Clinton, Washington

Clinton, Washington
CDP
Location of Clinton, Washington
Coordinates: 47°58′34″N 122°21′22″W
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Island
Area
• Total	3.7 sq mi (9.5 km2)
• Land	1.0 sq mi (2.5 km2)
• Water	2.7 sq mi (7.0 km2)
Elevation	128 ft (39 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	956
• Density	260/sq mi (100/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98236
Area code	360
Telephone exchanges	341, 579
FIPS code	53-13155
GNIS feature ID	1512098

Sunset from a Clinton beach

Ferry at Clinton

Gulls at Cultus Bay

Clinton is a community and census-designated place (CDP) located on southern Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington, United States. The town was named after Clinton, Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 928. However, the post office serves at least 2,500 people.

Clinton is the western terminus of the Whidbey Island (Clinton)-to-Mukilteo Washington State Ferries route. It is served by State Route 525 and several major county roads.

Even though the village area of Clinton is small, people as far as 7 miles (11.5 km) away consider Clinton to be their home. Much of the village is situated on a high bluff overlooking Saratoga Passage on Puget Sound. The community of Columbia Beach, however, rests at sea level. To the north of the ferry dock is old Clinton, where the community started.

The Sno-Isle Regional Library System has a library in Clinton, supported by the "Friends of the Clinton Library". There are two grocery stores in Clinton, one in the downtown area and another a few miles west.

Based on per capita income, Clinton ranks 79th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked. It is also the highest rank achieved in Island County.

Geography

Clinton is located at 47°58′34″N 122°21′22″W (47.976194, -122.356245).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²), of which, 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²) of it is land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²) of it (73.84%) is water.

History

Whidbey Island was originally inhabited by Coast Salish tribes, including the Suquamish, Swinomish, Lower Skagit, and Snohomish. Clinton, was primarily inhabited by the Snohomish tribe. There were three main Snohomish villages in southern Whidbey: D’GWAD’wk (Digwadsh), TSEHT-skluhks, and SHET’LH-shet-lhuts. The Digwadsh, meaning "in the basket," was the largest of these villages. It had about seven longhouses and frequently welcomed visits from neighboring tribes like the Duwamish and Suquamish. Today, many descendants of the Digwadsh live on the Tulalip Native American Reservation.

The local tribes built cedar-plank longhouses and lived off the island’s natural resources, including berries, fish, and other local bounty. European contact began in the late 18th century with the arrival of explorer George Vancouver. By the late 1800s, more settlers began to move to Whidbey Island, bringing diseases that tragically decimated many Native populations. In northern Whidbey, Colonel Isaac N. Ebey became the island's first permanent white resident.

Clinton was initially known as Brighton Beach but was later renamed Clinton, possibly after the Clinton family, some of the area's earliest settlers. By the late 1800s, Clinton developed a reputation for its milling and logging industries. The early town centers included the old Clinton Union Store, the Post Office, and the Salisbury Shingle Mill.

The well-known Mukilteo-Clinton ferry service began in 1911 as a passenger ferry and transitioned to a car ferry by 1919, significantly improving access to South Whidbey Island. Before that, traveling to Whidbey Island by road, via the Deception Pass Bridge, could take over an hour. Boats were also essential for delivering mail and supplies to the island. The ferry service initially operated under the Black Ball Line of the Puget Sound Navigation Company and was later acquired by the Washington State Department of Transportation, creating Washington State Ferries (WSF), now the largest ferry system in the U.S.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 868 people, 388 households, and 254 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 903.4 people per square mile (349.1/km²). There were 519 housing units at an average density of 540.2/sq mi (208.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.51% White, 1.04% African American, 1.04% Native American, 2.19% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 2.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population.

There were 388 households, out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% 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 2.68.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $43,625, and the median income for a family was $51,667. Males had a median income of $42,188 versus $35,804 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,671. About 6.1% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.