Skykomish | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location of Skykomish, Washington | |
| Coordinates:47°42′37″N121°21′30″W / 47.71028°N 121.35833°W /47.71028; -121.35833 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | King |
| Founded | 1889 |
| Incorporated | June 5, 1909 |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.34 sq mi (0.88 km2) |
| • Land | 0.31 sq mi (0.81 km2) |
| • Water | 0.027 sq mi (0.07 km2) |
| Elevation | 925 ft (282 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 161 |
• Estimate (2022)[4] | 158 |
| • Density | 700.4/sq mi (270.42/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 98288 |
| Area code | 360 |
| FIPS code | 53-64855 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2413295[2] |
| Website | skykomishwa.gov |
Skykomish is a town inKing County,Washington, United States. The population was 161 as of the2020 census,[3] down from an estimated peak of "several thousand" in the 1920s.[5]
Located in theMount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, 49 miles east of Everett, Washington, on theSouth Fork of the Skykomish River, Skykomish was founded as a railroad town. Today, it is mainly a stopping point for recreational access to the surrounding mountains, includingskiing at nearbyStevens Pass.
Being located in the far northeastern corner of King County, mountains deny Skykomish any road access to the rest of the county. Instead,U.S. Highway 2 (known in the area as theCascade Highway) connects it withSnohomish County to the north and through Stevens Pass (17 miles east of town) toChelan County.
.jpeg)
The name "Skykomish" derives from theSkykomish or Skai-whamish tribe (originally considered a subdivision of theSnoqualmies) who inhabited the area before European settlement.[6]
John Maloney, a guide for thesurveying team on the Great Northern Railway, settled a flat spot in 1892, which got the name "Maloney's Siding".[7] The following year the railroad was completed, and when a post office was established, the place became known as Skykomish. The townsite was platted in 1889 and was officially incorporated as the town of Skykomish on June 5, 1909.[8] Maloney openedMaloney's General Store in 1893. A hotel, the Skykomish Hotel, soon followed. In 1902 this hotel burned to the ground and was replaced by Schneider's Hotel. In 1904, a fire burned down every commercial building except the store. Maloney's General Store was placed on theNational Register of Historic Places on August 29, 1997. In 2000, the entire commercial district, with the historic Skykomish Hotel (erected to replace the burned-down Schneider's Hotel in 1904) as its cornerstone, was also placed on the NRHP.[9][10][11]
From the 1890s to 1974, Skykomish was a maintenance and fueling station for theGreat Northern Railway, which eventually became part of theBurlington Northern Railroad, and presently theBNSF Railway. At its peak, eight passenger trains serviced Skykomish daily, and it saw stops by several named passenger trains including theGreat Northern Flyer, theOriental Limited, theCascadian, theWestern Star and theEmpire Builder.[12] It was also once the western terminus for electric operations (1928–56) on theCascade Tunnel route all the way toWenatchee. Here, steam or diesel locomotives were changed or coupled to electric locomotives.[13] The Great Northern Depot, the formerSkykomish station, was moved to a new city park in 2012 and today serves as a visitors center and history museum.
The town gained apublic library service operated by theKing County Rural Library District in 1944, its library opening the following year in thecity hall. It moved to a new building in 1993, which was expanded in 2006.[14][15]
Skykomish's population peaked at around 8,000 in the 1920s and shrank to under 300 by 1990 due to the loss of businesses and jobs.[8]
Legal but ill-advised waste disposal practices, common during that era, resulted in thecontamination of itssoil, itsgroundwater, and theSkykomish River byoil andheavy metals. The video class of the local school chose to document the oilunder the town, winning the 2002 President’s Environmental Youth Award.[16][17][18] BNSF (then BN) and the Washington State Department of Ecology began remediation discussions in the mid-1980s, and in 2006, agreed to a plan whereby the railroad would pay up to $50 million to clean up the area over a three-year period (completed in 2009). This effort involved massiveexcavations—essentially removing the contaminated soil and replacing it with clean soil—and the rebuilding of alevee. (The eventual total cost of the cleanup exceeded $100 million.)
Twenty two of Skykomish's buildings – both homes and business – were temporarily moved during the cleanup process. After the contaminated soil under them was removed, the buildings were moved back to their original locations on new foundations and utilities connections.[19] The town was restored with modern conveniences such as sidewalks and street lights, but the historic character of Skykomish was maintained. The greatest benefit of the cleanup to every resident and business in town was the installation of the newwastewater treatment system connected to every building.
Led by point guard John Best, the Skykomish basketball team won the 1954 State B championship beating the highly favored 3A Bainbridge. In 1954, Skykomish had a total of 51 students, while Bainbridge had an enrollment of 266.
Skykomish has no direct road connection to the rest ofKing County, with access onU.S. Route 2 throughSnohomish County. The relative isolation of Skykomish from the rest of the county and its services has led to calls for secession or joining Snohomish County.[20]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.33 square miles (0.85 km2), of which, 0.31 square miles (0.80 km2) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) is water.[21]
Skykomish has aCfb (bordering onDsb,Dfb, andCsb) climate, with warm, sunny summers and cold, snowy winters.
| Climate data for Skykomish, Washington (1955) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39.7 (4.3) | 42.4 (5.8) | 49.9 (9.9) | 58.2 (14.6) | 64.9 (18.3) | 69.8 (21.0) | 76.1 (24.5) | 75.2 (24.0) | 70.5 (21.4) | 59.0 (15.0) | 46.8 (8.2) | 40.9 (4.9) | 57.8 (14.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 29.2 (−1.6) | 29.5 (−1.4) | 31.4 (−0.3) | 38.0 (3.3) | 43.5 (6.4) | 49.0 (9.4) | 49.0 (9.4) | 49.7 (9.8) | 47.0 (8.3) | 40.8 (4.9) | 33.7 (0.9) | 30.3 (−0.9) | 38.9 (3.8) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 15.00 (381) | 10.36 (263) | 9.35 (237) | 7.57 (192) | 5.25 (133) | 3.77 (96) | 1.62 (41) | 2.14 (54) | 3.86 (98) | 9.19 (233) | 16.07 (408) | 15.35 (390) | 99.53 (2,526) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 17.2 (44) | 10.7 (27) | 6.8 (17) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 16.6 (42) | 51.5 (130.51) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 20 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 21 | 19 | 181 |
| Source: Western Regional Climate Center[22] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 238 | — | |
| 1920 | 267 | 12.2% | |
| 1930 | 562 | 110.5% | |
| 1940 | 479 | −14.8% | |
| 1950 | 497 | 3.8% | |
| 1960 | 366 | −26.4% | |
| 1970 | 283 | −22.7% | |
| 1980 | 209 | −26.1% | |
| 1990 | 273 | 30.6% | |
| 2000 | 214 | −21.6% | |
| 2010 | 198 | −7.5% | |
| 2020 | 161 | −18.7% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 158 | [4] | −1.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[23] | |||
As of the2020 census, there were 161 people, 49 households in the town.
As of the2010 census, there were 198 people, 95 households, and 45 families living in the town. Thepopulation density was 638.7 inhabitants per square mile (246.6/km2). There were 168 housing units at an average density of 541.9 per square mile (209.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.5%White, 1.0%African American, 1.5%Native American, 1.5%Asian, and 0.5% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.5% of the population.
There were 95 households, of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% weremarried couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.6% were non-families. 44.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.87.
The median age in the town was 51.3 years. 18.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.7% were from 25 to 44; 38.4% were from 45 to 64; and 18.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 57.1% male and 42.9% female.
As of the2000 census, there were 214 people, 104 households, and 58 families living in the town. Thepopulation density was 623.2 people per square mile (243.0/km2). There were 162 housing units at an average density of 471.8 per square mile (184.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 94.39%White, 0.47%African American, 1.40%Native American, 0.93%Asian, and 2.80% from two or more races.Hispanics orLatinos of any race were 2.80% of the population.
There were 104 households, of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 48.1% weremarried couples living together, 2.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.2% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.66.
18.2% of the town's population was under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 34.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% 65 or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $45,357, and the median income for a family was $48,500. Males had a median income of $42,500 versus $25,938 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $22,829. About 3.0% of families and 9.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 8.6% of those under the age of 18 and none of those 65 or over.
The town's residents mainly relied ondial-up service for internet access until the full rollout ofDSL in the 2010s—far later than the rest of King County. A $1.3 million project to addfiber-optic service to Skykomish was announced in 2021 byZiply Fiber with funding from the state government. An existingfiber-optic cable runs underground through parts of the town but did not serve its residents.[24]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
