King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census its population was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat and largest city is Seattle.
Geography[]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,307 square miles (5,980 km2), of which 2,116 square miles (5,480 km2) is land and 191 square miles (490 km2) (8.3%) is water. King County has nearly twice the land area of the state of Rhode Island. The highest point in the county is Mount Daniel at 2,426 meters (7,959 feet) above sea level.
King County borders Snohomish County to the north, Kitsap County to the west, Kittitas County to the east, and Pierce County to the south. It also shares a small border with Chelan County to the northeast. King County includes Vashon Island and Maury Island in Puget Sound.
Government[]
The King County Executive heads the county's executive branch. The King County Prosecuting Attorney, Elections Director, Sheriff, and the King County Assessor are also elected executive positions. Judicial power is vested in the King County Superior Court and the King County District Court. Seattle houses the King County Courthouse.
Politics[]
King County, which includes Seattle, is a major center for liberal politics and is a bastion for the Democratic Party. No Republican presidential candidate has garnered the majority of the county's votes since Ronald Reagan's landslide reelection victory in 1984. The suburbs east and south of Seattle have historically tended to be moderate to conservative.
In 2004, voters passed a referendum reducing the size of the County Council from 13 members to 9. This resulted in all council seats ending up on the 2005 ballot.
Some residents of eastern King County have long desired to secede and form their own county. This movement was most vocal in the mid-1990s when they pushed the creation of Cedar County. In the 2012 it was revived as Cascade County. Additional plans ideas were Skykomish County.
Communities[]
Cities[]
- Algona
- Auburn (partial)
- Bellevue
- Black Diamond
- Bothell (partial)
- Burien
- Carnation
- Clyde Hill
- Covington
- Des Moines
- Duvall
- Enumclaw
- Federal Way
- Issaquah
- Kenmore
- Kent
- Kirkland
- Lake Forest Park
- Maple Valley
- Medina
- Mercer Island
- Milton (partial)
- Newcastle
- Normandy Park
- North Bend
- Pacific (partial)
- Redmond
- Renton
- Sammamish
- SeaTac
- Seattle (county seat)
- Shoreline
- Snoqualmie
- Spokane
- Tukwila
- Woodinville
Towns[]
- Beaux Arts Village
- Hunts Point
- Skykomish
- Yarrow Point
Census Designated Places[]
- Ames Lake
- Baring
- Boulevard Park
- Bryn Mawr-Skyway
- Cottage Lake
- East Renton Highlands
- Fairwood
- Fall City
- Hobart
- Klahanie (former)
- Lake Holm
- Lake Marcel-Stillwater
- Lake Morton-Berrydale
- Lakeland North
- Lakeland South
- Maple Heights-Lake Desire
- Mirrormont
- Ravensdale
- Riverbend
- Riverton (former)
- Shadow Lake
- Tanner
- Union Hill-Novelty Hill
- Vashon
- Westwood
- White Center
- Wilderness Rim
Unincorporated Communities[]
- Bayne
- Cedar Falls
- Cumberland
- Denny Creek
- Ernie's Grove
- Grotto
- Kanaskat
- Kangley
- Lake Joy
- Naco
- Novelty
- Palmer
- Preston
- Selleck
- Spring Glen
- Wabash
Former Cities And Towns[]
- East Redmond
- Foster
- Houghton