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1 NE
7th S t, PO Box 5000, Coupeville, WA 98239-5000 . 360-679-7303
. FAX 360-240-5565
Office
Hours 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday
except Holidays |
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DAVID
M. MATTENS, ASSESSOR (CLICK Picture
or Logo to e-mail) |
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Welcome to
the Island County
Assessor's
Home Page!
Thank you
for visiting our web site. My office is continually
striving to update and improve this site to better serve
the citizens of Island County.
Please feel free to comment on the site or send any reccomendations
that you feel would make it more useful, user-friendly,
or informative.
If
you are interested in the operations and duties of the Assessor's
office, please review the Homeowners'
Guide to Property Taxes published by the
Washington Department of Revenue. |
ABOUT
ISLAND COUNTY:
Island
County, Washington has a land area of approximately 208
square miles, about 309 square miles of water, 8 zip codes,
and is one of the most densely populated of the 39 counties
in the state.
Although
it is the next to the smallest county in the state, Island
County is ranked 14th in overall population of the 39 counties,
accounting for its high population density.
Island County
officially consists of nine islands located in the Puget
Sound. Three of the islands, Whidbey, Camano,
and Ben Ure, are inhabited. All three of its incorporated
cities, Oak Harbor, Coupeville, and Langley, are located
on Whidbey Island.
Roughly
60 % of the county is water and includes all or portions
of the Straits of Juan de Fuca, Admiralty Inlet, Mutiny
Bay, Useless Bay, Cultus Bay, Dugualla Bay, Skagit Bay,
Saratoga Passage, and Port Susan. |
INHABITED ISLANDS:
WHIDBEY
ISLAND is the
largest island in Island County, covering approximately
168.67 square miles. It is the largest and longest
island in Washington and on the Pacific coast of the lower
48 states.
CAMANO
ISLAND is the second largest island in Island County,
covering approximately 39.77 square miles. Is is
part of the Stanwood Camano School District and has two
schools on the Island.
BEN URE
ISLAND is the third inhabited island in
the county and is divided into seventeen lots. It
is inhabited only part of the time and is accessible only
by
boat. The Washington State Parks and Recreation
Department has been acquiring the lots, and much of the
Island is now part of Deception Pass State Park, including
a cabin that can be rented by the public.
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The remaining
islands in Island County include: Baby, Deception, Kalamut,
Smith, Minor, and Strawberry Islands.
Smith
Island has a navigational light and a weather station
operated by NOAA (National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration).
Another Smith Island in Washington lies at the
mouth of the Snohomish River and is part of the river's
delta.
Minor
Island is next to and sometimes attached to Smith
Island. It too has a navigational light.
Stawberry Island is one of two in the state of Washington.
Skagit County also has a Strawberry Island, located
just west of Cypress Island.
Deception Island
is located northwest of Whidbey Island and is owned
by Washingtopn State.
Kalamut
Island, located near Oak Harbor, does not appear
on any aerial or satellite photos of the area, and may
no longer exist.
During
some low tides, both Baby
Island and Minor Island connect
to Whidbey and Smith
Islands, respectively. It is then possible to
walk to them. During some high tides, they may
be completely covered by water.
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POPULATION
GROWTH:
Island County
is the 5th most densely populated county in Washington
state. It ranks 14th of the thirty-nine counties
in overall population, but is next to the smallest in
land mass.
Although
the overall growth rate in Island County has about average
for the state, the population of people 65 and older
increased by 41% since the year 2000. That was the
6th highest increase among the thirty-nine counties in
the state.
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HOUSING
GROWTH:
The
increase in the number of residential housing units in
Island County since the year 2000 exceeded the state average
by about 36%. Kittitas, Whatcom, Mason and Island
Counties experienced around 19% average growth in residential
housing units since the year 2000. Only Franklin,
Clark, and Thurston Counties had higher percentage growth
in housing units during that time period.
Increase
in Housing Units in
Island County
Compared
to the Average for the
State
of Washington |
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2000
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2008
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Percentage
Increase |
| Total
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32,378
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38,446
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19%
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| Unincorporated
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23,250
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27,646
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19%
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| Incorporated
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9,128
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10,800
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18%
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| Coupeville
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814
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924
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14%
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| Langley
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542
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625
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15%
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| Oak
Harbor |
7,772
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9,251
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19%
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WASINGTON
STATE AVERAGE |
2,451,081
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2,805,340
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14%
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Source
of Population, Growth, and Housing Statistics:
Population
Trends 2008
State
of Washington
Office
of Financial Management
Forecasting
Division
Olympia,
WA 98504-3113
September
1, 2008
www.ofm.wa.gov
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