Puget Island, Washington

Puget Island
CDP
Puget Island from the north. It is linked to Cathlamet, Washington by the Julia Butler Hansen Bridge.
Puget Island Location within the state of Washington
Coordinates: 46°10′36″N 123°23′1″W
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Wahkiakum
Area
• Total	7.477 sq mi (19.365 km^2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	922
• Density	120/sq mi (48/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98612[1]
Area code	360

Puget Island viewed from the south.

Puget Island is a 7.5 sq mi(4,785 acre; 19.365 km²) island and Census-designated place (CDP) in the Columbia River in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States. The island was named for Peter Puget, a lieutenant in the Vancouver Expedition of exploration, which first mapped the island in 1792.^[2]

The Julia Butler Hansen Bridge (built in 1938) carries State Route 409 across the Cathlamet Channel to connect the island to the town of Cathlamet, Washington. Route 409 crosses the island to its southern shore, where it connects with the county-operated Wahkiakum County Ferry, Oscar B, providing service to Westport, Oregon. The 2020 census reported a population of 922 persons.

Puget Island's Robert W. Little Preserve is home to a population of endangered Columbian white-tailed deer.^[3]

History

Puget Island was settled in 1884 by the Ostervold family. In addition to running dairy farms, farmers on the island grew mint from 1917 to the late 1940s. The next major crop grown on Puget Island was cucumbers, primarily for pickling, until the crops were damaged by mosaic disease. In the 1990s, sheep, dairying, and cottonwood were the main agricultural pursuits.^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2010	831		—
2020	922		11.0%
US Decennial Census[5] 2020 Census[6]

As of the 2020 census, there were 922 people, 488 housing units, and 455 families. There were 833 White people, 1 African American, 13 Native Americans, 2 Asians, 7 people from some other race, and 66 people from two or more races. There were 34 people from Hispanic or Latino origin.^[7]

The ancestry in Puget Island was 21.5% English, 8.7% German, 7.1% Irish, 4.9% Norwegian,1.8% Scottish, 1.8% French, and 0.9% Italian.^[7]

The median age was 60 years old. A total of 37.5% of the population were older than 65, with 22.5% being from 65 to 74 years, 12.7% being from 75 to 84 years, and 2.2% being 85 or older.^[7]

The median household income was $56,929, with families having $58,401, and non-families having $56,087. A total of 10.6% of the population were in poverty, with 9.3% of people between the ages of 18 and 64 being in poverty, and 17.4% of people over 65 being in poverty.^[7]

References

1. "Puget Island WA ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
2. Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-918664-00-6.
3. "The Nature Conservancy: Robert W. Little (Puget Island) Preserve". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
4. Martin, Irene (1997). Beaches of Heaven: A History of Wahkiakum County. Washington State University Press. pp. 64–66, 126. ISBN 0-87422-156-0.
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
6. "Census Bureau profile: Puget Island, Washington". United States Census Bureau. May 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
7. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 19, 2023.

• Puget Island: Blocks 5001 thru 5025, Census Tract 9501, Wahkiakum County, Washington^{[full citation needed]} United States Census Bureau

External links

• Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments
• Wahkiakum Ferry, Oscar B