Vashon Island Geography Demographics Economy

Vashon has two ferry terminals. The southern terminus of the Vashon Highway is the Tahlequah Ferry Terminal, connected to the Point Defiance neighborhood of Tacoma by a Washington State Ferries run. The northern terminus of the Vashon Highway is the Heights Dock at Point Vashon, which services the state ferry docks at Southworth, Fauntleroy, and Downtown Seattle.

Vashon Island was the home of novelist Betty MacDonald and the setting of her book Onions in the Stew.

The island was named on May 28, 1792, by the explorer George VancouverGeorge Vancouver ( June 22, 1757 May 12, 1798) was an officer of the Royal Navy, and an explorer best known for his exploration of North America and the Pacific coast along Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. He was born in King's Lynn, England. after his friend James VashonJames Vashon was an officer of the British Royal Navy and the first captain of HMS Dreadnought in 1801- 02. Previously, he had commanded Alert ( 1781), Europa ( 1786), and Formidable''. Washington's Vashon Island was named after him by the explorer George of the Royal NavyThe Royal Navy is the navy of the United Kingdom. It operates a number of aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates, fifteen nuclear submarines, and various other ships, as well as aircraft and Britain's amphibious forces, the Royal Marines. The Royal Navy, who also explored the area on H.M.S. Alert. At that time, Vashon Island was separate from the neighbouring Maury IslandMaury Island is a islandin Washington State's Puget Sound connected Vashon Islandby a isthmus built by the U. S Army Corps of Engineers that connects the two. Prior to the cunstuction isthmus of the was a true island but was connected to Vashon only durin, but today the town of Portage sits on an isthmusSimplified diagram An isthmus is a narrow strip of land, bordered on two sides by water, and connects two larger land masses. The term is pronounced IS-mus with a silent th''. The plural form can either be isthmuses or isthmi''. The most famous isthmus is built by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers that connects the two.

1 Geography

Vashon Island is located at 47°24'58" North, 122°28'6" West (47.416198, -122.468211) ¹The following is a list of sources used in the creation of Wikipedia articles on various geographic topics and locations, such as cities, counties, states, and countries. These sources are cited within the thousands of articles which link to this page..

According to the United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. Its mission is defined in the Constitution of the United States, which directs that the population be enumerated at least once every te, it has a total area of 95.8 km² (37.0 mi²).

2 Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there are 10,123 people, 4,193 households, and 2,838 families residing on the island. The population density is 105.7/km² (273.9/mi²). There are 4,867 housing units at an average density of 50.8/km² (131.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the island is 93.61% White, 0.45% Black or African American, 0.70% Native American, 1.56% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 2.75% from two or more races. 2.56% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 4,193 households out of which 30.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% are married couples living together, 7.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% are non-families. 23.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.40 and the average family size is 2.86.

On the island the population is spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 34.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 44 years. For every 100 females there are 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.0 males.

The median income for a household on the island is $58,261, and the median income for a family is $67,010. Males have a median income of $50,201 versus $36,426 for females. The per capita income for the island is $31,983. 6.0% of the population and 4.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 5.2% of those under the age of 18 and 2.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

3 Economy

The Economy of Vashon Island is heavily based on resident commuting to Seattle and Tacoma and coming back to the island to spend their earnings. Most other businesses rely on the commuters spending. Vashon Island is also home to the K2 Ski Corp.

Islands of Washington Geography of King County, Washington King County, Washington Census-designated places in Washington

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