King County
| King County, Washington | |||
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King County Courthouse
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 Location in the U.S. state of Washington |
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 Washington's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | December 22, 1852 | ||
| Named for |
William Rufus King (1852 - 2005) Martin Luther King, Jr. (2005–present) |
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| Seat | Seattle | ||
| Largest city | Seattle | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 2,307 sq mi (5,975 km2) | ||
| • Land | 2,116 sq mi (5,480 km2) | ||
| • Water | 191 sq mi (495 km2), 8.3% | ||
| Population (est.) | |||
| • (2015) | 2,117,125 | ||
| • Density | 983/sq mi (380/km²) | ||
| Congressional districts | 1st, 7th, 8th, 9th | ||
| Time zone | Pacific: UTC-8/-7 | ||
| Website | www |
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King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census its population was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, which is the state's largest city.
King County is one of three Washington counties that are included in the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan statistical area. (The others are Snohomish County to the north, and Pierce County to the south.) About two-thirds of King County's population lives in the city's suburbs. As of 2011, King County was the 86th highest-income county in the United States.
The county was originally named after William Rufus King who was Vice President when the Washington Territory was created in 1853. In 1986, a motion was introduced to change the namesake to Martin Luther King Jr. No public votes or hearings were taken on the change.
On February 24, 1986, the King County Council passed Council Motion 6461 five votes to four setting forth the historical basis for the renaming of King County in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Because only the state can charter counties, this change was not made official until April 19, 2005, when the Governor signed Senate Bill 5332 into law.
The County Council submitted a vote to the public on February 27, 2006 to change the county's logo from a royal crown to an image of King. On March 12, 2007, the new logo was unveiled.
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