Vashon, Washington

From Vero - Wikipedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement

Vashon (Template:IPAc-en) 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,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> up from 10,624 a decade ago. The CDP covers an area of Template:Convert.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 Template:Convert west of Vashon Island, lies the Template:Convert 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.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

Indigenous inhabitants

Up until the late 18th cenutry, Vashon and Maury Islands were inhabited solely by American Indians, 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 Native Americans 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Tulalip Tribe established villages along the shores of both islands.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="VINR1931">Template:Cite news</ref> During its operation, it was one of the leading colleges in the area. It burned down in 1910.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

Vashon Island from Point Defiance Park

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Vashon CDP has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert comprise the island and Template:Convert are the waters of Puget Sound surrounding the island.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above Template:Convert. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Vashon has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.<ref>Climate Summary for Vashon, Washington</ref>

Economy

Uptown Vashon

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There are at least three wineries that produce 100% locally produced wines and other alcoholic-based beverages.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

Template:US Census population

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 20Template:Nbsppercent per decade since 1990.<ref name="Beachcomber-Census">Template:Cite news</ref> As of the 2020 census, there are 11,055 people who reside permanently on Vashon Island.<ref name="Beachcomber-Census"/>

Based on per capita income,Template:When? Vashon ranks 32nd of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.

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 Template:Convert. There were 5,636 total housing units, of which 83.7% were occupied and 16.3% were vacant or for occasional use. The racial makeup of Vashon Island was 85.3% White, 0.7% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American and Alaska Native, 2.1% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and 2.8% from other races. Residents who identified as more than one race were 8.7% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 5.7% of the population.<ref name="Census2020">Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 4,717 households on Vashon Island, 54.3% were married couples living together, and 6.5% were cohabitating but unmarried. Households with a male householder with no spouse or partner were 15.1% of the population, while households with a female householder with no spouse or partner were 24.1% of the population. Out of all households, 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 45.0% had residents who were 65 years of age or older.<ref name="Census2020"/> There were 4,717 occupied housing units on Vashon Island, of which 79.9% were owner-occupied and 20.1% were occupied by renters.<ref name="Census2020"/>

The median age of the island's residents was 53.1 years old for all sexes, 52.0 years old for males, and 54.0 years old for females. Of the total population, 17.8% of residents 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 island's residents was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.<ref name="Census2020"/>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, with the adoption of formal bylaws on June 15, 2020, a new Vashon-Maury Island Community Council was officially created by island residents.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The new group was formed as a non-profit to help island residents address important issues facing their community.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Crime

There are some claims that the island is home to various drug houses, a claim which has caused the Vashon Youth & Family Services to offer substance abuse counseling as part of the regular assembly of social services.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Homicide rates on the island are extremely low, with only two homicides reported in the last twenty years and other forms of crime are also largely not seen. In 2005 the Sheriff's Office investigated one rape, six assaults, and forty-nine burglaries, in 2006 they investigated three rapes, eight assaults, and sixty-three burglaries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Major crimes on the Island include a serial rapist who operated from 2003 through 2010 until he was arrested and charged due to DNA evidence,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a police officer who pleaded guilty to incest and other sex crimes involving his underage stepdaughter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Arts and culture

Vashon Island is described as a "rural outpost" and an artists' community due to its isolation from the rest of the Seattle metropolitan area.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It has historically attracted a counterculture population, but has also become more of a bedroom community for Seattle commuters with the expansion of ferry options in the 21st century.<ref name="Times-Influx2016">Template:Cite news</ref> The island also has a large arts community that supports its own organizations for opera, chamber music, and plays.<ref name="Times-Influx2016"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The annual studio tour was created in the late 1970s by some of the potters who lived on the island. The group was rebranded in February 2018 as the Vashon Island Visual Artists, and they applied for non-profit status in 2015. The group now operates semi-annual tours of studios of local artists, classes, workshops, salons, exhibits, and social activities for artists, with membership around 300.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The island is home to a choral group established in 1989 under the name Island Singers, and now known as the Vashon Island Chorale.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On the first Friday of every month, there is a gallery walk where the art galleries in town open for visitors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Vashon Center for the Arts along with cafés are also open during the First Friday gallery walk which have shown the work of local artists including Ann Leda Shapiro.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Media

Broadcast radio

Template:More references In 2014, a small media outlet, the Voice of Vashon, acquired a low-power FM radio broadcast license from the FCC. KVSH-FM went live on 101.9 FM in October 2014,<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> and is also still available for live streaming.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Voice of Vashon started filing as a non-profit starting from the 2015 tax year.<ref>2015 tax return for the Voice of Vashon https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/912068074_201512_990EZ_2017011914091728.pdf</ref> The Voice of Vashon records and broadcasts community arts events with support from King County 4Culture grants.<ref name=":2" /> The Voice of Vashon board includes director and producer Rick Wallace. The Voice of Vashon also operates a television station, Comcast Channel 21, and its emergency broadcast system at 1650AM.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Each of these outlets serves Vashon and Maury Islands year round, 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, with island-generated or specific information, entertainment and emergency alerts.<ref name=":2" />

Maury Island is home to numerous AM transmitters. KIRO 710 (built in 1941) has two massive towers for its 50,000-watt day/night transmitter. KTTH 770, which transmits 50,000 watts during the day and 5,000 watts at night, shares towers with KPTR. KIRO and KTTH are owned by Bonneville International.

There was a tower originally built in 1946 for KEVR 1090AM, which later became KING radio, and is now KPTR, owned by iHeartMedia. It transmits 50,000 watts day/night and operates three towers. This site is shared with KTTH.

On Vashon Island, radio station KVI 570 has a single tower on a beach in Tramp Harbor, nicknamed "KVI Beach". KVI transmits 24 hours a day at 5,000 watts. KNWN 1000 transmits 50,000 watts day/night and has a three-tower setup on the northeast corner of the island. Both KVI and KNWN are owned by Lotus Communications.

KGNW AM 820 propagates its signal from three towers in the center of the island. It operates 50,000 watts during the day and 5,000 at night. It is owned by Salem Media Group. KJR 950 shares the towers at the KGNW site, transmits 50,000 watts day/night, and is owned by iHeartMedia.

These stations have located their transmitters on Vashon and Maury Islands because local soil conductivity, important for signal propagation in the megawatt broadcast frequency range, is greater than elsewhere in the Puget Sound area. The surrounding sea water is also helpful for radio propagation.

Sports and recreation

The island is home to the Vashon Island Rowing Club who participates in many events such as the Opening Day celebrations on Seattle's Montlake Cut.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The island is also home to the Vashon Island Golf & Country Club.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Vashon Sheepdog Classic occurred each year at the Misty Isle Farms, with local food and merchandise vendors, with all profits going to area nonprofits.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The trials were completed by a team composed of a dog and its handler who were released into a shedding ring and worked to herd the sheep into specific areas. As of 2024, the Sheepdog Classic has been suspended indefinitely.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

Public schools: There are three public schools provided by the Vashon Island School District<ref>Vashon Island School District website, retrieved April 2, 2012</ref>

Private schools: There are two private schools in Vashon.<ref name="privateschoolreview.com">Template:Cite web</ref>

  • The Harbor School (grades 4 to 8).<ref>Harbor School, retrieved April 3, 2012</ref> 65 students were enrolled as of September 2013.<ref name="privateschoolreview.com"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Carpe Diem Primary School (Kindergarten to 3rd grade). 26 students were enrolled as of September 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Infrastructure

Transportation

There are no bridges to Vashon Island, so all access to the island is by sea or by air. Most travel on and off the island is on the Washington State Ferry system. A bridge connecting Vashon to Seattle and Kitsap County was planned in 1959, but was ultimately not funded.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A second bridge proposal from the Washington State Transportation Commission was withdrawn in 1992 after objections from island residents.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Vashon Municipal Airport is on the northern half of the island. There is no regularly scheduled air service to the airport.

King County Metro provides bus service down the length of the island daily. Two routes (route 118 and 119) start at the Vashon Ferry Terminal in the north; at Valley Center mid-way down the island, the routes split with route 118 serving the southern part of Vashon Island while route 119 serving Maury Island.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On September 10, 2016, on-island Sunday service returned to route 118.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Detailed map of Vashon Island, Washington
Detailed map of Vashon Island, Washington

Ferries

The southern terminus of the Vashon Highway is the Tahlequah Ferry Terminal in the Tahlequah neighborhood, connected to the Point Defiance neighborhood of Tacoma by the Point Defiance–Tahlequah ferry. The northern terminus of the Vashon Highway is the Heights Dock at Point Vashon, serving the state ferry docks at Southworth, and Fauntleroy in West Seattle. Passenger-only service from Heights Dock to Colman Dock in Downtown Seattle is provided by the King County Ferry District, with sailings throughout the day on weekdays.<ref>Water Taxi</ref>

As of July 1, 2024, the King County Water Taxi increased their service to the island from downtown Seattle. They now have an additional four trips in between their morning and afternoon/evening service. These extra trips are Monday through Friday and sponsored by Washington State.

The island previously had ferries that were run by private companies, including the Puget Sound Navigation Company (also known as the Black Ball Line). After a six-day strike by workers in February 1947 left Vashon Island without service, a group of residents acquired three passenger ferries and operated them on their own the following year under the King County Ferry District. The Black Ball Line planned to restart service on May 15, 1948, but were blocked by a mob of Vashon Island residents who rushed the Template:MV when it attempted to dock. The ferry district remained without private competition until it was dissolved in 1951 and replaced by Washington State Ferries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Health care

In 2016 it was reported that the medical clinic on the island had closed after CHI Franciscan Health had left the clinic, claiming financial concerns. Another provider, the non-profit NeighborCare Health, pledged to open a new clinic later in the year, alleviating the issue of transporting patients to hospitals off the island via the ferry, which can take upwards of three hours.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> NeighborCare' lease on the island's clinic expired in 2020,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Template:Asof the clinic was operated by Sea Mar.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Vashon faced a shortage of tests, medical resources, and protective equipment. A team of local doctors created their own response plan, dubbed the "Rural Test & Trace Toolkit", with the hopes of creating a model for other isolated communities.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Vaccination concerns

Many of those who live on the island choose not to vaccinate their children due to vaccine hesitancy.<ref name=":1" /> It was reported in 2015 that 23.1% of kindergartners in the Vashon Island School District legally opted out of vaccinations against diphtheria and tetanus, whooping cough, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, varicella, and hepatitis B. The number, at the time, was five times the state average.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Of those who do not vaccinate, more than 98% cite "Personal" rather than "Religious" or "Medical" as exemptions. Their failure to vaccinate has caused resentment in the community.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Due to expanded access to vaccines, media coverage of the measles outbreaks, and education about the benefits of vaccination, the vaccine rate for the Vashon Island School District has risen over the years, even though it is still one of the lowest in the United States. The district's rates of fully immunized students rose 31% over six years, from 56% to 74% as of the 2017–2018 school year; although still below the 95% target rate for the rest of the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019, it was reported that some 11.6% of families on the island had failed to vaccinate their children.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable people

Points of interest

Historic landmarks

Vashon Island has a number of buildings and sites that are listed on the King County Historic Register:

Landmark Built Listed Address Photo
Burton Masonic Hall 1894 1995 23927 Vashon Highway SW
Colvos Store 1923 1987 123rd Ave. SW and Cove Road
Dockton Store and Post Office 1908 1992 25908 99th Avenue SW
Norman Edson Studio 1890s 1985 23825 Vashon Hwy SW
Ferncliff (Wise Mansion) 1923 1982 10350 SW Cowan Rd
Fuller Store 1884 2013 19603 Vashon Hwy SW
Lisabuela School 1925 2011 22029 Wax Orchard Rd SW
Harrington-Beall Greenhouse Company Historic District c. 1885–1886 1988–1994<ref>Historic District designated 1994. In addition to the Greenhouses the District includes the Beall Family House (designated 1988) and the Harrington Log House (designated 1993).</ref> 18527-31 Beall Road
Judd Creek Bridge 1953 2004 Vashon Highway
Marjesira Inn 1906 1994 25134 Vashon Highway SW
Thomas McNair House 1884 1993 22915 107th Avenue SW
Mukai Agricultural Complex 1926 1993 18005-18017 107th Avenue SW
Captain Thomas W. Phillips House 1925 1992 11312 SW 232nd Street
Schwartz-Bell House 1930 1996 20233 81st Avenue S
Smith-Baldwin House (Fern Cove) 1912 1995 Cedarhurst Road
Helmer and Selma Steen House 1910 1996 10924 SW Cove Road
Vashon Odd Fellows Hall 1912 1985 19704 Vashon Highway SW
Vashon Hardware Store 1890, 1935 1986 17601 Vashon Highway SW

Other points of interest

Template:Promotional section

  • The bike in the tree. A bicycle placed in the fork of a tree, allegedly when a child chained a bike to the tree decades ago and never picked it up, and the tree subsequently grew around it. This is a common local and tourist attraction, and has been subject to vandalism in recent years. The bike in the tree served as the inspiration for the Christmas book Red Ranger Came Calling by Berkeley Breathed.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Point Robinson Lighthouse. Point Robinson Beach on the east shore of Maury Island has been the site of a lighthouse since 1885. The current Point Robinson lighthouse has been fully automated since 1978.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Fisher Pond, a 90-acre terrestrial and freshwater conservancy,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the largest on Vashon Island
  • Jesus Barn Farm, a farmstead founded in 1893. During the 1960s it was turned into an agrarian lifestyle commune. Local lore suggests this is when the iconic "Jesus" was first painted on the side of the barn.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Commons category Template:Wikivoyage

Template:King County, Washington

Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "https://wiki.sarg.dev/index.php?title=Vashon,_Washington&oldid=179009"