Skamania County, Washington

Skamania County is a located in the  of. Its name derives from the word for "swift water," a reference to the. As of, the population is 9,872. The county seat is at, which is also the county's largest city, although the  is larger.

Skamania County was formed on,.

Recreation

 * There are many hiking trails throughout Skamania County in, the and the .  The  passes through Skamania County.
 * There are many fishing opportunities throughout Skamania County. Some of the most popular species include, and.
 * The Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum, in, offers information about the geologic and human past in the.
 * The passed through Skamania County, and some of their campsites can be visited.
 * Those interested in historic markers can visit and, both built in the 1850s to protect the portage road around the.
 * and are seasonal sports popular in the.

Parks
There are many parks in Skamania County. Only a few have been listed.

County Parks

 * Prindle Park is a county-maintained park with picnic facilities and a playground.
 * Big Cedars Campground is a county-maintained campground with primitive campsites.
 * Home Valley Campground is another county-maintained campground with primitive campsites. It also has access to the.

State Parks

 * offers, , , and facilities.

Sites Maintained by the US Forest Service

 * Sams Walker Day Use Site offers an interpretive trail, access to the, and opportunities to view wildlife. Portions of it are typically wheelchair-accessible.  However, vegetation growth sometimes prevents people in wheelchairs from using the trails.
 * St. Cloud Day Use Site features a short, easy trail through a meadow, area, access to the  and wildlife viewing opportunities.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 4,361 (1,684 ). 4,290 km² (1,656 sq mi) of it is land and 71 km² (27 sq mi) of it (1.63%) is water. 90% of Skamania is forested and 80% is a part of.

Geographic features

 * -West Slope, the highest point in Skamania county
 * -West Slope, the highest point in Skamania county
 * -West Slope, the highest point in Skamania county
 * -West Slope, the highest point in Skamania county

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 9,872 people, 3,755 households, and 2,756 families residing in the county. The was 2/km² (6/sq mi). There were 4,576 housing units at an average density of 1/km² (3/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 92.11%, 0.30% or , 2.20% , 0.54% , 0.17% , 2.43% from , and 2.25% from two or more races. 4.03% of the population were or  of any race. 17.7% were of, 12.5% , 12.1% , 11.2% or American and 5.2%  ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 3,755 households out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.50% were living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 21.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.60% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 27.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,317, and the median income for a family was $44,586. Males had a median income of $36,732 versus $25,130 for females. The for the county was $18,002. About 10.00% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the, including 18.10% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.

Other communities

 * (related to Carson River Valley CDP)
 * (also known as Hemlock)