- Darrington, Washington
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Darrington, Washington — Town — 
Location of Darrington, Washington
Coordinates: 48°15′8″N 121°36′14″W / 48.25222°N 121.60389°WCoordinates: 48°15′8″N 121°36′14″W / 48.25222°N 121.60389°W Country United States State Washington County Snohomish Area – Total 1.0 sq mi (2.5 km2) – Land 1.0 sq mi (2.5 km2) – Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) Elevation 554 ft (169 m) Population (2010) – Total 1,347 – Density 1,171.9/sq mi (452.5/km2) Time zone Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) – Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7) ZIP code 98241 Area code 360 FIPS code 53-16690[1] GNIS feature ID 1518492[2] Darrington is a town in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,347 at the 2010 census.
Contents
History
The upper Stillaguamish valley where Darrington is located was once settled by the local Sauk-Suiattle Tribes in the drainage of the Sauk, Suiattle and Whitechuck rivers abundant in salmon and other fish. In 1870 a group of surveyors working for the Northern Pacific railroad came to the area to chart a pass over the Cascade Mountains to the Wenatchee Valley. Although a suitable route was found, the railroad chose a route further south. Gold was discovered at Monte Cristo in the summer of 1889 and prospectors began to flood into the Cascade Mountains. A road was punched in to Monte Cristo from Sauk City on the Skagit River. The location of where Darrington is now became a half-way point on the road, then a Boomtown called "Starve Out".
At one point called "The Portage", the town was renamed Barrington in 1895 following a community meeting. The U.S. Postal Department mistakenly changed the first letter to a "D", resulting in the current name.[3]
The Northern Pacific railroad branch from Arlington reached Darrington on June 1, 1901. This opened up the possibilities for timber harvesting. Several sawmills started up in the area and with them small towns and communities. Over the years most of the small mills have closed or merged with the mill in town, Hampton Lumber Mill which is the largest employer in Darrington. The Northern Pacific railroad was abandoned in 1991 and the tracks were pulled in 1994 to begin construction for the Whitehorse Rails to Trails.
Darrington was officially incorporated on October 15, 1945 and this was the same year that the first Town Hall was built. The new Town Hall housed the City clerk and Mayor, Fire department, library and community center with a dance floor. The following year the community came together to raise money for a new fire truck. This fundraiser was named the Timberbowl and the tradition lasted for several decades. Timber harvesting is still a very important part of the Darrington economy. Many people come out to enjoy the camping and trails of Darrington's surrounding wilderness areas, Boulder River Wilderness, Henry M Jackson Wilderness and the Glacier Peak Wilderness.
Geography
Welcome sign in Darrington, WA
Darrington is located at 48°15′8″N 121°36′14″W / 48.25222°N 121.60389°W (48.252260, -121.603876).[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.5 km²), all of it land. Thus, Darrington is a small community; many of the people know each other. The town is surrounded by mountains, the highest of these mountains is Whitehorse with an elevation of 6,852 feet to the southwest. The elevation of the town is only at 554 feet and there are three roads that give you access through the North Cascades from Darrington. To the south is the Mountain Loop Highway, a Forest Service Scenic By way which connects to Granite Falls at 56 miles. SR 530 takes you north from Darrington along the Sauk River to Rockport. The closest town to Darrington is Arlington which is a 27-mile drive west on SR 530 paralleling the Stillaguamish River and Whitehorse Rails to Trails. Back before the "new" SR 530 connected Darrington to the valley below, it was an all day trip to drive to Everett. The term "Going Down Below" is still widely used among the community meaning going out of town.
Demographics
Historical populations Census Pop. %± 1950 921 — 1960 1,272 38.1% 1970 1,094 −14.0% 1980 1,064 −2.7% 1990 1,042 −2.1% 2000 1,136 9.0% 2010 1,347 18.6% As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,136 people, 473 households, and 292 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,171.9 people per square mile (452.2/km²). There were 505 housing units at an average density of 520.9 per square mile (201.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.98% White, 1.67% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 2.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.23% of the population.
There were 473 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town the age distribution of the population shows 27.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,813, and the median income for a family was $44,063. Males had a median income of $36,429 versus $25,625 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,384. About 4.7% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Darrington School District educates approximately 570 children each year on a single K-12 campus. The Parent Teacher Student Association is very involved in the local schools. School assemblies are held several times a year where students are awarded for academic achievements as well as constructive behavior. There is also a drama club for the high school and middle school. They do two performances a year.
The mascot for the school is the Darrington Loggers, named after the industry on which the town was built. Darrington has consistently fielded highly competitive teams for both boys' and girls' sports.[citation needed] The sports available to Darrington students include football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, tennis, and wrestling. The sports in Darrington are coached by both teachers who are on staff at the school and by local townspeople. When hiring coaches, employees of the school district are given priority over non-employees. In 1981, the Darrington Loggers won the State B Championship for baseball. The team was led by coach Nancy Snyder.[citation needed]
Darrington Elementary School has approximately 264 students. 49.6% of the students receive free or reduced-price meals. Special education students make up 18.3%. There are 20 classroom teachers, and the average years of teacher experience is 20. In addition, 80% of the teachers at Darrington Elementary hold a master's degree. Joyce Jones is currently the mayor.
Trivia
Darrington is the original hometown of American television gameshow host Bob Barker from the CBS show The Price Is Right. A scene from the 2001 film Along Came A Spider was filmed on Highway 530 between Darrington and Arlington, Washington. A made for TV movie called High Ice was filmed on Darrington's local Whitehorse Mountain. The fictional town Hope, Washington in the book Homespun Christmas is based on Darrington. A scene from the 1983 film WarGames was filmed near Darrington, and during one scene, when David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) is in a phone booth and says he is in Colorado, the mountain in the background is Whitehorse Mountain. The vampire novel "Fledgling" by Octavia Butler takes place near Darrington.
Recreation
The area surrounding Darrington houses tremendous recreational opportunities. Hiking, fishing, rafting and rock climbing are some of the activities that take place nearby.
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 34. ISBN 9780918664006. http://books.google.com/books?id=CoWrPQAACAAJ.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
External links
- http://town.darrington.wa.us Official site
- History of Darrington at HistoryLink
Categories:- Populated places in Snohomish County, Washington
- Towns in Washington (state)
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