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Best Viewed With GFS!Vashon, Washington
| Vashon | |
|---|---|
| — CDP — | |
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|
 Vashon
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| Coordinates: 47°24′58″N 122°28′6″W / 47.41611°N 122.46833°WCoordinates: 47°24′58″N 122°28′6″W / 47.41611°N 122.46833°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | King |
| Area | |
| • Total | 37.0 sq mi (95.8 km2) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 10,624 |
| • Density | 290/sq mi (110/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | |
| FIPS code | |
| GNIS feature ID | |
Vashon is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon-Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10,624 at the 2010 census. At 37 square miles (96 km2), it is about 60 percent larger in area than Manhattan,1 with about 1/150 the population. There are no bridges to connect the island with the mainland, a big factor contributing to the island's relative isolation and rural character.
Contents |
History
The island was named on May 28, 1792, by the explorer George Vancouver after his friend James Vashon of the Royal Navy. At that time, Vashon Island was separate from the neighbouring Maury Island, but today the hamlet of Portage sits on an isthmus built in 1916 by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers that connects the two.
Geography
Vashon is located at 47°24′58″N 122°28′6″W / 47.41611°N 122.46833°W (47.416198, -122.468211).2
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 37.0 square miles (95.8 km²).
To the west Vashon Island is separated from the Kitsap Peninsula by Colvos Passage. Dalco Passage separates Vashon Island from Tacoma to the south.
Demographics
As of the census3 of 2000, there were 10,123 people, 4,193 households, and 2,838 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 273.9 people per square mile (105.7/km²). There were 4,867 housing units at an average density of 131.7/sq mi (50.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.56% of the population.
There were 4,193 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the CDP the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $58,261, and the median income for a family was $67,010. Males had a median income of $50,201 versus $36,426 for females. The per capita income for the island was $31,983. About 4.6% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under the age of 18 and 2.2% of those 65 and older.
Based on per capita income, Vashon ranks 32nd of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.
Economy
The economy of Vashon Island is heavily based on residents commuting to Seattle and Tacoma. While orchards and strawberry farms formerly played a major role in the Vashon economy, the pressures of suburban residential development have all but eliminated any major commercial agriculture on the island. Many small farms operate on the island, providing locals with fresh organic produce, milk, and eggs. Despite the changes, the island continues to observe the tradition of holding a strawberry festival every July. In certain areas like Dockton a majority of current property owned was occupied and consequently seized from Japanese-American citizens who farmed strawberry on that land until WW2 where they were moved to internment camps.
Vashon's economy took another hit in recent years when it lost two of its major industrial employers: K2 Sports moved its manufacturing to China, and the Seattle's Best Coffee roastery operation was closed shortly after SBC was bought by Starbucks. Currently, the largest manufacturer on Vashon is Pacific Research Laboratories, locally referred to as "The Bone Factory."
Transportation
The southern terminus of the Vashon Highway is the Tahlequah Ferry Terminal, connected to the Point Defiance neighborhood of Tacoma by the Point Defiance-Tahlequah ferry. The northern terminus of the Vashon Highway is the Heights Dock at Point Vashon, which services the state ferry docks at Southworth, Fauntleroy in West Seattle, and Downtown Seattle.
Vashon Municipal Airport is on the northern half of the island. There is no regularly scheduled air service to the airport.
King County Metro provides bus service from downtown Seattle to the island every day, and down the length of the island Monday through Saturday.4
Schools
Public schools are provided by the Vashon Island School District #402.5 It operates three schools which collectively provide preK-12 education: Chautauqua Elementary School, McMurray Middle School, and Vashon Island High School.
Private schools include a number of preschools, a Montessori pre-school/kindergarten, and the Harbor School, 4-8 multi-age school. Together, all of these school options form a system of Vashon schools that can serve the needs of many different types of learners.6789
Broadcast radio stations
Maury Island is home to numerous AM transmitters. KIRO 710 (built in 1941) has two massive towers for its 50,000 watts day/night transmitter. KTTH 770, which transmits 50,000 watts during the day and 5,000 watts at night, shares towers with KFNQ. KIRO and KTTH are owned by Bonneville International.
There was a tower originally built in 1946 for KEVR 1090AM, which later became KING radio, is now KFNQ and owned by CBS. It transmits 50,000 watts day/night and now operates 3 towers. This site is shared with KTTH.
On Vashon Island, radio station KVI 570 has a single tower on a beach in Tramp Harbor, nicknamed "KVI Beach." KVI transmits 24 hours a day at 5,000 watts. KOMO 1000 transmits 50,000 watts day/night and has a three tower setup on the northeast corner of the island. Both KVI and KOMO are owned by Seattle-based Fisher Broadcasting.
KGNW AM 820 propagates its signal from three towers in the center of the island. It operates 50,000 watts during the day and 5,000 at night. It is owned by Salem Communications. KJR 950 shares the towers at the KGNW site, transmits 50,000 watts day/night, and is owned by Clear Channel Communications.
These stations have located their transmitters on Vashon and Maury Islands because soil conductivity, important to signal propagation in the AM broadcast frequency range, is greater than elsewhere around Puget Sound.
People of note
Vashon Island has been home to many notable individuals:
- Gene Amondson, Prohibition Party presidential candidate
- Gene "Bean" Baxter, co-host of KROQ's Kevin and Bean radio morning show.
- Steve Berlin, of the Grammy Award winning band Los Lobos.
- Alex Borstein, actress noted especially for her work on Fox's MADtv and as the voice of Family Guy's Lois Griffin.
- Berkeley Breathed, author of the political satire comic strip Bloom County, resided on Vashon for some time. He wrote a children's book based on a bicycle in a tree. The real-life tree, growing around a bicycle, can be seen on the island.10
- Michael Chabon, writer and 2001 Pulitzer winner.
- Donald Cole (painter), abstract expressionist painter.
- Karen Cushman, young adult fiction author.
- Booth Gardner, former Washington state governor.
- Rob Hotchkiss, founding member of Train.
- Eyvind Kang, modern composer.
- Betty MacDonald once lived on Vashon and used the island as the setting of her book Onions in the Stew.
- Zach Mann, reality TV star from MTV's The Real World
- Danny O'Keefe, singer-songwriter.
- Basil Poledouris, film composer, spent the last four years of his life on Vashon Island.
- Austin Post, aerial photographer and glaciologist.
- John Ratzenberger, who played Clifford C. Clavin, Jr. on the television show Cheers, and also voiced a character in Toy Story, once lived on and still owns land on connected Maury Island. He also helped to start a school on the island.
- Peter Rinearson, Pulitzer Prize winner and entrepreneur.
- Dan Savage, editor of The Stranger and the author of "Savage Love," a syndicated sex advice column, formerly lived on Vashon Island with his partner and adopted son. By his own account, he moved from Vashon because he was unsure that the local public schools would welcome the adopted son of gay partners.
- Paul Seibert, author and principal of EHS-Design.
- J. Tillman, singer-songwriter, drummer with the Fleet Foxes.
- Edith Derby Williams, historian, granddaughter of former President Theodore Roosevelt, lived on Vashon Island from 1949 until her death in 2008.
- Susan Nattrass, a former world champion shooter from Canada.
- Teppei Teranishi, guitarist for the post-hardcore band Thrice.
- Frank Peretti, Christian fiction writer, grew up on Vashon Island
Places of note
- One of the few Russian Orthodox Monasteries11 in America12 is located on Vashon Island. The monks gained notoriety years ago when they were threatened with a lawsuit by Starbucks for promoting a monastery coffee labeled, "Christmas Blend", which Starbucks claimed they owned rights to. The lawsuit was eventually dropped. [2]
- The bike in the tree. A bicycle placed in the fork of a tree, gained fame when a child chained a bike to the tree decades ago and never picked it up, and the tree subsequently grew around it. [3]
- Wolftown-a non-profit organization, Federal and state wildlife rehabilitation and education facility, 'Finding the Balance of Animals and Wilderness,' also teaches predator friendly and sustainable farming. [4]
- Sea Breeze Farm, pioneers of sustainable farming. [5]
References
- ^ New York—Place and County Subdivision, United States Census Bureau, accessed 2007-12-11.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Vashon Island neighborhood bus routes, King County Metro, retrieved 2011-07-17
- ^ Vashon Island School District website, retrieved 2012-04-02
- ^ Seattle Times, Outdoor preschool takes root on Vashon Island, April 20, 2010, retrieved 2012-04-03
- ^ A Child's Garden Montessori, retrieved 2012-04-03
- ^ Harbor School, retrieved 2012-04-03
- ^ [1], retrieved 2012-04-03
- ^ Reames, Arborsculpture: Solutions for a Small Planet, 2005 p.50 ISBN 0-9647280-8-7
- ^ List of Russian Orthodox Monasteries
- ^ [List of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in the United States]
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vashon Island, Washington |
- Vashon Maury Island Non-Profits and Organizations
- Vashon College - founded 1892
- Vashon Chamber of Commerice
- Vashon-Maury Island Community Council
- Vashon-Maury Business Information and More
- Vashon-Maury Map
- VashonHistory.com
- University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections – Oliver S. Van Olinda Photographs A collection of 420 photographs depicting life on Vashon Island, Whidbey Island, Seattle and other communities of Washington State's Puget Sound from the 1880s to the 1930s.
- Vashon Island Heritage A collection of historic materials from the Vashon Library (King County Library System) and the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association.
- Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Dec. 30, 2009 Vashon Bicycle in Tree Mystery Explained
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