Thurston County, Washington | |
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Former Thurston 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 | January 12, 1852 |
Named for | Samuel Thurston |
Seat | Olympia |
Largest city | Olympia |
Area | |
• Total | 774 sq mi (2,005 km2) |
• Land | 722 sq mi (1,870 km2) |
• Water | 52 sq mi (135 km2), 6.7% |
Population (est.) | |
• (2016) | 275,222 |
• Density | 368/sq mi (142/km²) |
Congressional districts | 3rd, 10th |
Time zone | Pacific: UTC-8/-7 |
Website | www |
Thurston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, its population was 252,264. The county seat and largest city is Olympia, the state capital.
Thurston County was created out of Lewis County by the government of Oregon Territory on January 12, 1852. At that time, it covered all of the Puget Sound region and the Olympic Peninsula. On December 22 of the same year, Pierce, King, Island, and Jefferson counties were split off from Thurston County. It is named after Samuel R. Thurston, the Oregon Territory's first delegate to Congress.
Thurston County comprises the Olympia-Tumwater, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 774 square miles (2,000 km2), of which 722 square miles (1,870 km2) is land and 52 square miles (130 km2) (6.7%) is water.