Port Angeles, Washington
city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington State, United States
Port Angeles ( AN-jəl-əs) is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,960 at the 2020 census, it is the most populous city in the county, as well as the most populous city on the Olympic Peninsula. The population was estimated at 20,112 in 2024.
The city's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (Port of Our Lady of the Angels) by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791. By the mid-19th century, after settlement by English speakers from the United States, the name was shortened and partially anglicized to its current form, Port Angeles Harbor.
Port Angeles is home to Peninsula College. It is the birthplace of football hall of famer John Elway and residents include writers and other celebrities. The city is served by William R. Fairchild International Airport. Ferry service is provided across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada on the MV Coho.
History
This area was long occupied by succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples.
“Port Angeles, Washington” enters the record as city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington State, United States. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Port, Angeles and Washington can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Port Angeles, Washington” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Port, Angeles 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 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q852584. VIAF identifies the subject as 158973738. The Library of Congress control number is n82036446. Authority coordinates are 48.113, -123.441. 5 of 6 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 2024 and 1791.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. 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 “Port Angeles, Washington”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Port Angeles, Washington primary sources, Port Angeles, Washington archive and Port 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
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Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Port Angeles, 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.