Camano Island, Washington


Basic Facts Camano Island is a small island located in the northeastern section of Washington state’s Puget Sound. The island varies in width from just over five miles (at the northern end) to about one-half mile (near the southern tip) and is approximately eleven miles long. The island boasts some 52 miles of pristine shoreline. The first inhabitants of Camano Island were American Indians of the Kikialos and Snohomish tribes. They lived on the island in temporary dwellings during the summer. Their name for the island was Kal-lut-chin, meaning “land jutting into a bay”. Shell mounds indicate that the area currently known as Point Lowell, now a region of Camano Island State Park, was a site for tribal gatherings and ceremonies. Camano Island received its name in 1791 from Spanish explorers who labeled the general area Boca de Caamano after Jacinto Caamano, a young Spanish naval officer and commander of the Spanish base at Nootka on Vancouver
Island. Caamano himself visited the area in 1792 while conducting a survey expedition for the Spanish government. At the time, Spain and England were vigorously exploring the Puget Sound area in search of the Northwest Passage, a northern waterway believed to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Such a passage was never found. In the early 1800s, Spain recalled its forces from the area, leaving England as the dominant European power in the Pacific Northwest. In 1845, Great Britain ceded the area to the United States. Camano Island was part of the Oregon Territory for nearly a decade. On January 6, 1853 — during the creation of the Washington Territory — the Oregon Territorial Legislature joined Camano Island		Welcome to Camano Island sign at Terry’s Corner
with Whidbey Island, a considerably larger island to the west, to form Island County. Immigrants, primarily from Scandinavia, and other newcomers, principally from the eastern United States, began moving to the island in large numbers in 1855. Logging and mining were the primary economic activities of these early settlers. Today, Island County is — according to the 2000 census — home to 71,558 people. Of these, 13,347 live on Camano Island. The county has the second lowest crime rate in the state. Camano Island supports a rural and suburban population; there are no incorporated cities or towns on the island.


Where is Camano Island?
Camano Island lies along the eastern edge of Puget Sound in northwestern Washington state. It is bordered on the
		east by Port Susan, on the north by Skagit Bay, and on the west and south by Saratoga Passage. At its northeastern tip, the island is separated from Snohomish County by Davis Slough, a small channel in Puget Sound that — depending on the tide — is often shallow enough to wade across and sometimes narrow enough to jump across. Because of its proximity to Snohomish County, Camano Island is easily accessible by car. To reach the island, take exit 212 from Interstate 5 and turn west onto state highway 532. Follow highway 532 through the town of Stanwood, over the Stillaguamish River, and across Davis Slough
onto the island. Camano Island is approximately an hour north of Seattle and an hour south of Canada.

Who lives on Camano Island?

The earliest inhabitants of Camano Island were the American Indians who used the island as a summer gathering

place. The island’s first permanent residents were Scandinavian settlers who began arriving in the 1850s. The population grew slowly as the economy shifted from logging and mining to agriculture and recreation. When the technology boom of the 1980s and 90s brought a population explosion to the Pacific Northwest, large numbers of newcomers came to Camano Island seeking relief from the congestion of Tacoma, Seattle, and Everett. Today, Camano Island supports a considerable number of retirement and recreation communities, but is increasingly becoming a bedroom community for professionals who commute south to jobs in Everett, Seattle, and even Tacoma. Reflective of its 1800s history, Camano Island’s population today is predominately

white and non-Hispanic. In addition, the island’s population also tends to be older than the state average because of the larger number of retirees who call Camano Island home.

SUBJECT	All ages		18 years and over
SUBJECT	Number	Percent	Number	Percent

RACE

Total population	13,347	100.0	10,134	100.0
One race	13,101	98.2	9,991	98.6
White	12,761	95.6	9,764	96.3
Black or African American	33	0.2	17	0.2
American Indian and Alaska Native	111	0.8	83	0.8
Asian	87	0.7	66	0.7
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	34	0.3	15	0.1
Some other race	75	0.6	46	0.5
Two or more races	246	1.8	143	1.4

HISPANIC OR LATINO AND RACE

Total population	13,347	100.0	10,134	100.0
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	275	2.1	172	1.7
Not Hispanic or Latino	13,072	97.9	9,962	98.3
One race	12,843	96.2	9,828	97.0
White	12,576	94.2	9,649	95.2
Black or African American	29	0.2	14	0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native	104	0.8	77	0.8
Asian	81	0.6	62	0.6
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	30	0.2	13	0.1
Some other race	23	0.2	13	0.1
Two or more races	229	1.7	134	1.3


*Demographics by Race*	*Demographics by Hispanic Origin*

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Matrices PL1, PL2, PL3, and PL4.

What’s the weather like on Camano Island?

Current Conditions

Camano Island enjoys a mild, maritime climate. The island lies in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and receives only about 17 inches (in the north) to 22 inches (in the south) of precipitation a year. (On average, the entire island receives about half the amount of rain that falls on Seattle annually.) Most of the island’s precipitation comes in the form of rain and occurs primarily during the winter and spring months. Snow is not unheard of during winter, but seldom falls more than once or twice a year and never lasts for longer than a day or two. Average temperatures vary from 40 degrees in January to

61 degrees in July. According to historical weather records, the temperature on Camano Island has never dropped below zero nor reached one hundred degrees.

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Avg High

45 °F

49 °F

52 °F

56 °F

62 °F

67 °F

71 °F

72 °F

68 °F

58 °F

50 °F

45 °F

Avg Low

33 °F

35 °F

36 °F

39 °F

43 °F

47 °F

49 °F

50 °F

46 °F

41 °F

37 °F

34 °F

Mean Temp

40 °F

42 °F

45 °F

48 °F

53 °F

58 °F

61 °F

57 °F

50 °F

44 °F

40 °F

Avg Precip

2.50 in

1.80 in

1.70 in

1.30 in

0.80 in

1.00 in

1.40 in

1.70 in

2.60 in

2.90 in

Record High

62 °F
(1960)

69 °F
(1986)

70 °F
(1995)

79 °F
(1976)

85 °F
(1963)

92 °F
(1958)

95 °F
(1958)

98 °F
(1960)

91 °F
(1967)

79 °F
(1980)

67 °F
(1981)

62 °F
(1952)

Record Low

3 °F
(1950)

5 °F
(1989)

14 °F
(1989)

26 °F
(1951)

28 °F
(1954)

35 °F
(1964)

40 °F
(1979)

38 °F
(1980)

29 °F
(1972)

20 °F
(1971)

6 °F
(1985)

3 °F
(1968)

Average Monthly Temperatures

Average Monthly Rainfall

Home Page

Camano Island, Washington

Basic Facts

Where is Camano Island?

Who lives on Camano Island?

What’s the weather like on Camano Island?