Whitman County, Washington Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Whitman County
U.S. county
Colfax Post Office
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Washington
Founded	November 29, 1871
Named for	Marcus Whitman
Seat	Colfax
Largest city	Pullman
Area
• Total	2,178 sq mi (5,640 km²)
• Land	2,159 sq mi (5,590 km²)
• Water	19 sq mi (50 km²) 0.9%%
Population (2020)
• Total	47,973
• Estimate (2022)	47,619
• Density	22/sq mi (8/km²)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	5th

Whitman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,973. The county seat is Colfax, and its largest city is Pullman.

The county was formed from Stevens County in 1871. It is named after Marcus Whitman, a Presbyterian missionary who, with his wife Narcissa, was killed in 1847 by members of the Cayuse tribe.

Whitman County comprises the Pullman, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The area delineated by the future Washington state boundary began to be colonized at the start of the nineteenth century, both by Americans and Canadians. However, the majority of Canadian exploration and interest in the land was due to the fur trade, whereas American settlers were principally seeking land for agriculture and cattle raising. The Treaty of 1818 provided for dual control of this area by US and Canadian government officials. During this period, the future Washington Territory was divided into two administrative zones: Clark County and Lewis County (made official in 1845).

The dual-control concept was unwieldy and led to continual argument, and occasional conflict. The status of the Washington area was settled in 1846, when the Oregon Treaty ceded the land south of North latitude 49 degrees to American control.

In 1854, Skamania County was split from the original Clark County. Also in 1854, Walla Walla County was split from the new Skamania County. In 1863, Stevens County was split from Walla Walla County, and in 1871, a portion of Stevens County was set off to form Whitman County. The 1871 shape of Whitman County was considerably larger than its present boundary, as Adams, Franklin, and Lincoln counties were sectioned off from Whitman County in 1883. After that, Whitman County retained its shape, including through the period after Washington became the 42nd state of the Union in 1889.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,178 square miles (5,640 km²), of which 2,159 square miles (5,590 km²) is land and 19 square miles (49 km²) (0.9%) is water. Whitman County is part of the Palouse, a wide and rolling prairie-like region of the middle Columbia basin.

Rivers

Snake River
Palouse River
- Latah Creek
- Union Flat Creek
- Rock Creek
- Pine Creek

Lakes and reservoirs

Lake Herbert G. West, formed from Lower Monumental Dam
Lake Bryan, named for Dr. Enoch A. Bryan, behind the Little Goose Dam
Lower Granite Lake, behind the Lower Granite Dam
Rock Lake

Summits and peaks

Tekoa Mountain (elevation: 4009')
Kamiak Butte (elevation: 3641')
Steptoe Butte (elevation: 3612')
Bald Butte (elevation: 3369)

Notable parks

Steptoe Butte State Park
Kamiak Butte County Park
Palouse Falls State Park
Central Ferry State Park
Boyer Park and Marina
Wawawai County Park

Adjacent counties

Spokane County - north
Benewah County, Idaho - northeast
Latah County, Idaho - east
Nez Perce County, Idaho - southeast
Asotin County - south/southeast
Garfield County - south
Columbia County - south
Franklin County - southwest
Adams County - west
Lincoln County - northwest

Major highways

U.S. Route 195
State Route 23
State Route 26
State Route 27
State Route 127
State Route 270
State Route 271
State Route 272

Airports

Pullman–Moscow Regional Airport: Airport with GA operations and a few airline flights with Alaska Airlines
Port of Whitman Business Air Center Airport: Small GA Airport in Colfax

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	7,014	—
1890	19,109	172.4%
1900	25,360	32.7%
1910	33,280	31.2%
1920	31,323	−5.9%
1930	28,014	−10.6%
1940	27,221	−2.8%
1950	32,469	19.3%
1960	31,263	−3.7%
1970	37,900	21.2%
1980	40,103	5.8%
1990	38,775	−3.3%
2000	40,740	5.1%
2010	44,776	9.9%
2020	47,973	7.1%
2022 (est.)	47,619	6.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 44,776 people, 17,468 households, and 8,130 families living in the county. The population density was 20.7 people per square mile (8.0 people/km²). There were 19,323 housing units at an average density of 8.9 units per square mile (3.4 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.6% white, 7.8% Asian, 1.7% black or African American, 0.7% American Indian, 0.2% Pacific islander, 1.4% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 29.4% were German, 14.5% were English, 13.4% were Irish, 7.1% were Norwegian, and 4.1% were American.

Of the 17,468 households, 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 53.5% were non-families, and 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 24.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,368 and the median income for a family was $61,598. Males had a median income of $46,663 versus $34,496 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,506. About 10.7% of families and 27.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Whitman County has highly productive agriculture. According to Heart of Washington, Whitman County produces more barley, wheat, dry peas, and lentils than any other county in the United States.

The county is also home to Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in Pullman.