Douglas County, Washington

Douglas County Education, Geography, and History

Douglas County is a county located in the state of Washington. Based on the 2010 census, its population was 38,431. The county seat is Waterville, while its largest settlement is East Wenatchee Bench, although East Wenatchee is the commercial center. The county was created out of Lincoln County on November 28, 1883 and is named for American statesman Stephen A. Douglas.

Douglas County is part of the Wenatchee, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Douglas County Name

Stephen Arnold Douglas, the statesman and rival of Abraham Lincoln.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Douglas County History

Douglas County was created 28 November 1883 from Lincoln County and is named for American statesman Stephen A. Douglas. 

Economic

Douglas & Chelan are part of a two-county region called North Central Washington. This is a prime location for business relocation, because of our multiple industrial and recreational resources. Resources that include low-cost power, broadband fiber, low-cost land, year-round recreation, competitive labor rates, and full healthcare services.

Douglas County is a predominantly rural county located in north central Washington. Waterville is the county seat. The county's proximity to Grand Coulee Dam just over the county line (spanning the Columbia River between Okanogan and Grant counties), as well as the four Columbia River dams within the county have over time provided work for thousands of Douglas County residents.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,849 square miles (4,788 km²), of which, 1,821 square miles (4,715 km²) of it is land and 28 square miles (73 km²) of it (1.52%) is water.

The county comprises 1821 square miles, and ranks 17th in size among Washington's 39 counties. The Columbia River, either flowing through its channel or constricted in equalizing reservoirs behind dams, almost completely encircles Douglas County, which is bordered by Chelan County to the west, Okanogan County to the north, Grant County to the east/southeast, and a small part of Kittitas County to the south.  East Wenatchee (population 11,420) and Bridgeport (population 2075) are the largest towns. Agriculture, especially apple, pear, and cherry orchards, and wheat, provides a significant percentage of the county's employment.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Okanogan County, Washington - north
• Grant County, Washington - south
• Kittitas County, Washington - southwest
• Chelan County, Washington - west

Education

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