Spokane County was first organized in 1858
from part of Walla Walla County. Five years
later it was voted out of existence by the
Territorial Legislature and merged into
Stevens County. In 1879 it was recreated and
named after the Spokane Indians; the name
means "children of the sun". It is located
in the northeastern part of the state and is
bounded by Idaho on the east. The county was
first visited by fur traders in 1810, who
established Spokane House as a trading
center. Two years later, the Pacific Fur
Company built Fort Spokane. Missionaries
arrived in the county in the 1830s. The
first permanent settlements in the county
were established in the 1870s and the
county's prosperity was assured with the
arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad in
1890. Today Spokane County has a varied
economy based on services, manufacturing,
agriculture, and wholesale and retail trade.
Its county seat, Spokane, is the second
largest city in the state and is a regional
transportation, financial and cultural
center.
AREA: 1,753.8 square
miles
Ranking in state: 19th
POPULATION
(April 2004)
432,000
Unincorporated:
120,726
Incorporated:
311,274
Percentage of state:
7.00%
Density:
244.9 persons
per
sq. mile
INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER
EDUCATION:
Eastern Washington
University, Cheney
Gonzaga University, Spokane
Intercollegiate Center for
Nursing Education, Spokane
Spokane Community College,
Spokane
Spokane Falls Community
College, Spokane
Washington State University,
Spokane
Whitworth College, Spokane
LEADING
CITIES:
Population
(4/04)
Airway Heights
4,590
Cheney
9,855
Deer Park
3,045
Liberty Lake
4,950
Medical Lake
4,120
Millwood
1,645
Spokane, county
seat
197,400
Spokane Valley
83,950
PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC
ACTIVITIES:
Wholesale and Retail Trade
Service Industries
Health Care and Medical
Business and Personal
Services
Primary and Fabricated Metal
Products
Machinery Manufacturing
Electric and Electronic
Equipment
Transportation Equipment
Printing and Publishing
Food and Kindred Products
Lumber and Wood Products
Agriculture
ETHNIC
BREAKDOWN:
Spokane County
2000 Census
Single Race
406,386
White
381,934
Black/African
American
6,659
American
Indian/Alaskan
Native
5,847
Asian
7,870
Native
Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander
666
Other Race
3,410
Two or More
Races
11,553
Hispanic Origin*
11,561
CLIMATE: Spokane -
elevation 1,875 feet
Average JAN
APRIL JULY OCT
Max Temp 32.7
58.5 83.9 58.3
Min Temp 21.0
36.7 55.7 37.7
Mean Temp 26.9 47.6
69.8 48.5
Precip in " 2.04
1.10 0.57 1.21
Average Annual Max Temp:
58.0
Average Annual Min Temp:
38.0
Average Annual Mean Temp:
48.0
Average Annual Precip:
16.15"
*Hispanic is not categorized as
a separate racial breakdown and
is counted in the other
categories as well.
Compiled by: Telect, Inc.
(Debbie Poffenroth 509-944-3119)
