Vashon Island
| Vashon | |
|---|---|
| CDP | |
 Location within King county |
|
 Vashon
|
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| Coordinates: 47°24′58″N 122°28′6″W / 47.41611°N 122.46833°WCoordinates: 47°24′58″N 122°28′6″W / 47.41611°N 122.46833°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | King |
| Area | |
| • Total | 37.0 sq mi (95.8 km2) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 10,624 |
| • Density | 290/sq mi (110/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 98070 & 98013 (Burton) |
| Area code(s) | 206 |
| FIPS code | 74305 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1512758 |
Vashon is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon-Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10,624 at the 2010 census and the size is 37 square miles (96 km2). There are no bridges to connect the island with the mainland, a big factor contributing to the island's relative isolation and rural character.
There is evidence of human activity on Vashon Island dating back to the last 10,000–12,000 years. Some of the Native peoples known to have lived on Vashon Island were the Marpole from about 7,000 years ago, the Salish about 1,000 years ago and the S'Homamish starting about 500 years ago.
The island was named on May 28, 1792, by the explorer George Vancouver after his friend James Vashon of the Royal Navy. Starting in 1824, different explorer and settler groups stayed on Vashon Island. The first logging on the island began in 1852. By 1855–1856, the S'Homamish people were interned at Fox Island. European-Americans settled Vashon Island between 1865 and 1890. During that time the main economies on the island were fishing and logging.
In 1890, Vashon Islanders started growing strawberries for sale. This became an important part of the Island economy during the next fifty years. In 1892, Vashon College opened in the Burton neighborhood on Vashon. During its operation, it was one of the leading colleges in the area. It later burned down in 1910.
At that time, Vashon Island was separate from the neighboring Maury Island, but today the hamlet of Portage sits on an isthmus built in 1916 by local homeowners that connects the two.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 37.0 square miles (96 square kilometres).
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