Grays Harbor County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 72,797. The county seat is Montesano, and its largest city is Aberdeen. The county is named after a large estuarine bay near its southwestern corner. On May 7, 1792, Boston fur trader Robert Gray crossed the bar into the bay he called Bullfinch Harbor, but which later cartographers would label Chehalis Bay, and then Grays Harbor.
The county, originally named Chehalis County, was formed out of Thurston County on April 14, 1854. Its name was subsequently changed to Grays Harbor County by the Washington legislature, effective June 9, 1915. The name change helped eliminate confusion resulting from the fact that the city named Chehalis was in Lewis County.
Grays Harbor County comprises the Aberdeen, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,224 square miles (5,760Â km2), of which 1,902 square miles (4,930Â km2) is land and 322 square miles (830Â km2) (14%) is water.
Geographic features
State parks
- Griffiths-Priday Ocean State Park
- Lake Sylvia State Park
- Ocean City State Park
- Pacific Beach State Park
- Twin Harbors State Park
- Westhaven State Park
- Westport Light State Park
Major highways
- U.S. Route 12
- U.S. Route 101
- State Route 8
Adjacent counties
- Jefferson County â€" north
- Mason County â€" northeast
- Thurston County â€" east/southeast
- Lewis County â€" south/southeast
- Pacific County â€" south
National protected areas
- Chehalis Indian Reservation
- Colonel Bob Wilderness
- Copalis National Wildlife Refuge
- Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge
- Olympic National Forest (part)
- Olympic National Park (part)
- Quinault Indian Reservation
Demographics
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 67,194 people, 26,808 households, and 17,907 families residing in the county. The population density was 35 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 32,489 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.30% White, 0.34% Black or African American, 4.66% Native American, 1.22% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 2.27% from other races, and 3.10% from two or more races. 4.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.3% were of German, 11.9% United States or American, 9.9% English, 9.2% Irish, and 6.1% Norwegian ancestry. 94.1% spoke English and 3.9% Spanish as their first language.
There were 26,808 households out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.70% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.20% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the population was spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,160, and the median income for a family was $39,709. Males had a median income of $35,947 versus $24,262 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,799. 16.10% of the population and 11.90% of families were below the poverty line. 21.60% of those under the age of 18 and 9. 40% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 72,797Â people, 28,579Â households, and 18,493Â families residing in the county. The population density was 38.3 inhabitants per square mile (14.8/km2). There were 35,166 housing units at an average density of 18.5 per square mile (7.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.9% white, 4.6% American Indian, 1.4% Asian, 1.1% black or African American, 0.3% Pacific islander, 3.9% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 21.0% were German, 13.5% were Irish, 11.7% were English, 6.8% were Norwegian, and 4.2% were American.
Of the 28,579Â households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.3% were non-families, and 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 41.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,899 and the median income for a family was $49,745. Males had a median income of $42,998 versus $34,183 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,656. About 11.7% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Grays Harbor County was one of the most consistently Democratic in the nation. Until 2016, the last Republican Presidential candidate to carry the county was Herbert Hoover in 1928 and the last Republican gubernatorial candidate to carry the county was Daniel J. Evans in 1964. However, Donald Trump carried the county in the 2016 Presidential Election.
In the United States House of Representatives Grays Harbor is part of Washington's 6th congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+5 and is represented by Derek Kilmer. In the Washington State Legislature it lies in the 19th, 24th, and 35th districts. In the Washington State Senate it is represented by Brian Hatfield, James Hargrove, and Tim Sheldon. In the Washington House of Representatives it is represented by Brian Blake, Fred Finn, Kathy Haig, Lynn Kessler, Dean Takko, and Kevin Van De Wege. All of these politicians are of the Democratic Party.
Economy
The principal economic activities are
- Wood and Paper Products
- Seafood Processing
- Food Processing
- Manufacturing
Communities
Cities
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated communities
Notable people
- Robert Arthur, actor
- Elton Bennett, artist
- Gail Brown, actress
- Trisha Brown, choreographer
- Mark Bruener, NFL player
- Daniel Bryan, professional wrestler
- Robert Eugene Bush, Medal of Honor recipient
- Kurt Cobain, musician
- Colin Cowherd, ESPN Radio host (The Herd with Colin Cowherd)
- Dale Crover, musician
- Reuben H. Fleet, aviation pioneer
- Clarence Chesterfield Howerton, circus performer
- Jerry Lambert, actor
- Robert Motherwell, artist
- Peter Norton, software developer (Norton Utilities)
- Krist Novoselic, musician
- Buzz Osborne, musician
- Douglas Osheroff, Nobel-winning physicist
- Patrick Simmons, musician
- Kurt Vanderhoof, musician
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Grays Harbor County, Washington
References
External links
- Official website
- Harborpedia
- Maritime Heritage Network, an online directory of maritime history resources in the Pacific Northwest, including the Grays Harbor cities of Aberdeen and Hoquiam.