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51-513: Clark County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Washington . As of the 2020 census , the population was 503,311, making it Washington's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat and largest city is Vancouver . It was the first county in Washington, first named Vancouver County in 1845 before being renamed for William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1849. It

102-675: A county executive . Councils in the other three charter counties appoint a manager to administer the government. Voters may also elect a clerk, treasurer, sheriff, assessor, coroner , auditor (or recorder), and prosecuting attorney. Elections are nonpartisan in non-charter counties, but charter counties may choose to make some positions partisan, though all elections are by top-two primary . Four counties changed their name between 1849 and 1925. During Washington's territorial period, Washington split off from an Oregon county, three counties were disestablished, and three split into separate territories. Several counties were proposed prior to or during

153-413: A home rule charter with a council–manager government . The Clark County Council was created in 2014 and has five seats elected by districts of proportional size that are redrawn every 10 years. Prior to the adoption of the home rule charter, the county had a three-member commission. The county manager is the chief executive officer appointed by the council and oversees the administrative departments of

204-515: A boathouse at Vancouver Lake and caused damage to buildings in Hazel Dell before dissolving near Hockinson . Flora and fauna of the region include the normal ecological succession from lowland big leaf maple and western red cedar through Garry oak on up through fire-dependent species such as lodgepole pine and Douglas fir , as well as grand fir , silver fir and other species common to Gifford Pinchot National Forest . In addition to

255-432: A family was $ 67,352. Males had a median income of $ 52,160 versus $ 38,167 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 27,828. About 7.8% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2000 census , there were 345,238 people, 127,208 households, and 90,953 families residing in the county. The population density

306-533: A female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 18.8% of households were one person and 8.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.18. The age distribution was 29.8% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males. The median household income

357-687: A population of 15,027. Located within the Portland metropolitan area , Ridgefield is notable for the significant Native American history and connection to the Lewis and Clark Expedition . It is also the headquarters of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge , a primary reserve for migrating waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway , and the home of the Ridgefield High School "Spudders" (reflecting

408-549: A state income tax , residents who worked in Oregon were required to pay income tax to that state for earnings in Oregon. Clark County residents also cross the Columbia River to shop without sales taxes, which Oregon also lacks; this phenomenon caused up to $ 5.9 million in estimated lost sales tax revenue for the county government in 2022. As of the 2020 census , there were 503,311 people, and 184,173 households were in

459-496: A swing county having voted for the winner in every single election between 1900 and 2004 with the exception of 1916, 1956, 1968, and 2000 School districts include: State-operated schools: List of counties in Washington The U.S. state of Washington has 39 counties . The Provisional Government of Oregon established Vancouver and Lewis Counties in 1845 in unorganized Oregon Country , extending from

510-567: A wide variety of birds including great blue heron , raptors such as barred owl , osprey , red-tailed hawk and bald eagle , corvids ( raven , crow , California scrub and Steller's jay ) and others, the native streams are home to various species of salmon and the Vancouver Trout Hatchery. Larger mammals include black-tailed deer , coyote , raccoon , skunk and invasive opossum ; with sightings of lynx, bobcat, black bear, cougar and elk not uncommon, especially in

561-523: Is "Csb". Many lakes border the river in the lowlands near Ridgefield , including Vancouver Lake. Eastern and northern Clark County contain forested foothills of the Cascade Mountains , rising to an elevation of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) on the border with Skamania County. Larch Mountain is the county's highest free-standing peak. Mount Hood , Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams are all visible from Clark County, and cold winter winds through

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612-517: Is 1,830 square miles (4,700 km ), with 200,330 people. Seventeen counties have Native American–derived names, including nine names of tribes whose land settlers would occupy. Another seventeen were named for political figures, only five of whom had lived in the region. The last five are named for geographic places. The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties,

663-520: Is adjacent to Community Park. Ridgefield has a council–manager form of government, with a city manager who is appointed by a city council with seven elected members. The city council also selects a mayor from among themselves. The current city manager is Steve Stuart, a former county commissioner who was hired in 2014. Ron Onslow was appointed as mayor in 2024 following an earlier stint from 2008 to 2018; he replaced Jennifer Lindsay, who had been mayor since 2022. Rental and storage company U-Haul

714-699: Is land and 27 square miles (70 km) (4.1%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Washington by land area. Clark County is surrounded on two sides by the Columbia River and on the north by the North Fork of the Lewis River . The East Fork of the Lewis River and the Washougal River cut across the county. The largest stream arising solely within the county is Salmon Creek, which terminates at Vancouver Lake before eventually flowing into

765-616: Is only by incorporated cities and towns , as well as by 29 Indian reservations , while unincorporated areas are governed only by the county. There are 242 census county divisions for statistical purposes only. The default form of county government is the non-charter commission, with three to five elected commissioners serving as both the legislature and executive. Seven counties have adopted charters providing for home rule distinct from state law: King, Clallam, Whatcom, Snohomish, Pierce, San Juan, and Clark. Of these, King, Whatcom, Snohomish, and Pierce, four major counties on Puget Sound , elect

816-550: Is provided with each entry. The FIPS code links in the table point to U.S. Census data pages for each county. Washington's FIPS state code is 53. Counties provide a broad scope of services, including court operation, parks and recreation, libraries, arts, social services, elections, waste collection, roads and transportation, zoning and permitting, as well as taxation. The extent of these vary, and some are administered by municipalities. Counties are not subdivided into minor civil divisions like townships; sub-county local government

867-568: The Columbia River north to 54°40′ north latitude . After the region was organized within the Oregon Territory with the current northern border of 49° north, Vancouver County was renamed Clark , and six more counties were created out of Lewis County before the organization of Washington Territory in 1853; 28 were formed during Washington's territorial period, two of which only existed briefly. The final five were established in

918-574: The Columbia River , and the city was officially incorporated on August 26, 1909. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 7.477 square miles (19.37 km ), of which, 7.402 square miles (19.17 km ) is land and 0.075 square miles (0.19 km ) is water. Parks in Ridgefield include Abrams Park , Community Park , Davis Park , and Overlook Park . The Ridgefield Veterans Memorial

969-637: The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America with 4,827. The area is also home to the nation's largest population of the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church with between 8,000 and 12,000 members living in the county. This is estimated because the Church doesn't keep membership rolls. The Clark County Sheriff's Office is the local, county-level law enforcement agency serving Clark County, Washington. The sheriff's office

1020-576: The Fujita scale , striking a local school. A " Friday the 13th " storm in November 1981 brought winds up to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h), with other storms including the inauguration day storm of January 20, 1993, the Guadalupe Day storm of December 12, 1995 (with winds up to 95 miles per hour (153 km/h) at Washougal, Washington ) and small tornado on January 10, 2008 , which destroyed

1071-478: The "majority of the voters" in that area. A number of county partition proposals in the 1990s interpreted this as a majority of people who voted, until a 1998 ruling by the Washington Supreme Court clarified that they would need a majority of registered voters . No changes to counties have been made since the formation of Pend Oreille County in 1911, except when the small area of Cliffdell

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1122-544: The 22 years after Washington was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. Article XI of the Washington State Constitution addresses the organization of counties. New counties must have a population of at least 2,000 and no county can be reduced to a population below 4,000 due to partitioning to create a new county. To alter the area of a county, the state constitution requires a petition of

1173-477: The Columbia River Gorge often bring freezing rain and a coating of glaze ice or clear ice known locally as a "silver thaw", especially in southeastern areas of the county closest to the gorge. The counterpart to this are warm winds from the southwest known locally as the " Pineapple Express ". Spring thaws can often swell county waterways, with two of the more destructive floods being those of

1224-681: The Columbia River in June 1894 and May 1948. The 1948 Memorial Day flood almost topped the Interstate Bridge's support piers and completely destroyed nearby Vanport, Oregon . Construction of The Dalles Dam and destruction of Celilo Falls are credited with a decrease in such floods. Significant windstorms in Clark County include the Columbus Day windstorm of October 12, 1962, and an April 6, 1972, tornado which rated F3 on

1275-587: The Columbia River. Like most of Oregon and Washington south of Puget Sound into the Willamette Valley the landscape and climate of Clark County are determined by its placement between the volcanic Pacific Coast and Cascade Ranges , where glaciation helped form a U-shaped valley which meets the river valley of the Columbia River as it leaves the Columbia River Gorge . Volcanic andisol soils are common, with fertile mollisols in

1326-748: The United States Senate approved the present boundary between the U.S. and Canada at the 49th parallel . On August 13, 1848, President James K. Polk signed an act creating the entire region as the Oregon Territory. On September 3, 1849, the Oregon Territorial Legislature modified the borders again and changed its name to Clarke County in honor of explorer William Clark. At this time it included all of present-day Washington and continued to be divided and subdivided until reaching its present area in 1880. It

1377-406: The age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.0% were non-families, and 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age was 36.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 58,262 and the median income for

1428-428: The age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 21.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.15. In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.70% under

1479-426: The age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 20.9% were non-families. 16.2% of households were one person and 6.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.34. The median age was 32.4 years. 33.5% of residents were under

1530-467: The age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 30.80% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 9.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 48,376, and the median income for a family was $ 54,016. Males had a median income of $ 41,337 versus $ 28,537 for females. The per capita income for

1581-487: The age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.7% were from 25 to 44; 22.9% were from 45 to 64; and 7.7% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.9% male and 50.1% female. As of the 2000 census , there were 2,147 people, 739 households, and 557 families living in the city. The population density was 420.8 inhabitants per square mile (162.5/km ). There were 777 housing units at an average density of 152.3 per square mile (58.8/km ). The racial makeup of

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1632-551: The area's potato -farming heritage). The area has important ties to the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804–1806, being close to the Chinookan town of Cathlapotle, then a settlement of 700–800 people, with at least 14 substantial plank houses . The community's ties to the Chinookan people was commemorated by the construction of a replica of a Cathlapotle plank house at the nearby Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge , which

1683-458: The city was 95.16% White, 0.28% African American, 1.12% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 2.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.77% of the population. 20.4% were of German, 18.9% American, 11.9% English, 6.9% Irish and 6.2% Norwegian ancestry. Of the 739 households, 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 11.8% had

1734-540: The county was $ 21,448. About 6.90% of families and 9.10% of the population were below the poverty line , including 11.70% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over. Clark County is religiously diverse, with no single group comprising 10% of the population. The four groups that exceed 1% are nondenominational Christian with 30,026 members, the Catholic Church with 26,886 members, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 20,793 members, and

1785-427: The county was 85.4% white, 4.1% Asian, 2.0% black or African American, 0.9% American Indian, 0.6% Pacific islander, 2.9% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.4% were German , 13.1% were Irish , 13.1% were English , 5.7% were Norwegian , and 4.3% were American . Of the 158,099 households, 36.3% had children under

1836-425: The county. The population density was 800.8 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 85.2% White, 2.6% African American, 1.2% Native American, 5.4% Asian,1.0% Pacific Islander, and 4.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 11% of the population. The average household size was 2.67 people per household. 23.0% of the population was under 18, and 5.6% were under 5. 16.3% of

1887-399: The existence of Washington Territory and nine counties were proposed within the first 16 years of Washington's statehood, but none were established. Works Ridgefield, Washington Ridgefield is a city in northern Clark County , Washington , United States. The population was 10,319 at the 2020 census , and according to 2023 census estimates, the city is estimated to have

1938-402: The government. Kathleen Otto has been the county manager of Clark County since her appointment to the role in 2021. As of 2020, the current elected officials are: In Presidential election Clark County leans Democratic having voted for the party in every presidential election since 2008. This is in contrast to the rest of Southwest Washington, which leans Republican. Before 2008 Clark County was

1989-481: The lower areas. The central and southwest areas of the county are generally flat floodplains, sculpted by torrents of prehistoric Lake Missoula . A series of dramatic floods known as the Missoula Floods took place 15,000–13,000 years ago, as several ice dams melted, forming a series of low steps such as the "Heights", "Mill Plain", "Fourth Plain" and "Fifth Plain". Clark County's Köppen climate classification

2040-653: The northern parts of the county. Common foods used by the indigenous people such as the Klickitat tribe and Chinook included salmon, huckleberry and Camassia quamash (after which the city of Camas, Washington is named). Clark County's largest industries include health care, professional and business services, and retail. In 2019, approximately 65,000 Clark County residents commuted to work in Portland, Oregon; approximately 17,000 residents from Oregon commuted to work in Clark County. Although Washington does not have

2091-560: The population was over 65. The gender makeup of the county was 50.3% female, and 49.7% male. The median income for a household was $ 82,719. The per capita income was $ 39,371. 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line . As of the 2010 census , there were 425,363 people, 158,099 households, and 110,672 families residing in the county. The population density was 676.2 people per square mile (261.1 people/km). There were 167,413 housing units at an average density of 266.2 units per square mile (102.8 units/km). The racial makeup of

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2142-423: The population. 30.7% of residents were under the age of 18, 8.1% were under 5 years of age, and 12.2% were 65 and older. As of 2021, the median household annual income was $ 107,861. The per capita income for the city was $ 41,214. About 3.1% of the population was below the poverty line. As of the 2010 census , there were 4,763 people, 1,591 households, and 1,258 families living in the city. The population density

2193-480: The removal of the area from three other districts on July 27, 1844. It included all the land north of the Columbia River, west of the Rocky Mountains , and south of Alaska . On December 21, 1845, the provisional government changed its name to Vancouver County. At that time it stretched from the Columbia River to 54 degrees 40 minutes North Latitude in what is now British Columbia , Canada. On June 15, 1846,

2244-676: Was 550 people per square mile (210 people/km). There were 134,030 housing units at an average density of 213 units per square mile (82 units/km). The racial makeup of the county was 88.82% White, 1.68% Black or African American, 0.84% Native American, 3.21% Asian, 0.37% Pacific Islander, 1.99% from other races, and 3.08% from two or more races. 4.71% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.7% were of German , 10.2% English , 8.6% Irish , 8.6% United States and 5.1% Norwegian ancestry. 88.8% spoke only English at home; 3.6% spoke Spanish and 1.9% Russian . There were 127,208 households, out of which 37.20% had children under

2295-420: Was 672.7 inhabitants per square mile (259.7/km ). There were 1,695 housing units at an average density of 239.4 per square mile (92.4/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 92.4% White, 0.9% African American, 0.8% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.1%. Of the 1,591 households, 48.1% had children under

2346-569: Was created by the Provisional Government of Oregon in Oregon Country on August 20, 1845, and at that time covered the entire present-day state. Clark County is the third-most-populous county in the Portland -Vancouver- Hillsboro Metropolitan Statistical Area , and is across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon . Clark County was created on August 20, 1845, as Vancouver District , named for its town , following

2397-456: Was dedicated March 29, 2005. The town was formerly known as Union Ridge, named by the many Union veterans among the first large wave of settlers after the Civil War and was renamed Ridgefield in 1890. The town's original name is preserved in the name of Union Ridge Elementary School. Ridgefield was an important trading center as early as the 1860s with its key location near the mouth of

2448-589: Was established in 1849 and is the oldest law enforcement organization in the state of Washington . Sheriff John Horch and Undersheriff James Hansen lead the Clark County Sheriff's Office. On March 16, 2014, Clark County Fire & Rescue commissioned the Mary Firstenburg , a new fireboat purchased with the financial support from a bequest from Firstenburg's family, and from a FEMA Port Security Grant . Since 2014, Clark County has had

2499-507: Was founded in Ridgefield in 1945. As of the 2020 census , there were 10,319 people, 3,432 households, and 2,784 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,405.3 inhabitants per square mile (542.6/km ). There were 3,687 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 81.5% White , 1.0% African American , 0.7% Native American , 3.5% Asian , 0.3% Pacific Islander , 2.7% from some other races and 10.3% from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.1% of

2550-509: Was moved from Kittitas to Yakima County in 1970. King County , home to the state's largest city, Seattle , holds almost 30 percent of Washington's population (2,271,380 residents of 7,812,880 in 2023), and has the highest population density, with more than 1,000 people per square mile (400/km ). Garfield County is both the least populated (2,363) and least densely populated (3.3/sq mi [1.3/km ]). Two counties, San Juan and Island , are composed only of islands. The average county

2601-545: Was not until 1925 that the spelling was corrected to its present form. In September 1902 the Yacolt Burn , the largest fire in state history, began in neighboring Skamania County and swept west along a 12-mile front to Yacolt , nearly engulfing the town. Salvaging the remaining timber was a lucrative industry for a time. According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 656 square miles (1,700 km), of which 629 square miles (1,630 km)

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