Whatcom County, Washington

Whatcom County is a  located in the  of. Its name ultimately derives from a word meaning "noisy water." As of 2000, the population was 166,814. The county seat is at, which is also the county's largest city. Whatcom County's northern border is the international boundary with the of ; adjoining the county on the north are four of metropolitan  suburbs,, ,  and , with several shopping malls and other services in  and elsewhere in the county geared to cross-border shopping and recreation. The five crossing points are at (one at the, located on the  crossing, and the other a commercial and passenger crossing on the  at ), as well as at  ,  , and  (Tyee Drive).

Whatcom County was created on,.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 6,484 (2,504 ). 5,490 km² (2,120 sq mi) of it is land and 995 km² (384 sq mi) of it (15.34%) is water, including, which empties into by way of. Physiographically Whatcom County is an extension of the or "" area of, which is essentially the lowland delta plain of the Fraser River; at times in the past one of the  arms entered  near  via what is now the mouth of the. A very small part of the county,, about 5 sq. mi., is an extension of the Tsawwassen Peninsula, which is bisected by the along the 49th Parallel. The highest point in the county is volcanic at 3285 meters (10,778 feet) above sea level.

Geographic features

 * , highest point in Whatcom County
 * , highest point in Whatcom County
 * , highest point in Whatcom County
 * , highest point in Whatcom County
 * , highest point in Whatcom County

Adjacent counties

 * - east
 * - south
 * - southwest

Whatcom County also borders two administrative units of, Canada, which together comprise the region known as the :



Agriculture
Whatcom County is the top producer of in the state. According to the Seattle Times, in 2004 Whatcom County growers produced 46 million pounds of raspberries, 85% of the state's crop. Given that the state itself is the #1 producer of raspberries in the country, with over 87.8% of the crop in 2002, this makes Whatcom County responsible for almost 75% of the nation's raspberry production.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 166,814 people, 64,446 households, and 41,116 families residing in the county. The was 30/km² (79/sq mi). There were 73,893 housing units at an average density of 13/km² (35/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 88.41%, 0.69% or , 2.82% , 2.78% , 0.14% , 2.49% from , and 2.66% from two or more races. 5.21% of the population were or  of any race. 15.5% were of, 9.2% , 8.2% , 7.9% , 7.0% and 6.6%  or American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 64,446 households out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.20% were living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.20% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.10% under the age of 18, 14.20% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,005, and the median income for a family was $49,325. Males had a median income of $37,589 versus $26,193 for females. The for the county was $20,025. About 7.80% of families and 14.20% of the population were below the, including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over.

Census-recognized communities
Incorporated cities, in order of population (largest to smallest).



Other communities, in order of population (largest to smallest).



Former communities

 * (former city, now part of Bellingham)
 * (ghost town)