Jefferson County, Washington
| Jefferson County, Washington | |
|---|---|
Jefferson County Courthouse in Port Townsend
|
|
 Location in the U.S. state of Washington |
|
 Washington's location in the U.S. |
|
| Founded | December 22, 1852 |
| Named for | Thomas Jefferson |
| Seat | Port Townsend |
| Largest city | Port Townsend |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,183 sq mi (5,654 km2) |
| • Land | 1,804 sq mi (4,672 km2) |
| • Water | 379 sq mi (982 km2), 17% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 30,466 |
| • Density | 17/sq mi (7/km²) |
| Congressional district | 6th |
| Time zone | Pacific: UTC-8/-7 |
| Website | www |
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,872. The county seat and only incorporated city is Port Townsend. The county is named for Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson County was formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory, and included the northern 4,854 square miles (12,571.8 km2) portion of the Olympic Peninsula. On April 26, 1854, the legislature of Washington Territory created Clallam County from the northwestern 2,670 square miles (6,915.3 km2) portion of this original area.
The Hood Canal Bridge connects Jefferson County to Kitsap County, Washington. The Coupeville-Port Townsend route of the Washington State Ferries connects the county to Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,183 square miles (5,650 km2), of which 1,804 square miles (4,670 km2) is land and 379 square miles (980 km2) (17%) is water.
The county is split in three parts by its landforms:
Because of the mountainous barrier, there is no road lying entirely within Jefferson County that connects the eastern and western parts. The most direct land route between the two ends of the county involves a drive of approximately 100 miles (160 km) along U.S. Route 101 through neighbouring Clallam County. The mountains also block the damp Chinook winds, which make the climate much wetter in the west than the so-called eastern "banana belt" in the rain shadow.
...
Wikipedia