Benton County, Washington

Benton County is a located in the south-central portion of the  of. The makes up the north, south, and east boundaries of the county. In 2000, its population was 142,475. The is, and its largest city is. It was named after.

Benton County was created out of on,.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 4,559 (1,760 ). 4,411 km² (1,703 sq mi) of it is land and 148 km² (57 sq mi) of it (3.24%) is water.

Adjacent counties

 * - north
 * - northeast
 * - east
 * - south/southeast
 * - south/southwest
 * - west/southwest
 * - west

Wineries
The area of south-central Washington occupied by Benton County has been known primarily as an agricultural hub since its settlement by white Americans. The rise of has had a profound impact on the agricultural and tourism industries over the past two decades, and has in many ways reshaped the reputation of the region. Prominent wineries and tasting rooms located in the area include but are not limited to:

Tri-Cities tasting rooms

 * Badger Mountain (organic) Vineyard,
 * Bernard Griffin Winery,
 * Bookwalter Winery,
 * Goose Ridge Vineyards,
 * Powers Winery,
 * Tagaris Winery and Taverna,

Red Mountain and other Benton City tasting rooms

 * Buckmaster Cellers,
 * Hedges Cellars,
 * Kiona Vineyards Winery,
 * Oakwood Cellars,
 * Terra Blanca,
 * Seth Ryan Winery,
 * Tapteil Vineyard Winery,
 * Cañon de Sol,
 * Chandler Ranch Vineyards Estate Winery,
 * Sandhill Winery,

Prosser and other tasting rooms

 * Alexandria Nicole Cellars,
 * C R Sandidge Wines, winery in, tasting room in
 * Chateau Champoux,
 * Chinook Wines,
 * Columbia Crest Winery,
 * Cowan Vineyards,
 * Coyote Canyon Winery,
 * Desert Wind Vineyard,
 * Eaton Hill Winery
 * Fox Estate Winery,
 * Frenchman Hills Vineyard
 * Hinzerling Winery and Vintner's Inn,
 * Hogue Cellars Winery,
 * Kestrel Winery,
 * Sleeping Dog Wines,
 * Snipes Gap Vineyards,
 * Snoqualmie Vineyards,
 * Thurston Wolfe Winery,

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 142,475 people, 52,866 households, and 38,063 families residing in the county. The was 32/km² (84/sq mi). There were 55,963 housing units at an average density of 13/km² (33/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 86.25%, 0.93% or , 0.82% , 2.20% , 0.11% , 7.01% from , and 2.69% from two or more races. 12.50% of the population were or  of any race. 18.1% were of, 11.0% , 9.1% or American and 8.4%  ancestry according to Census 2000. 86.4% spoke and 10.3%  as their first language.

There were 52,866 households out of which 38.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the county, the population was spread out with 29.70% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,044, and the median income for a family was $54,146. Males had a median income of $45,556 versus $27,232 for females. The for the county was $21,301. About 7.80% of families and 10.30% of the population were below the, including 14.30% of those under age 18 and 6.90% of those age 65 or over.

Census-recognized communities

 * (2,624)
 * (5,770)
 * (3,388)
 * (60,118)
 * (4,838)
 * (38,708)
 * (8,385)

Other communities

 * (ghost town)
 * (ghost town)
 * (ghost town)