Port Angeles, Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Port Angeles is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 18,397 at the 2000 census.- the largest on the Olympic Peninsula. It is the county seat of Clallam CountyGR6. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles (Port of Our Lady of the Angels) by Spanish explorer Francisco Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-1800s the name had been shortened and partially Anglicized to its current form.[1]
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 163.3 km² (63.1 mi²). 26.1 km² (10.1 mi²) of it is land and 137.2 km² (53.0 mi²) of it (84.00%) is water.
[edit] History
Port Angeles was the second town site (after Washington, D.C.) to be planned by the federal government; President Lincoln called it the "second National City," in case Washington, D.C. fell to the Confederate Army, even though the town's population at the time was only 10. The real reason for creating a national city was to provide money from land sales to support the war effort, but that effort was a decided failure. With all the free land in surrounding areas, the government finally gave up in 1891, opening the town for settlement.
[edit] Recreation
Port Angeles is known for its abundance of outdoor activities, including sailing, kayaking, hiking, climbing, surfing, mountain biking, and SCUBA diving.
There is a community college called "Peninsula College" in Port Angeles. Port Angeles is commonly referred to as "P.A." by its inhabitants.
Port Angeles is known for its eccentric artwork in the downtown area. There are many sculptures found on the sidewalks, such as metallic sea horses and sea gulls, some of which are mounted on wooden planks or the concrete sidewalk itself. The sculptures often change from season to season, although some (such as a sculpture of a moss covered octopus near the Marine Life Center) have been there for a considerable amount of time.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 18,397 people, 8,053 households, and 4,831 families residing in the city. The population density was 704.0/km² (1,823.1/mi²). There were 8,682 housing units at an average density of 332.2/km² (860.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.35% White, 0.69% African American, 3.26% Native American, 1.29% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 2.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.34% of the population.
There were 8,053 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,130, and the median income for a family was $41,450. Males had a median income of $33,351 versus $25,215 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,903. About 9.9% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] External links
- North Olympic Library System
- http://www.pahs58.com
- Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce
- The Forest Storytelling Festival Annual storytelling festival in October
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
