilmember Larry Gossett to change the county's logo from an imperial crown to an image of Martin Luther King Jr.[21] On March 12, 2007, the new logo was unveiled.[22][23] The new logo design was developed by the Gable Design Group and the specific image was selected by a committee consisting of King County Executive Ron Sims, Council Chair Larry Gossett, Prosecutor Norm Maleng, Sheriff Sue Rahr, District Court Judge Corrina Harn, and Superior Court Judge Michael Trickey.[24] The same logo is used in the flag.
Martin Luther King Jr. had visited King County once, for three days in November 1961.[25][26]
Geography
Map of King County
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,307.41 square miles (5,976.2 km2), of which 2,115.70 square miles (5,479.6 km2) is land and 191.71 square miles (496.5 km2) (8.3%) is water.[27] King County has nearly twice the land area of the state of Rhode Island. The highest point in the county is Mount Daniel at 7,959 feet (2,426 meters) above sea level.
King County has been identified as vulnerable to higher risks of flooding caused by climate change due to the number of waterways in the area. The county's oceanic ecosystems are predicted to face harmful chemical changes, while the mountainous ecosystems could experience a decrease in ice and snow.[29] Since the mid-2000s, the county government has adopted policies to mitigate the effects of climate change and reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the region.[28]
U.S. Decennial Census[39] 1790–1960[40] 1900–1990[41] 1990–2000[42] 2010–2020[1]
As of the first quarter of 2024, the median home value in King County was $982,130, an increase of 5.63% from the prior year.[43]
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 949,792 estimated households in King County with an average of 2.35 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $120,824. Approximately 8.8% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. King County has an estimated 71.0% employment rate, with 58.3% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 94.1% holding a high school diploma.[44]
As of the 2021 King County experienced its first population decline in 50 years.[45]
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 (69.2%), Spanish (7.2%), Indo-European (7.5%), Asian and Pacific Islander (12.9%), and Other (3.2%).
The median age in the county was 37.7 years.
Racial and ethnic composition since 1960
King 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.
As of the 2020 census, there were 2,269,675 people, 917,764 households, and 537,466 families residing in the county.[51] The population density was 1,073.0 inhabitants per square mile (414.3/km2). There were 969,234 housing units at an average density of 458.2 inhabitants per square mile (176.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 56.09% White, 6.67% African American, 0.84% Native American, 19.94% Asian, 0.88% Pacific Islander, 5.19% from some other races and 10.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 10.71% of the population.[52] 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.0% were under 5 years of age, and 14.5% were 65 and older.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 1,931,249 people, 789,232 households, and 461,510 families residing in the county. The population density was 912.9 inhabitants per square mile (352.5/km2). There were 851,261 housing units at an average density of 402.4 inhabitants per square mile (155.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 68.65% White, 6.20% African American, 0.84% Native American, 14.61% Asian, 0.75% Pacific Islander, 3.94% from some other races and 5.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 8.93% of the population.
Of the 789,232 households, 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 41.5% were non-families, and 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 37.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $68,065 and the median income for a family was $87,010. Males had a median income of $62,373 versus $45,761 for females. The per capita income for the county was $38,211. About 6.4% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
King County is home two federally-recognized tribes, the Muckleshoot tribe and the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe tribe, and other unrecognized groups.[55] The Muckleshoot Indian Reservation is located southeast of Auburn and is home to a resident population of 3,606 as of the 2000 census.
The Snoqualmie tribe's casino property was federally recognized as their reservation in 2006, however few tribe members live near the reservation.[56]
Religion
In 2010 statistics, the largest religious group in King County was the Archdiocese of Seattle, with 278,340 Catholics worshipping at 71 parishes, followed by 95,218 non-denominational adherents with 159 congregations, 56,985 LDS Mormons with 110 congregations, 25,937 AoG Pentecostals with 63 congregations, 25,789 ELCA Lutherans with 68 congregations, 24,909 PC-USA Presbyterians with 54 congregations, 18,185 Mahayana Buddhists with 39 congregations, 18,161 UMC Methodists with 50 congregations, 14,971 TEC Episcopalians with 35 congregations, and 12,531 ABCUSA Baptists with 42 congregations. Altogether, 37.6% of the population was claimed as members by religious congregations, although members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information.[57] In 2014, King County had 944 religious organizations, the 8th most out of all US counties.[58]
The county government manages elections, records, licensing, parks, wastewater treatment, and public health, among other duties. It also handles the criminal legal and incarceration system for all cities and unincorporated areas within King County. It has a sheriff's department that also provides basic policing to unincorporated areas.[63] The Department of Local Services, established in 2019, serves as the local government for populated unincorporated areas.[64]
King County is part of four congressional districts that each elect a member of the United States House of Representatives; the boundaries are redrawn every 10 years based on the results of the decennial census.[65] The 1st district comprises the Eastside cities north of Bellevue; the 7th district includes northern Seattle, West Seattle, Burien, Normandy Park, and Vashon Island; the 8th district includes areas east of Lake Sammamish and the immediate Green River Valley; and the 9th district comprises the southern areas of the county from Federal Way to Seattle, Mercer Island, and part of Bellevue.[66] In the state legislature, the county has 17 districts that each elect two House members and one senator.[67][68] The majority of state legislators from King County are Democrats; only four House members and two senators are from the Republican Party.[67]
The people of King County voted on September 5, 1911, to create a Port District. King County's Port of Seattle was established as the first Port District in Washington State. The Port of Seattle is King County's only Port District. It is governed by five Port Commissioners, who are elected countywide and serve four-year terms. The Port of Seattle owns and operates many properties on behalf of King County's citizens, including Sea-Tac International Airport; many seaport facilities around Elliott Bay, including its original property, publicly owned Fishermen's Terminal, home to the North Pacific fishing fleet and the largest homeport for fishermen in the U.S. West Coast;[citation needed] four container ship terminals; two cruise ship terminals; the largest grain export terminal in the U.S. Pacific Northwest; three public marinas; 22 public parks; and nearly 5,000 acres of industrial lands in the Ballard-Interbay and Lower Duwamish industrial centers.[citation needed]
King County and Seattle are strongly liberal; the area is a bastion for the Democratic Party. No Republican presidential candidate has carried the county votes since Ronald Reagan's landslide reelection victory in 1984. In the 2008 election, Barack Obama defeated John McCain in the county by 42 percentage points, a larger margin for the Democrats than that seen in any previous election up to that point in time. Slightly more than 29% of Washington state's population reside in King County, making it a significant factor for the Democrats in a few recent close statewide elections. In the 2000 Senate elections, King County's margin of victory pushed Maria Cantwell's total over that of incumbent RepublicanSlade Gorton, defeating and unseating him in the United States Senate. In 2004, King County gave a lead to Democrat Christine Gregoire in her 2004 victory gubernatorial election, pushing her ahead of Republican Dino Rossi, who led by 261 votes after the initial count.[70] Rossi resided in the county at the time of the election, in Sammamish. In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by earning 75% of King County votes. Governor Jay Inslee also defeated Republican challenger Loren Culp with 74% of the King County vote in the concurrent gubernatorial election. These were the largest margins by any candidate in a presidential race and a gubernatorial race since the county's creation.[71]
In 2004, voters passed a referendum reducing the size of the County Council from 13 members to 9. This resulted in all council seats ending up on the 2005 ballot.
Some residents of eastern King County have long desired to secede and form their own county. This movement was most vocal in the mid-1990s (see Cedar County, Washington).[72][73] It has recently been revived as Cascade County.[74] According to a map published by the Seattle Times, four different geographic borders were considered.[75] Additional plans (see Skykomish County, Washington) also exist or have existed.
United States presidential election results for King County, Washington[76]
^Thrush, Coll-Peter (2002). "Creation Stories". In Mary C. Wright (ed.). More Voices, New Stories. Pacific Northwest Historians Guild. pp. 45–46. ISBN0295983108.
^Melder, F.E. (1938). "History of the Discoveries and Physical Development of the Coal Industry in the State of Washington". The Pacific Northwest Quarterly. 29 (2): 151–165. JSTOR40486284.
^Regional Transit Map Book(PDF) (Map). King County GIS Center, Sound Transit. February 2014. pp. 8, 17. Archived(PDF) from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
King County Snapshots presents King County, Washington, through 12,000 historical images carefully chosen from twelve cultural heritage organizations' collections. These catalogued 19th and 20th century images portray people, places, and events in the county's urban, suburban, and rural communities.
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