Pacific County, Washington
county in the state of Washington, United States
Pacific County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,365. Its county seat is South Bend, and its largest city is Raymond. The county was formed by the government of Oregon Territory in February 1851 and is named for the Pacific Ocean.
Pacific County is centered on Willapa Bay, a region that provides twenty-five percent of the United States oyster harvest, although forestry, fishing, and tourism are also significant elements of the county's economy.
History
The area that is now Pacific County was part of Oregon Territory in the first part of the nineteenth century. On December 19, 1845, the Provisional Government of Oregon created two counties (Vancouver and Clark) in its northern portion (which is now the state of Washington). In 1849, the name of Vancouver County was changed to Lewis County, and on February 4, 1851, a portion of Lewis County was partitioned off to become Pacific County. The county's boundaries have not changed since its creation. Pacific City was the first county seat, when it was annexed by the US military, the county seat was transferred to Chinookville.
“Pacific County, Washington” enters the record as county in the state of Washington, United States. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Pacific, County and Washington can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Pacific County, Washington” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Pacific, County and Washington provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q483990. VIAF identifies the subject as 157125118. The Library of Congress control number is n82039653. Authority coordinates are 46.560, -123.780. 5 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1851, 1845 and 1849.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Pacific County, Washington”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Pacific County, Washington primary sources, Pacific County, Washington archive and Pacific research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Pacific County, Washington”?
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- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Pacific County, Washington” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.