Island County | |
|---|---|
 Shoreline at Fort Ebey State Park within U.S. Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve on Whidbey Island | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Washington | |
 Washington's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 48°09′N 122°35′W / 48.15°N 122.58°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Washington |
| Founded | 1852 |
| Seat | Coupeville |
| Largest city | Oak Harbor |
| Area | |
| • Total | 517 sq mi (1,340 km2) |
| • Land | 208 sq mi (540 km2) |
| • Water | 309 sq mi (800 km2) 60% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 86,857 |
| • Estimate (2023) | 86,267  |
| • Density | 381/sq mi (147/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | islandcountywa |
Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 86,857.[1] Its county seat is Coupeville,[2] while its largest city is Oak Harbor.
The county's name reflects the fact that it is composed entirely of islands.[3] It contains two large islands, Whidbey and Camano, and seven smaller islands (Baby, Ben Ure, Deception, Kalamut, Minor, Smith, and Strawberry). Island County was created out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory,[4][5] and is the eighth-oldest county in Washington. It originally encompassed what are now Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, and San Juan Counties.
Island County comprises the Oak Harbor, Washington Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Seattle–Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. pp. 166.
- ^ Reinartz, Kay. "History of King County Government 1853–2002" (PDF). p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2007.
- ^ "Washington: Individual County Chronologies". Washington Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2007. Retrieved July 17, 2015.[permanent dead link]