Vashon (, VASH-on) is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon–Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. Before the construction of a tombolo built in 1913, Vashon Island and Maury Island were connected only during low tide; now they are considered a tied island.
The CDP's population was 11,055 at the 2020 census, up from 10,624 in 2010. The CDP covers an area of .
The island is connected to West Seattle and the Kitsap Peninsula to the north and Tacoma to the south via the Washington State Ferries system, as well as to Downtown Seattle via the King County Water Taxi. The island has resisted the construction of a fixed bridge to preserve its relative isolation and rural character. Vashon Island is also known for its annual strawberry festival, sheepdog trials, and agriculture.
History Vashon Island sits in the midpoint of southern Puget Sound, between Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. In the nearby Pacific Ocean, roughly west of Vashon Island, lies the tectonic boundary known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and as such, Vashon Island is one of many areas at risk for earthquakes or related natural disasters. The Cascadia Subduction Zone last saw a major rupture in 1700, but the potential of the zone could cause one of the worst natural disasters in the history of North America.
Indigenous inhabitants Up until the late 18th century, Vashon and Maury Islands were inhabited solely by indigenous natives, and there is evidence of human activity on Vashon Island dating back 10,000 to 12,000 years. Historical data from the era when the first people settled Vashon–Maury Island is limited. Some of the Native peoples known to have lived on Vashon Island were the Marpole culture from about 7,000 years ago, Coast Salish peoples about 1,000 years ago, and the Sqababsh (known in Chinook Wawa as the S'Homamish) starting about 500 years ago, the latter of which established 5 known major village sites. The Tulalip Tribe established villages along the shores of both islands. Fishing was abundant in the cold saltwater of the central Puget Sound basin, helping Native American tribes to thrive. Moreover, the many waterways and inlets provided easy travel by way of canoe.
Euramerican settlement The first non–Native American to explore and the first to chart this island was Captain George Vancouver, during his surveys of the Puget Sound area with the British Royal Navy. The island was named on May 28, 1792, by Vancouver after his friend James Vashon of the Royal Navy. Starting in 1824, different explorer and settler groups stayed on Vashon Island.
Maury Island, immediately to the southeast of Vashon, was named in 1841 by then Lt. Charles Wilkes in honor of William Lewis Maury, an officer in the United States Exploring Expedition. Maury was naturally separated from Vashon by a narrow passage, until local landowners decided to build an earth bridge, or isthmus, linking them together in 1916, thus creating the hamlet of Portage. Therefore, the two-piece isle was renamed Vashon-Maury Island. Between the two sections, it covers nearly .
The first logging on the island began in 1852. By 1855–1856, the S'Homamish people were interned at Fox Island. European-Americans settled Vashon Island between 1865 and 1890. During that time the main economies on the island were fishing and logging.
In 1890, Japanese Americans started growing strawberries for sale. Denichiro Mukai came to the island in 1910 and became renowned for barreling fresh strawberries using a special method that concentrated flavor and moisture in the fruit and permitted long-distance shipping. In time, Mukai designed and built his own home and elaborate garden and then constructed a sturdy timber framed barreling plant. During the peak years, ice cream, jam and preserve makers across the West were customers of Mukai, relishing the oak barrels for their lingering flavor and mythologizing about the island of strawberry fields. This became an important part of the island economy during the next 50 years, until the Japanese American population was forcibly relocated into internment camps as a response to Japanese/American tension caused by WWII.
In 1892, Vashon College opened in the Burton section of Vashon. During its operation, it was one of the leading colleges in the area. It burned down in 1910.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Vashon CDP has a total area of , of which comprise the island and are the waters of Puget Sound surrounding the island.
To the west Vashon Island is separated from the Kitsap Peninsula by the Colvos Passage. The Dalco Passage separates Vashon Island from Tacoma to the south. Neighborhoods of Vashon Island include Magnolia Beach, which had a post office from 1908 to 1953, and Raeco, with a post office from 1907 to 1911.
Climate This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Vashon has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Vashon, Washington
Economy
Agriculture While orchards and strawberry farms formerly played a major role in the Vashon economy, the pressures of suburban residential development have all but eliminated any major commercial agriculture on the island. However, many small farms operate on the island, providing locals with fresh organic produce, milk, and eggs.
Despite the changes, the island continues to observe the tradition of holding a Strawberry Festival every July. In certain areas like Dockton, a significant amount of private property was occupied and subsequently seized from Japanese-American citizens who farmed strawberries on that land until World War II, when they were moved to internment camps away from the island.
Local orchards and wineries are established on the island, with some focusing on developing perry, an alcoholic beverage derived from pear juice instead of grapes. There are at least three wineries that produce 100% locally produced wines and other alcoholic-based beverages.
Manufacturing and industry Vashon has lost two of its major industrial employers: K2 Sports moved its manufacturing to China, and the Seattle's Best Coffee roastery operation was closed shortly after SBC was bought by Starbucks. Currently, the largest manufacturer on Vashon is Pacific Research Laboratories, locally referred to as "The Bone Factory".
In 2014 it was reported that the company Edipure was to purchase the old K2 ski plant to manufacture more than 60 marijuana-based snacks including crackers, candy and gummy bears.
Demographics
The population of Vashon Island grew at its fastest rate in the early 20th century, doubling from 944 in 1900 to 2,810 in 1920. The community then experienced another period of rapid growth after World War II, growing to 9,309 residents by 1990. Growth slowed to under 4percent per decade since 1990.
Based on per capita income, Vashon ranks 32nd of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.
The United States Census Bureau listed Vashon Island as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census.
Racial and ethnic composition +Vashon CDP, Washington – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)9,3089,5569,29691.95%89.95%84.09%Black or African American alone (NH)3881730.38%0.76%0.66%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)6448270.63%0.45%0.24%Asian alone (NH)1551722261.53%1.62%2.04%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)65110.06%0.05%0.10%Other race alone (NH)31251280.31%0.24%1.16%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)2623036632.59%2.85%6.00%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2594346312.56%4.09%5.71%Total10,12310,62411,055 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 11,055 people and 4,717 households living within the boundaries of the Vashon census-designated place, which encompasses the whole island. The island's population density was . Of residents, 0.0% lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 5,636 housing units, of which 83.7% were occupied and 16.3% were vacant or for occasional use. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.3%. Of the 4,717 occupied housing units, 79.9% were owner-occupied and 20.1% were occupied by renters. Households with children under the age of 18 made up 22.0% of all households. Of all households, 54.3% were married-couple households, 6.5% were cohabiting but unmarried households, 15.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, and 45.0% had residents who were 65 years of age or older.
The median age was 53.1 years overall, 52.0 years for males, and 54.0 years for females. Of the total population, 16.1% were under the age of 18, 17.8% were under the age of 19, 3.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24, 17.2% were between the ages of 25 and 44, 32.2% were between the ages of 45 and 64, and 29.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the population was 49.6% male and 50.4% female. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.9 males age 18 and over.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 9,433 85.3% Black or African American 76 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native 34 0.3% Asian 230 2.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 13 0.1% Some other race 306 2.8% Two or more races 963 8.7%
Government In 1994 the Vashon Island Committee for Self-Government circulated a petition calling for the incorporation of Vashon and Maury Islands. At the time only some 448 residents of about 10,000 signed the petition which was then filed with the King County Auditor.
The Vashon-Maury Island Community Council was a body whose purpose was to advise the King County Council on matters relating to Vashon Island and Maury Island. In 2013, it collapsed due to a requirement that it comply with the state's public records act and threats of lawsuits undermined the function of the organization. However, with the adoption of formal bylaws on June 15, 2020, a new Vashon-Maury Island Community Council was officially created by island residents. The new group was formed as a non-profit to help island residents address important issues facing their community.
Public safety Vashon Fire is a combination professional-volunteer department with one staffed station, Station 55, which houses a minimum staffing of three firefighter/EMTs and two King County paramedics. Station 55 contains four aid units, one engine, one quint, one brush truck, two water tenders, one boat, one ATV, and one support unit. Vashon Fire uses ValleyCom as its dispatch center. There are two outlying stations that contain water tenders and backup engines: Station 56 located in Burton and Station 58 located in Dockton. The department is primarily funded by a property tax levy which last had a voter approved lid lift in 2017.
The island has an established emergency operations center manager who runs emergency drills with members of the community emergency response team (CERT) in order to provide the best response in times of emergencies such as earthquakes. The drills were established as routine through the group VashonBePrepared, a nonprofit, FEMA-sanctioned coalition of disaster preparedness organizations that were previously established on the island. Sometimes the drills have members of the Washington Army National Guard participating and supporting the volunteers.
Crime