Cowlitz

Cowlitz County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It forms the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. The county seat is at Kelso, and its largest city is Longview. Its name derives from a Cowlitz word meaning "seeker" (in a spiritual sense). It was formed on April 21, 1854. Cow... litz County is home to approximately 94,000 residents. Roughly 56% of those live in the incorporated cities of Castle Rock, Kelso, Longview, Kalama, and Woodland. The remaining 44% live in rural, unincorporated communities such as Ryderwood, Toutle, Yale, Silver Lake, Lexington, Ariel and Cougar. The county covers 1,144 square miles within the southwestern region of Washington. Once known as the Timber Capital of the World, Cowlitz County is home to Douglas fir, hemlock and western cedar trees which cover much of its rugged terrain. Cowlitz County still produces a large supply of logs and finished lumber for domestic and international markets, but has become more diversified. Adjacent transportation corridors including Interstate 5, the Columbia River and a major rail line have allowed Cowlitz County to access major markets throughout the world. Recently, Cowlitz County has become known for its tourist attractions and tourism has become a growing industry. The May 18, 1980 eruption of nearby Mount St. Helens forever changed the landscape and the role tourism plays as an industry in Cowlitz County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,166square miles (3,021km), of which, 1,139square miles (2,949km) of it is land and 28square miles (72km) of it (2.37%) is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 92,948 people, 35,850 households, and 25,059 families residing in the county. The population density was 82 people per square mile (32/km). There were 38,624 housing units at an average density of 34 per squaremile (13/km). The racial makeup of the county was 91.80% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 1.52% Native American, 1.30% Asian, ...Read More