Snohomish County is located on Puget Sound, between Skagit County to the north and King County (and Seattle) to the south. Covering 2,090 square miles, it is the 13th largest county in  Washington. Snohomish County’s varied topography ranges from saltwater beaches, rolling hills and rich river bottom farmlands in the west to dense forest and alpine wilderness in the mountainous east. Glacier Peak, at 10,541 feet, is one of the highest mountains in the country. Sixty-eight percent of the county is forest land, 19% is rural, 8% is urban/city and 5% is agricultural (1993 figures).
Snohomish is the third most populous county in the state, and one of the fastest growing. The county's population as of April, 2001 was 618,600. Between 1990 and 2000, Snohomish County population grew by about 30%. The unincorporated (outside cities) population is 294,088 and the incorporated (inside cities) population is 324,512.
According to the Puget Sound Regional Council (1995), the population forecast for Snohomish County for year 2010 is 706,959, and for 2020 is 833,661. Job forecast for 2010 is 265,061, and for 2020 is 303,405. The population forecast used for Growth Management planning is 714,244 in the year 2012. Following the release of Census 2000 figures in 2001, population and employment forecasts for Growth Management will be revised.
As of December 2001, there were 213,800 nonagricultural wage and salary workers employed in Snohomish County according to Washington State Employment Security Department estimates. A year earlier, in December 2000, there were 216,700 workers in the county. Average annual employment for all of 2000 was estimated at 215,400.
In 1999, residential building permits were issued for 7,452 new units (including single family, duplexes, multi-family and mobile homes). The unincorporated area had 4,534 units permitted (down from 5,262 in 1998), and the cities had 2,918 units (down from 3,784 in 1998). From 1990 through 1999, total county residential permits have been issued for 62,435 housing units. In 2000, the unincorporated area had 3,786 units permitted, down 17% from 1999.
Everett, pop. 91,488 (2001), is the largest city and has served as the county seat since 1897.
According to 2000 Census results, the county’s population was 85.6% white, 1.7% black, 1.4% Native American Indian, 5.8% Asian and 0.3% Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. Persons identifying themselves as multiracial were 3.4% of the county's population. Persons of Hispanic origin represent 4.7% of the county’s population.
Snohomish County enjoys a moderate year-round climate, with average temperatures ranging from about 75°F in July to about 33°F in January. The Olympic Mountains to the west, across Puget Sound, shelter the area from excessive precipitation coming off the Pacific Ocean. Annual precipitation in the western part of the county is 35 inches, but increases sharply as the elevation climbs into the Cascades Mountains (Town of Index, 110"-120"). |