87-634: Yelm ( / j ɛ l m / ) is a city in Thurston County, Washington , United States. Its population was 10,617 at the 2020 census . The word "Yelm" is said to come from the Coast Salish word shelm or chelm , meaning "heat waves from the sun", referring to heat mirages . The Yelm Prairie was originally inhabited by the Nisqually and provided good pasture for their horses. The first permanent non-indigenous settlers came in 1853 to join
174-572: A branch line to connect with the Northern Pacific Railroad and approved a harbor-dredging operation to promote Olympia as a trade hub as the area fell behind Seattle and Tacoma in population growth. The 150-foot (46 m) Thurston County Courthouse was completed in 1892 and was purchased by the state government in 1901 for use as the state capitol building to replace a temporary wooden structure built in 1856. The modern Washington State Capitol commenced construction in 1923 and
261-432: A discrepancy. The Census Bureau explained that same-sex "Husband/wife" data samples were changed to "unmarried partner" by computer processing methods in 99% of the cases. In the remaining 1%, computer systems used one of two possibilities: a) one of the two listed sexes was changed, making the partnership appear heterosexual, or b) if the two partners were more than 15 years apart in age, they might have been reassigned into
348-609: A familial parent/child relationship. The process of automatic reassignment of same-sex marriage data was initiated so that the Census Bureau would not contravene the Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996. The Act states: In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word 'marriage' means only
435-429: A family was $ 71,833. Males had a median income of $ 53,679 versus $ 41,248 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 29,707. About 7.1% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2000 census , there were 207,355 people, 81,625 households and 54,933 families living in the county. The population density
522-502: A male householder with no wife present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.40. The median age in the city was 29 years. 36% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 32.3% were from 25 to 44; 16.1% were from 45 to 64; and 7.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of
609-470: A more detailed population profile (see references below ), the Census Bureau highlighted the following facts about U.S. population dynamics: Regionally, the South and West experienced the bulk of the nation's population increase: 14,790,890 and 10,411,850, respectively. This meant that the mean center of U.S. population moved to Phelps County, Missouri . The Northeastern United States grew by 2,785,149;
696-468: A passenger terminal, and an air traffic control tower . The airport and two other sites in Thurston County were among candidates considered by a state legislative commission for a new passenger airport to relieve crowding at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , the main passenger airport in the region. Thurston County has two major hospitals that have a combined 500-bed capacity. The largest
783-555: A pilot project in 1964 and made into a permanent intercounty rural library district in 1968. The county had previously been served by the South Puget Sound Regional Library, which was contracted to operate libraries in the cities of Lacey, Olympia, and Yelm. These cities were later annexed directly into the Timberland system by the 1980s. The oldest public library in the county was opened in 1896 by
870-478: A pretty stream bordered with shrubs and tall trees, flowing through it, and the majestic mountain standing guard over all, in its snowy coat, it was a scene fit for an artist. Herds of deer wandered at leisure through the tall grass. With the coming of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1873, Yelm began to prosper, having found an outlet for its agricultural and forestry products. Its economic base
957-562: A public liberal arts college in western Olympia, opened in 1972. According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 774 square miles (2,000 km ), of which 722 square miles (1,870 km ) is land and 52 square miles (130 km ) (6.7%) is water. Major watersheds: Black River, Budd/Deschutes, Chehalis River , Eld Inlet, Henderson Inlet , Nisqually River , Skookumchuck River , Totten Inlet and West Capitol Forest. The habitat for
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#17327872003661044-631: A shortage in hospital capacity in the South Puget Sound region. 46°56′N 122°50′W / 46.93°N 122.83°W / 46.93; -122.83 2000 United States census The 2000 United States census , conducted by the Census Bureau , determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during
1131-509: A year-to-year population increase of 2.24 percent. The county also had the highest population of middle class households among metropolitan areas in the U.S. according to a 2024 Pew Research study, which determined that 66 percent of households had adults with an annual income near double the national median household income. Thurston County is also part of the Seattle – Tacoma , WA Combined Statistical Area , which includes most of
1218-509: Is Providence St. Peter Hospital north of Lacey, which has 390 beds and is operated by Providence Health & Services . It was founded in 1887 at a location in Olympia and moved to its current campus near Lacey in 1971. The Capital Medical Center in Olympia, operated by MultiCare Health since 2021, has 107 beds and an off-campus emergency room in Lacey. It was built in 1985 to address
1305-634: Is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington . As of the 2020 census , its population was 294,793. The county seat and largest city is Olympia , the state capital . Thurston County was created out of Lewis County by the government of Oregon Territory on January 12, 1852. At that time, it covered all of the Puget Sound region and the Olympic Peninsula . On December 22 of the same year, Pierce , King , Island , and Jefferson counties were split off from Thurston County. It
1392-421: Is a non-charter code city . The city council, the policy-making branch of Yelm's government, consists of seven members elected at-large to staggered, four-year terms. The mayor is elected at-large and serves as the city's chief executive officer. The mayor and council are supported by the city administrator and several advisory boards and commissions. The city administrator, appointed by the mayor and confirmed by
1479-545: Is a non-profit online news organization that was founded in 2020. Thurston County is part of the Timberland Regional Library , a public library system that serves five counties in southwestern Washington and is headquartered in Tumwater. It has seven locations in the county and a dedicated bookmobile service. Thurston County is a founding member of the Timberland system, which was established as
1566-467: Is governed by a five-member board of county commissioners who are elected to four-year terms from proportional districts. The board of commissioners was enlarged from three members to five members in November 2023 following the approval of a ballot measure to expand the board that passed a year prior. The head of the Thurston County government's administration is the county manager , who is appointed by
1653-402: Is governed by an elected board of commissioners. Most districts have three commissioners. Fire districts receive most of their revenue from property taxes. All of the fire districts and the regional fire authority have volunteer or paid-call firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs). The City of Olympia is an all-career department. Fire District 3 only allows volunteers to live within
1740-848: Is home to several rail trails , including the Chehalis Western Trail , which is the longest in the county, the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail , and the Yelm-Rainier-Tenino Trail . Olympia was a major source of indie music in the late 20th century and home to various grunge , punk , and indie rock bands in the 1980s and 1990s. Indie label K Records and the Evergreen State College's radio station KAOS , both founded by musician Calvin Johnson , brought many groups into
1827-630: Is named after Samuel R. Thurston , the Oregon Territory 's first delegate to Congress . Thurston County comprises the Olympia– Tumwater , WA Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Seattle – Tacoma , WA Combined Statistical Area . The southern end of Puget Sound is the homeland of several indigenous Coast Salish groups, including the Nisqually , Squaxin , and Upper Chehalis . Archeological remains at Tumwater Falls date back to 2,500 to 3,000 years before present ;
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#17327872003661914-543: Is operated by Amtrak , which has two routes that serve Centennial Station in southern Lacey, which opened in 1993 and is primarily run by volunteers. The Cascades has several daily trips to Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver ; the Coast Starlight has one daily train that runs between Seattle, Sacramento , the San Francisco Bay Area , and Los Angeles . These routes run on tracks owned by
2001-614: Is published weekly in Yelm and has been a sister publication of The Chronicle of Centralia since 1994. Tenino had several competing newspapers during the 1910s that were succeeded by the Tenino Independent , which has been published weekly since 1922. An alt weekly , the Weekly Volcano was published in Olympia from 2001 to 2013; it was later revived in 2023. The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater (JOLT)
2088-498: Is split between two U.S. congressional districts , which each elect a member to the United States House of Representatives : the 3rd district , generally south of State Route 507 ; and the 10th district , which includes the urban areas of Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater, as well as Yelm. Until the creation of the 10th district following the 2010 U.S. census, Olympia and Lacey were in separate congressional districts. At
2175-509: Is the town of Bucoda , which has 620 residents. Over 145,000 people live in the unincorporated areas of the county, which are primarily concentrated between Olympia and Lacey. The entire county is designated as part of the Olympia–Lacey–Tumwater Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which only includes Thurston County. The MSA was among the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the U.S. in the 2010s, with
2262-528: The 1990 census . This was the twenty-second federal census and was at the time the largest civilly administered peacetime effort in the United States. Approximately 16 percent of households received a "long form" of the 2000 census, which contained over 100 questions. Full documentation on the 2000 census, including census forms and a procedural history, is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series . This
2349-448: The 35th district encompasses western and central Thurston County. Special-purpose districts include cemetery, fire, hospital, library, school, and water and sewer districts. Each special district is governed by officials elected by voters within that jurisdiction. Seven fire districts, three city fire departments, and two regional fire authorities provide fire prevention, fire fighting, and emergency medical services. Each fire district
2436-701: The BNSF Railway , which primarily operates freight trains through the county on the Seattle Subdivision . Several branch railroads also pass through Thurston County, including the Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad and two lines owned by the Port of Olympia that were leased to Tacoma Rail until 2016. The county has one public airport, Olympia Regional Airport , which is owned by the Port of Olympia and used for general aviation , business flights, air ambulances , and government use. It has two runways,
2523-892: The Golden Paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta) runs through the county. The plant was placed on the Endangered Species list in 1997 but due to conservation efforts the 12 in (30 cm) tall prairie flower was delisted in 2023. Wildlife and land preserves in South Thurston County include the Black River Habitat Management Area, the Glacial Heritage Preserve, and the Scatter Creek Wildlife Area . Thurston County has
2610-645: The Hudson's Bay Company sheep farmers who already conducted business in the area. James Longmire , one of the first American settlers, said upon arriving in Yelm: Having received due notice from the Hudson Bay company not to settle on any lands north of the Nisqually River we crossed the river and went to Yelm prairie, a beautiful spot. I thought as it lay before us covered with tall waving grass,
2697-485: The Midwest by 4,724,144. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] (maps not to scale) [REDACTED] The results of the census are used to determine how many congressional districts each state is apportioned . Congress defines the formula, in accordance with Title 2 of the U.S. Code, to reapportion among the states the 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives . The apportionment population consists of
Yelm, Washington - Misplaced Pages Continue
2784-596: The National Historical Geographic Information System . Personally identifiable information will be available in 2072. The U.S. resident population includes the total number of people in the 50 states and the District of Columbia . The Bureau also enumerated the residents of the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico ; its population was 3,808,610, an 8.1% increase over the number from a decade earlier. In an introduction to
2871-727: The Sound Transit system. All routes in the Intercity Transit system have been fare-free since 2020; the agency is funded by a local sales tax within its service area , which was formed in 1980. Rural Transit is operated by the Thurston Regional Planning Council between communities south of Olympia and Tumwater. It is also fare-free and connects with Lewis County Transit in Centralia. Passenger rail service through Thurston County
2958-496: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 5.69 square miles (14.74 km), of which, 5.68 square miles (14.71 km) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km) is water. As of the 2010 census , there were 6,848 people, 2,299 households, and 1,712 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,205.6 inhabitants per square mile (465.5/km). There were 2,523 housing units at an average density of 444.2 per square mile (171.5/km). The racial makeup of
3045-627: The Woman's Club of Olympia , who donated their collection of 900 books to the city government in 1909. A permanent Carnegie library in Olympia was opened in 1914 with 1,500 books and was used by the city and Timberland until a new library building opened in 1978. Thurston County is bisected by Interstate 5 , the major north–south freeway on the U.S. West Coast that connects Washington, Oregon , and California . The freeway travels through Grand Mound, Tumwater, Olympia, and Lacey and continues south to Portland, Oregon , and north to Tacoma and Seattle. It
3132-584: The number of representatives was fixed at 435. Today, each member represents about 20 times as many constituents. In the years leading up to the 2000 census, there was substantial controversy over whether the Bureau should adjust census figures based on a follow-up survey, called the post-enumeration survey, of a sample of blocks. (In 1999, the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that the Constitution prohibits
3219-415: The 1860s and settled into the modern boundaries by 1873. An attempt to move the county seat from Olympia to Tumwater or West Olympia was defeated by voters in 1861. Olympia was retained as capital of Washington after it was granted statehood in 1889; the city did not win a majority in the first referendum after Ellensburg and North Yakima , but defeated both in a second vote. Local residents built
3306-588: The British and American governments. Permanent European (and later American) settlement of modern-day Thurston County began with the arrival of a pioneer party led by Michael Simmons and George Bush in 1845. Several families settled near Tumwater Falls at a site they named "New Market", which became the first European settlement in Western Washington . The area north of the Columbia River
3393-584: The City of Lacey city limits. Thurston County Fire Districts are: Thurston County leans Democratic. The county has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1988 and the candidates have consistently received a majority of the vote in the county. Several school districts provide K–12 education in Thurston County, including those that overlap with other counties: Thurston County also has three post-secondary educational institutions: The county
3480-457: The Nisqually River to Yelm, where it intersects State Route 507 . The county has two public transportation providers and connections to other systems that serve neighboring counties. Intercity Transit has 18 routes that serve the cities and urban growth areas of Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and Yelm. In addition to local service, the agency operates The One, a rapid bus service in Olympia and Lacey, and express buses to Lakewood that connect with
3567-456: The Olympia area. The first section of Interstate 5 built in Thurston County was the 6.5-mile (10.5 km) Olympia Freeway, which opened in December 1958 to bypass the city's downtown. Other sections opened over the following decade, extending access through Lacey and Tumwater, where it destroyed portions of the historic downtown; a proposal to build the freeway further away from Olympia
Yelm, Washington - Misplaced Pages Continue
3654-704: The Park, Family Fun Day, an annual car show, and the Yelm Lions Easter Egg Hunt. Yelm has the first Class A Water Reclamation Facility and distribution system in Washington , which reclaims all wastewater for local irrigation and recharge streams. The water is also used in Cochrane Park, an 8-acre (32,000 m) wetland park that includes a catch-and-release pond for rainbow trout . Yelm has an elected mayor-council government and
3741-634: The Puget Sound region. As of the 2020 census , there were 294,793 people, 115,397 households, and 76,717 families living in the county. The population density was 408.0 inhabitants per square mile (157.5/km ). There were 121,438 housing units at an average density of 168.1 inhabitants per square mile (64.9/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 73.2% White , 3.2% African American , 1.5% Native American , 5.9% Asian , 1.1% Pacific Islander , 3.5% from some other races and 11.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 9.8% of
3828-602: The Southeast Thurston Fire Authority. Public schools in Yelm belong to the Yelm School District . Its elementary schools are Fort Stevens, Lackamas, McKenna, Millpond, Southworth and Yelm Prairie. Its secondary school system includes Yelm Middle School, Ridgeline Middle School, Yelm High School, and Yelm Extension School. The private Eagle View Christian School is also in Yelm. Thurston County, Washington Thurston County
3915-444: The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court ruling that rejected Utah's efforts to have Mormon missionaries counted. The state of Utah then filed another lawsuit alleging that the statistical methods used in computing the state populations were improper and cost Utah the seat. The Bureau uses a method called imputation to assign a number of residents to addresses where residents cannot be reached after multiple efforts. While nationwide
4002-407: The age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.3% were non-families, and 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 38.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 60,930 and the median income for
4089-539: The age of 18 living with them, 53.10% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.70% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.99. Age distribution was 25.30% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
4176-690: The area around the falls included a settlement with several longhouses . The first European exhibition to the southern Puget Sound was conducted by Peter Puget and Joseph Whidbey on the British-led Vancouver Expedition in May 1792. The Hudson's Bay Company established a trading post at Fort Nisqually in 1833 on the east side of the Nisqually Delta while the Oregon Country was under joint administration by
4263-403: The average family size was 3.26. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 32.0% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.7 males. The median income for a household in
4350-453: The board of commissioners. Since 2024, the county manager has been Leonard Hernandez, who was previously the CEO of San Bernardino County, California . Thurston County has used its commissioner–manager form of government since it was formed in 1852. An attempt to adopt a home rule charter with an elected county executive and seven-member county council was rejected by voters in 1979. The county
4437-542: The census did not count them specifically. Bisexual and transgender populations were not counted, either, because there were no questions regarding this information. Also unavailable is the number of additional same-sex couples living under the same roof as the first, though this applies to additional heterosexual couples as well. The lack of accurate numbers makes it difficult for lawmakers who are considering legislation on hate crimes or social services for gay families with children. It also makes for less accuracy when predicting
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#17327872003664524-414: The census was tabulated, Utah challenged the results in two different ways. Utah was extremely close to gaining a fourth congressional seat, falling 857 people short, which in turn was allocated to North Carolina . The margin was later shortened to 80 people, after the federal government discovered that it overcounted the population of North Carolina by 2,673 residents. The Census Bureau counted members of
4611-483: The census, discrepancies between the adjusted census figures and demographic estimates of population change could not be resolved in time to meet legal deadlines for the provision of redistricting data, and the Census Bureau therefore recommended that the unadjusted results be used for this purpose. This recommendation was followed by the Secretary of Commerce (the official in charge of making the determination). After
4698-434: The census, there could be three to six more homosexual un-partnered individuals who would not be counted as gay. The census reported that same-sex male couples numbered 336,001 and female same-sex couples numbered 329,522. Extrapolating from those figures and the surveyed partnering habits of homosexuals, as many as 4.3 million homosexual adults could have been living in the U.S. in 2000. The exact number cannot be known because
4785-413: The city was $ 39,453, and the median income for a family was $ 45,475. Males had a median income of $ 32,037 versus $ 24,474 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 15,865. About 7.9% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over. To a large extent, Yelm acts as a bedroom community for residents working in
4872-551: The city was 46.9% male and 53.1% female. As of the 2000 census , there were 3,289 people, 1,216 households, and 807 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.4 people per square mile (225.6/km). There were 1,323 housing units at an average density of 235.1 per square mile (90.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 86.2% White , 1.8% African American , 2.2% Native American , 1.7% Asian , 1.2% Pacific Islander , 1.6% from other races , and 5.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.35% of
4959-445: The city was 81.6% White , 3.3% African American , 1.8% Native American , 2.3% Asian , 0.9% Pacific Islander , 2.8% from other races , and 7.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.4% of the population. There were 2,299 households, of which 53.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had
5046-492: The city's physical, economic and community development over the next 20 years, including utilities, public transportation and parks. Yelm City Park was donated by Chuck and Wilma Demich in 1950. Located at the corner of SR 507 and Mosman Avenue, it is about one city block in size. It has a kitchen, covered facilities, a playground area, picnic tables, public restrooms and a softball backstop. A number of community events are held there each year, including Prairie Days, Christmas in
5133-519: The council, serves as the mayor's chief administrative officer. As described in the Yelm Municipal Code and Revised Code of Washington , certain responsibilities are vested in the city council and the mayor. Yelm offers a full range of municipal services, provided by seven departments. Sales tax, 8.7% per dollar spent, is distributed as follows: The current mayor of Yelm is Joe DePinto. The seven- member Yelm City Council represents
5220-664: The county south of the Chehalis River was ceded to Lewis County in February 1853, a month before Washington Territory was created with its capital in Olympia. Sawamish County (now Mason County) was created in March 1854 from the northwestern portions of Thurston County and Chehalis County (now Grays Harbor County) was established a month later from the remaining western half of Thurston County. Several exchanges of land between Thurston and neighboring counties were made during
5307-429: The county was 82.4% white, 5.2% Asian, 2.7% black or African American, 1.4% American Indian, 0.8% Pacific islander, 2.2% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 21.2% were German , 13.4% were English , 13.2% were Irish , 5.0% were Norwegian , and 4.7% were American . Of the 100,650 households, 31.7% had children under
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#17327872003665394-627: The county. Earlier newspapers included The Columbian , founded in 1852, and The Washington Standard , which was published weekly from 1860 to 1921. As the state capital, Olympia formerly had bureaus for newspapers across the state, including the two dailies in Seattle, and several reporters from the Associated Press . By 2021, the Olympia bureaus had shrunk to only six reporters. The county also has several weekly and online news publications. The Nisqually Valley News , founded in 1922,
5481-421: The fertility of a population. Another issue that concerned gay rights advocates involved the automatic changing of data during the tabulation process. This automatic software data compiling method, called allocation , was designed to counteract mistakes and discrepancies in returned questionnaires. Forms that were filled out by two same-sex persons who checked the "Husband/wife" relationship box were treated as
5568-482: The first census in 1790 , the decennial count has been the basis for the United States representative form of government. Article I, Section II specifies that "The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative." In 1790, each member of the House represented about 34,000 residents. Since then, the House more than quadrupled in size, and in 1911
5655-892: The imputation method added 0.4% to the population, the rate in Utah was 0.2%. The state challenged that the use of imputation violates the Census Act of 1957 and that it also fails the Constitution's requirement in Article I, Section 2 that an "actual enumeration" be used for apportionment. This case, Utah v. Evans , made it to the Supreme Court , but Utah was again defeated. The census forms did not include any questions regarding sexual orientation , making it impossible to compile data comparing heterosexual and homosexual populations. However, two questions were asked that allowed same-sex partnerships to be counted. The questionnaires asked
5742-473: The mainstream and wider success. The newspaper of record for Thurston County is The Olympian , a newspaper based in Olympia that is owned by the McClatchy Company and publishes three print editions per week. As of 2022 , it has a circulation of 17,401. The Olympian was founded in 1891 and merged with several local newspapers in the early 20th century to become the sole daily newspaper in
5829-583: The military and other federal civilian employees serving abroad as residents of their home state but did not count other people living outside the United States. Utah claimed that people traveling abroad as religious missionaries should be counted as residents and that the failure to do so imposed a burden on Mormon religious practice. Almost half of all Mormon missionaries, more than 11,000 people, were from Utah; only 102 came from North Carolina. If this policy were changed, then Utah would have received an additional seat instead of North Carolina. On November 26, 2002,
5916-592: The needs and interests of Yelm's citizens. The council establishes policy for the city, adopts the annual budget, and represents Yelm's interests on regional boards and commissions. The Yelm post office serves the surrounding unincorporated Thurston County residential communities in Lake Lawrence , Clearwood, and other communities in the Bald Hills area. Firefighting services for the cities of Yelm, Rainier and surrounding unincorporated areas are provided by
6003-407: The population. There were 1,216 households, out of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and
6090-427: The population. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.1% were under 5 years of age, and 19.3% were 65 and older. As of the 2010 census , there were 252,264 people, 100,650 households, and 66,161 families living in the county. The population density was 349.4 inhabitants per square mile (134.9/km ). There were 108,182 housing units at an average density of 149.8 per square mile (57.8/km ). The racial makeup of
6177-490: The resident population of the fifty states, plus the overseas military and federal civilian employees and their dependents living with them who could be allocated to a state. Each member of the House represents a population of about 647,000. The populations of the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are excluded from the apportionment population because they do not have voting seats in the U. S. House of Representatives. Since
6264-554: The sex of each person in a household and they asked what the relationship was between each of the members of the household. Respondents could check "Husband/wife" or "unmarried partner" or a number of other relationships. Responses were tabulated and the Census Bureau reported that there were more than 658,000 same-sex couples heading households in the United States. However, only about 25% of gay men and 40% of lesbians are in shared-household partnerships at any one time, according to non-census surveys. For every same-sex couple tallied in
6351-456: The sixth-largest population among Washington's counties and is among the fastest-growing in the state. From 2010 to 2020, the county's population became more ethnically diverse, with the number of residents who identify as Hispanic or Latino increasing by 63.2%. The county's largest city is Lacey, which has an estimated population of over 60,000 and surpassed Olympia's population in the early 2020s. The smallest incorporated place in Thurston County
6438-589: The state in regard to population. Yelm is located in southeastern Thurston County, adjacent to its border with Pierce County , along the Nisqually River . The city is near the Nisqually Indian Reservation (located to the northwest on State Route 510 ), and Joint Base Lewis–McChord on the northeast side of the river. Another major highway, State Route 507 , connects Yelm to Centralia and Spanaway near Tacoma . According to
6525-403: The state level, Thurston County is part of five legislative districts that each elect a state senator and two state representatives. The 2nd district encompasses the rural southeast of the county; the 19th district includes Grand Mound and the southwest corner of the county; the 20th district includes an area east of Grand Mound; the 22nd district includes Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater; and
6612-515: The surrounding cities of Tacoma , Olympia and Centralia . It also hosts a large number of military families currently or formerly stationed at nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord . Yelm experienced significant expansion in the decades surrounding the turn of the 21st century. On February 14, 2017, in consultation with city residents, the city council adopted the Yelm Comprehensive Plan update, which clarifies plans and policies for
6699-483: The use of such figures for apportionment purposes, but it may be permissible for other purposes where feasible.) The controversy was partly technical, but also partly political, since based on data from the 1990 census both parties believed that adjustment would likely have the effect, after redistricting, of slightly increasing Democratic representation in legislative bodies, but would also give Utah an additional, probably Republican, representative to Congress. Following
6786-623: Was 285 people per square mile (110 people/km ). There were 86,652 housing units at an average density of 119 units per square mile (46 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 85.66% White , 2.35% Black or African American , 1.52% Native American , 4.41% Asian , 0.52% Pacific Islander , 1.69% from other races , and 3.85% from two or more races. 4.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.1% were of German , 10.2% English , 9.8% Irish , 6.9% United States or American and 5.5% Norwegian ancestry. There were 81,625 households, of which 33.00% had children under
6873-501: Was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males. The median household income was $ 46,975, and the median family income was $ 55,027. Males had a median income of $ 40,521 versus $ 30,368 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 22,415. About 5.80% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line , including 9.80% of those under age 18 and 5.00% of those age 65 or over. Thurston County
6960-412: Was completed in 1928 alongside a campus of government buildings and monuments. Thurston County remained predominantly dependent on the logging industry until the state government became the county's largest employment sector in the 1950s. Several state government agencies had attempted to move their offices to Seattle until a 1954 Washington Supreme Court ruling mandated that their headquarters remain in
7047-633: Was constructed in the 1950s and 1960s to replace U.S. Route 99 , the original north–south highway in Western Washington. Interstate 5 intersects several other highways within Thurston County that provide connections to other areas of Washington state. These include U.S. Route 12 , which travels west from Grand Mound to Aberdeen ; U.S. Route 101 , which encircles most of the Olympic Peninsula and provides access to Aberdeen via State Route 8 ; and State Route 510 , which travels along
7134-581: Was created on January 12, 1852, by the Oregon Territorial Legislature and Olympia was designated as its seat . It included the entire Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound region up to the northern border with British North America and went as far east as the Cascade Mountains . On December 22, the northern areas of Thurston County were divided to form Island , Jefferson , King , and Pierce counties. A portion of
7221-628: Was further enhanced when an irrigation company created the Yelm Ditch in 1916, making Yelm a center for commercial production of beans, cucumbers and berries. Yelm was incorporated on December 8, 1924. During the Great Depression , high maintenance costs and an unstructured water distribution plan bankrupted the Yelm Irrigation Company. At the beginning of the 21st century, Yelm was the 10th fastest growing city in
7308-594: Was originally under the jurisdiction of the Vancouver District (later renamed Clark County) until 1845, when Lewis County was created from the area west of the Cowlitz River . The entire region was ceded to the United States with the signing of the Oregon Treaty in 1846 and organized into Oregon Territory two years later. A petition by 54 residents of Olympia and surrounding communities
7395-522: Was rejected to preserve rural areas. The completion of Interstate 5 enabled the growth of bedroom communities around Thurston County, which saw its population rapidly increase from the 1950s to 1970s. The first suburban shopping center in the county, the South Sound Center in Lacey, opened in October 1966; it was followed by Lacey's incorporation as a city. The Evergreen State College ,
7482-503: Was submitted to the Oregon Territorial Legislature in December 1851 to create a new county from Lewis County. The proposed name of Simmons County, named for Michael Simmons, was changed to Thurston County by the legislature at the suggestion of Asa Lovejoy to honor Samuel Thurston , the first delegate to the U.S. Congress from Oregon Territory. Thurston himself had never visited the area. Thurston County
7569-409: Was the first census in which a state— California —recorded a population of over 30 million, as well as the first in which two states—California and Texas —recorded populations of more than 20 million. Microdata from the 2000 census is freely available through the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series . Aggregate data for small areas, together with electronic boundary files, can be downloaded from
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