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58-549: [REDACTED] Look up whatcom in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Whatcom may refer to Whatcom County, Washington , USA, or to several places and entities therein: Lake Whatcom Whatcom Creek drains Lake Whatcom into Bellingham Bay Whatcom Falls Park , Bellingham, containing the upper part of Whatcom Creek Whatcom Peak , North Cascades National Park Whatcom Glacier , North Cascades National Park Whatcom Trail ,

116-526: A Superior Court and Sheriff (as an officer of the court ), both located in a designated "shire town". Bennington County, Vermont has two shire towns; the court for "North Shire" is in the shire town Manchester , and the Sheriff for the county and court for "South Shire" are in the shire town Bennington. In 2024, Connecticut , which had not defined their counties for anything but statistical, historical and weather warning purposes since 1960, along with ending

174-480: A diversified economy with a significant agricultural base, including approximately 60% of the nation's annual production of raspberries . The Whatcom County area has had known human habitation for at least twelve millennia. At least three aboriginal tribes have been identified in the area: Lummi (San Juan Islands, between Point Whitehorn and Chuckanut Bay), Nooksack (between Lynden and Maple Falls) and Semiahmoo (the northern portion, near Blaine). This area

232-439: A county charter approved in 1978; it acts as a county constitution. Whatcom County is one of seven Washington counties to use the home rule charter provision of state law. Local government is split between the county, incorporated cities and towns, and special-purpose districts. These local governments are established and operate according to state law, and operate independently from the county government. The charter establishes

290-410: A county seat may be an independent city surrounded by, but not part of, the county of which it is the administrative center; for example, Fairfax City is both the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia and completely surrounded by Fairfax County, but the city is politically independent of the county. When the county seat is in the independent city, government offices such as the courthouse may be in

348-528: A court commissioner, and a support staff. The superior court is a court of general jurisdiction. Superior court hears civil cases exceeding $ 75,000 or requesting non-monetary remedies. Superior court hears all juvenile criminal cases and all adult felony cases. Superior court also hears appeals from district court and municipal courts. Superior court staff include three judges, three full-time court commissioners, two part-time court commissioners, and support staff. District and superior court judges are elected by

406-664: A gold prospectors' trail from Bellingham Bay to the upper Fraser Valley Whatcom County Council Whatcom Community College , Bellingham Whatcom Middle School , Bellingham School District See also [ edit ] [REDACTED] Search for "Whatcom" on Misplaced Pages. New Whatcom , one of the towns in Whatcom County that merged to form Bellingham, Washington New Whatcom Normal School, former name of Western Washington University All pages with titles beginning with Whatcom All pages with titles containing Whatcom Topics referred to by

464-418: A household in the county was $ 40,005, and for a family was $ 49,325. Males had a median income of $ 37,589 versus $ 26,193 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 20,025. About 7.80% of families and 14.20% of the population were below the poverty line , including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over. The Whatcom County government is a municipal corporation operating under

522-549: A large agricultural industry that dates back to the late 19th century, when communities transitioned from logging after the removal of forests in the Nooksack Valley. The county produces 60–80 million lb (27–36 million kg) of raspberries annually, which constitutes 99 percent of Washington's crop and typically around 85 percent of the entire U.S. raspberry harvest. The local dairy and egg industries also contribute to $ 200 million in annual sales;

580-421: A portion of the new county was partitioned off to form Island County . The Washington Territory was formed as a separate governing entity in 1853. In 1854, that legislature carved several counties out of the existing counties, including Whatcom County on March 9, 1854, with area taken from Island County. The original county boundary was reduced in 1873 by the formation of San Juan County , and again in 1883 by

638-504: A presidential election. One member is elected from each of the five districts; two members are elected at-large , which favors candidates who can command a majority of voters. The county council also serves as the county board of health. The executive branch consists of six elected officials, a county executive , and five department heads. The county executive is similar to a mayor or governor. The assessor, auditor, prosecuting attorney, sheriff , and treasurer are elected independently from

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696-422: A regional fire authority provide fire prevention, fire fighting, and emergency medical services. Each fire district 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), as does

754-686: A sawmill, and a military fort were established on Bellingham Bay in the 1850s. Logging was the principal economic activity at first, and agriculture developed as land was cleared by logging activity. Canneries, both of fish and crops, shipped the county's products far and wide. Pacific American Fisheries organized in 1899 in Fairhaven, and became the world's largest canning operation, employing over 5,500 residents. Smaller canneries at Semiahmoo also produced 2,000 cases of canned salmon daily. The Fairhaven Shipyard constructed fleets of fishing ships, and also produced freighters during World War I. Whatcom County has

812-465: A short-term increase in the county's population, which briefly swelled to over 10,000 before the bubble burst. In 1857 the federal government began the field work necessary to establish the national border between the United States and Canada, which had been agreed on as the forty-ninth parallel in this area, and which would also mark the north line of Whatcom County. As the work moved east, several of

870-679: Is a college supported by the Lummi Nation and serves the Native American community. Northwest Indian College is located on the Lummi Nation (Lummi Reservation), about five miles (8 km) west of Bellingham. 48°50′N 121°54′W  /  48.83°N 121.90°W  / 48.83; -121.90 County seat In Canada , the provinces of Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , and Nova Scotia have counties as an administrative division of government below

928-502: Is a court of limited jurisdiction that handles civil and criminal cases. Criminal cases are limited to adults charged with misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor offenses. State law specifies what cases are in the district court's jurisdiction. The district court operates a small claims court to resolve civil cases involving monetary damages not exceeding $ 5,000. No attorneys are permitted to appear in small claims court. Cases are heard using less formal procedures. The district court has two judges,

986-538: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Whatcom County, Washington Whatcom County ( / ˈ w ɒ t k ə m / , / ˈ hw ɒ t k ə m / ) is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington , bordered by the Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts ) of British Columbia to

1044-596: Is in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia . At some periods in the past, one of the Fraser River 's distributaries may have entered Bellingham Bay near Bellingham at or near the modern-day mouth of the Nooksack River . The remainder of Whatcom County is in the Cascade Range , including Mount Baker . In their foothills is Lake Whatcom , which is drained by Whatcom Creek into Bellingham Bay . A small part of

1102-409: Is known as the seat of its county. Generally, the county legislature, county courthouse, sheriff's department headquarters, hall of records, jail and correctional facility are located in the county seat, though some functions (such as highway maintenance, which usually requires a large garage for vehicles, along with asphalt and salt storage facilities) may also be located or conducted in other parts of

1160-574: Is located on the Lummi Nation (Lummi Reservation) west of Bellingham. Bellingham Technical College is a public technical and vocational college located in Bellingham. Trinity Western University (TWU) is a private, Christian university based in Langley, BC , about 25 miles (40 km) north of Bellingham. TWU operates a branch campus in Bellingham, offering undergraduate courses and supports TWU's bachelor's degree completion program. Northwest Indian College

1218-700: Is responsible for maintaining the county jail , providing security at the Whatcom County Superior Court, serving civil processes, coordinating emergency management among the county's emergency services, and maintaining law and order in rural areas. The first sheriff was Ellis "Yankee" Barnes who was sworn into office in 1854, during a period in which the border between the United States and British Columbia along Whatcom County had not been fully delineated. That year, Barnes seized and auctioned 34 rams that belonged to Canadian farmer Charles Griffin for Griffin's failure to pay United States taxes. The event

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1276-482: The 2000 census , there were 166,814 people, 64,446 households, and 41,116 families resided in the county. The population density was 79 people per square mile (31 people/km ). The 73,893 housing units averaged 35 units per square mile (14 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 88.41% White, 0.69% Black or African American, 2.82% Native American, 2.78% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 2.49% from other races, and 2.66% from two or more races. About 5.21% of

1334-517: The 2010 census , there were 201,140 people, 80,370 households, and 48,862 families resided in the county. The population density was 95.5 people per square mile (36.9 people/km ). The 90,665 housing units averaged 43.0 units per square mile (16.6 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 85.4% White, 3.5% Asian, 2.8% American Indian, 1.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.3% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.8% of

1392-611: The Provisional Government of Oregon had been established, although at first there were questions as to its authority and extent. During its existence, that provisional government formed the area north of the Columbia River first into the Washington Territory, and then (December 19, 1845) into two vast counties: Clark and Lewis. In 1852, a portion of Lewis County was partitioned off to form Thurston County , and in 1853

1450-617: The City of Lynden Fire Department. The City of Bellingham is an all-career department. Some of the districts also have full-time firefighter/EMTs. All fire districts use 9-1-1 for emergency calls. Whatcom County has one 9-1-1 call center located in Bellingham. Fire/EMS calls are processed and dispatched at a second public safety answering point called Prospect, located at a fire station in Bellingham. Additional dispatching locations provide backup capacity to answer emergency calls. Whatcom County Fire Districts are: The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office

1508-879: The United States, followed by Towson , the county seat of Baltimore County, Maryland . Likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, Cape May Court House, New Jersey , though unincorporated, is a section of Middle Township , an incorporated municipality. In some states, often those that were among the original Thirteen Colonies , county seats include or formerly included "Court House" as part of their name, such as Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia . Most counties have only one county seat. However, some counties in Alabama , Arkansas , Georgia , Iowa , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Mississippi , Missouri , New Hampshire , New York , and Vermont have two or more county seats, usually located on opposite sides of

1566-589: The Waldorf School. Whatcom County hosts five institutions of higher education. Western Washington University (Western) is the third-largest public university in Washington. Western offers bachelor's and master's degrees through seven colleges and enrolls more than 15,000 students. Whatcom Community College is a public community college offering academic certificate programs and associate degrees. Two universities and two colleges are located in Bellingham. One college

1624-517: The counties after his unification, there were about 1,000. Under the Eastern Han dynasty , the number of counties increased to above 1,000. About 1400 existed when the Sui dynasty abolished the commandery level (郡 jùn), which was the level just above counties, and demoted some commanderies to counties. In Imperial China, the county was a significant administrative unit because it marked the lowest level of

1682-532: The county are geared to cross-border shopping and recreation. According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 2,503 square miles (6,480 km ), of which 2,107 square miles (5,460 km ) is land and 397 square miles (1,030 km ), or 16%, is covered by water. Western Whatcom County is part of the Fraser Lowland , the plain of the Fraser River , most of which

1740-451: The county executive and council. These six officials serve four-year terms. The county council establishes various departments by ordinance. The county council or county executive appoint department heads. These departments include administrative services, health, medical examiner, planning and development services, parks and recreation, and public works. The judicial branch consists of a district court and superior court. The district court

1798-430: The county had an estimated 48,964 dairy cows in 2007. Cross-border activity is also a significant driver of the economy. Whatcom County residents are served by public and private schools, providing preschool, primary (K-5), and secondary (6–12) education. Public schools are operated by eight school districts. Each school district is an independent local government managed by an elected school board. Seven districts serve

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1856-483: The county voters for a term of four years. Court commissioners are appointed by elected judges; commissioners have powers and responsibilities equal to elected judges. Whatcom County has been largely Democratic in presidential elections since 1988. Since 2004, the Democratic presidential candidates have received the majority of the county's vote. In the 2020 election, Joe Biden handily won the county with just over 60% of

1914-623: The county, Point Roberts , about 5 square miles (13 km ), is an extension of the Tsawwassen Peninsula, which is bisected by the Canada–US border along the 49th parallel. The highest point in the county is the peak of the active volcano Mount Baker at 10,778 feet (3,285 m) above sea level. The lowest points are at sea level along the Salish Sea , an arm of the Pacific Ocean. As of

1972-418: The county, especially if it is geographically large. A county seat is usually an incorporated municipality . The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as Arlington County, Virginia , where the county seat is the entire county. Ellicott City , the county seat of Howard County, Maryland , is the largest unincorporated county seat in

2030-420: The county. Examples include Harrison County, Mississippi , which has both Biloxi and Gulfport as county seats, and Hinds County, Mississippi , which has both Raymond and the state capital of Jackson . The practice of multiple county seat towns dates from the days when travel was difficult. There have been few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement, since a county seat is a source of civic pride for

2088-498: The formation of Skagit County . In 1855 the settlers erected a blockhouse west of Whatcom Creek, to protect against forays from the aboriginal inhabitants who were attempting to defend their homelands. That year the Treaty of Point Elliott was signed, which assigned the Lummi and Semiahmoo peoples a greatly-restricted reserved area. The short-lived Fraser Canyon Gold Rush (1857–58) caused

2146-424: The imperial bureaucratic structure; in other words, it was the lowest level that the government reached. Government below the county level was often undertaken through informal non-bureaucratic means, varying between dynasties. The head of a county was the magistrate , who oversaw both the day-to-day operations of the county as well as civil and criminal cases. The current number of counties mostly resembled that of

2204-572: The increase of Han Chinese population in Taiwan, the number of counties also grew by time. By the end of Qing era, there were 11 counties in Taiwan. Protestant missionaries in China first romanized the term as hien . When Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, the hierarchy of divisions also incorporated into the Japanese system in the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. By September 1945, Taiwan

2262-611: The independent city under an agreement, such as in Albemarle , or may in be enclaves of the county surrounded by the independent city, such as in Fairfax . Others, such as Prince William , have the courthouse in an enclave surrounded by the independent city and have the county government, the Board of Supervisors, in a different part of the county, far from the county seat. The following counties have their county seat in an independent city: Bedford

2320-732: The later years of the Qing dynasty . Changes of location and names of counties in Chinese history have been a major field of research in Chinese historical geography, especially from the 1960s to the 1980s. There are 1,355 counties in Mainland China out of a total of 2,851 county-level divisions. In Taiwan , the first counties were first established in 1661 by the Kingdom of Tungning . The later ruler Qing empire inherited this type of administrative divisions. With

2378-451: The north, Okanogan County to the east, Skagit County to the south, San Juan County across Rosario Strait to the southwest, and the Strait of Georgia to the west. Its county seat and largest population center is the coastal city of Bellingham , comprising the Bellingham, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , and as of the 2020 census , the county's population was 226,847. The county

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2436-550: The population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of people of European ancestry, 15.5% identified as German , 9.2% as English , 8.2% as Dutch , 7.9% as Irish , 7.0% as Norwegian , and 6.6% as United States or American ancestry. Of the 64,446 households, 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.20% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.20% were not families. About 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.40% had someone living alone who

2494-452: The population. In terms of ancestry, 20.8% were German, 12.8% were Irish, 12.6% were English, 8.0% were Dutch, 6.9% were Norwegian, and 4.4% were American . Of the 80,370 households, 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.2% were not families, and 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size

2552-752: The provincial level, and thus county seats. In the provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia the term "shire town" is used in place of county seat. County seats in China are the administrative centers of the counties in the People's Republic of China . Xian have existed since the Warring States period and were set up nationwide by the Qin dynasty . The number of counties in China proper gradually increased from dynasty to dynasty. As Qin Shi Huang reorganized

2610-411: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Whatcom . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whatcom&oldid=1219272399 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

2668-764: The state's area, has no borough government or borough seat. One borough, the Lake and Peninsula Borough , has its borough seat located in another borough, namely King Salmon in Bristol Bay Borough . In Louisiana , which is divided into parishes rather than counties, county seats are referred to as "parish seats". In New England , counties have served mainly as dividing lines for the states' judicial systems. Rhode Island has no county level of government and thus no county seats, and Massachusetts has dissolved many but not all of its county governments. In Vermont , Massachusetts , and Maine county government consists only of

2726-451: The structure of Whatcom County government. The Whatcom County Council holds legislative powers granted to counties. The council consists of seven members elected for a term of four years. Council members are elected at the general election in November of odd-numbered years. Three council members are elected one year before a presidential election; four council members are elected one year after

2784-416: The towns involved, along with providing employment opportunities. There are 33 counties with multiple county seats in 11 states: Alaska is divided into boroughs rather than counties; the county seat in these case is referred to as the "borough seat"; this includes six consolidated city-borough governments (one of which is styled as a "municipality"). The Unorganized Borough, Alaska , which covers 49% of

2842-538: The use of county seats in particular, will fully transition with the permission of the United States Census Bureau to a system of councils of government for the purposes of boundary definition and as county equivalents. Two counties in South Dakota , Oglala Lakota and Todd , have their county seat and government services centered in a neighboring county. Their county-level services are provided by Fall River County and Tripp County , respectively. In Virginia ,

2900-419: The vote, as did Kamala Harris four years later. Incorporated cities and towns provide municipal services. Each city or town has an elected council and mayor. 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. Eleven fire districts, two city fire departments, and

2958-498: The western portion of Whatcom County. One district serves the southeast corner of Whatcom County. The remaining portion of the county is national forest or national park land, which has no permanent residents. These districts (including any with any portion in the county, even if the schools are not in the county) are: Numerous private schools operate in Whatcom County, including Assumption Catholic School, St. Paul's Academy, Lynden Christian Schools, Bellingham Christian Schools, and

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3016-565: The workers chose to remain in the area as settlers. Whatcom County's northern border is the Canada–US border with the Canadian province of British Columbia . Adjoining the county on the north (from west to east) are the Metro Vancouver suburbs of Delta , Surrey , Langley , the central Fraser Valley city of Abbotsford and the rural Fraser Valley Regional District . The border crossing points are (from west to east): Several shopping malls and other services in Bellingham and elsewhere in

3074-448: Was 2.43, and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 36.6 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 49,031 and for a family was $ 64,586. Males had a median income of $ 47,109 versus $ 34,690 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 25,407. About 7.8% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over. As of

3132-457: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.03. In the county, the population was distributed as 24.10% under the age of 18, 14.20% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males. The median income for

3190-585: Was created from Island County by the Washington Territorial Legislature in March 1854. It originally included the territory of present-day San Juan and Skagit counties, which were later independently organized after additional settlement. Its name derives from the Lummi word Xwotʼqom , also spelled [x̣ʷátqʷəm], perhaps meaning 'noisy' or 'noisy water' and referring to a waterfall. Whatcom County has

3248-623: Was divided into 8 prefectures ( 州 and 廳 ), which remained after the Republic of China took over. There are 13 county seats in Taiwan, which function as county-administered cities , urban townships , or rural townships . In most of the United States , a county is an administrative or political subdivision of a state that consists of a geographic area with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The city, town, or populated place that houses county government

3306-629: Was one of several provocations that led to the Pig War between the United States and the United Kingdom. In 1863 James Kavanaugh served as sheriff. Kavanaugh, who married Princess Tol Sol of the Swinomish tribe, had previously served as the first United States Marshal in the Pacific Northwest . In 2005 the sheriff's office reported 80 deputies and 53 corrections officers on staff. Coal mines,

3364-509: Was part of the Oregon Country at the start of the nineteenth century, inhabited both by fur prospectors from Canada and Americans seeking land for agricultural and mineral-extraction opportunities. Unable to resolve which country should control this vast area, the Treaty of 1818 provided for joint control. In 1827 the Hudson's Bay Company established Fort Langley near present Lynden. By 1843,

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