Lewis County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 82,149. The county seat is Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia. Lewis County comprises the Centralia, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area.
History Indigenous history Native American tribes that lived in the area were primarily the Upper Chehalis people and the Meshall. The tribes usually lived in villages located near rivers, including the Chehalis and the Skookumchuck, as well as streams or tributaries such as Lincoln Creek and Scatter Creek. A large community was located at Grand Mound.
The indigenous harvested berries, nuts, and tubers from nearby prairies and forests, and gathered migrating salmon from the waters. The Meshall used horses to trade with other native communities east of the Cascade Mountains.
The Chehalis refused to sign the Quinault Treaty that required indigenous tribes in Southwest Washington to relinquish their rights to the land; the tribe has proclaimed rights as "affiliates" under the treaty. The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation was created near Oakville in 1864. The population of the Chehalis people dropped from approximately 5,000 in 1855 to 1,200 in twenty years, due to the spread of several diseases.
Settlement and creation of Lewis County Prior to the creation of Lewis County, French-Canadian settlers began homesteads on the Cowlitz Prairie in the 1820s and worked on farms, such as Cowlitz Farm, for the Hudson Bay Company. The earliest known settler was Simon Plomondon (Plamondon) who established a land claim on the Cowlitz River in 1827. The community constructed a log cabin church, the first house of worship in what became the state of Washington; the church became known as Saint Francis Xavier Mission.
Cowlitz Farm was considered the first settlement in the area and crops and livestock were transported to other trading posts in the region. Goods, materials, and people traveled using the rivers, most notably at Cowlitz Landing, or via the Cowlitz Trail.
The county was created as Lewis County, in honor of Meriwether Lewis, on either December 19 or December 21, 1845, by the Provisional Government of Oregon, and was originally part of the Oregon Territory when it was officially formed in 1848. At the time, the county included all U.S. lands north of the Cowlitz River, including much of the Puget Sound region and British Columbia. Despite the county being named for him, Meriwether Lewis never traveled in the present-day boundaries of Lewis County.
Ownership of land in the Oregon Territory was prohibited to Black Americans. Anna and James Cochrane purchased a land claim on the Skookumchuck River to circumvent the restriction, allowing their adopted son, George Washington, to occupy the land; the Cochranes sold the acreage to Washington when Lewis County became part of the Washington Territory in 1853, which did not include any restrictions against Black ownership. Washington went on to establish the town of Centerville in 1875, which was incorporated as Centralia in 1886.
Further settlements commenced, including the establishment of Saundersville in 1851, which was later renamed to Chehalis in 1879, and Warbassport, eventually known as Toledo. Exploration of the eastern portion of the county was led by William Packwood, who helped to install a road system that opened up mountain pass near Packwood and Naches Pass in the 1850s. Several blockhouses were built during the Puget Sound War but no known acts of violence connected to the war are recorded as occurring in the county.
Lewis County in the Washington Territory was smaller than its boundaries under Oregon and was officially formed to its present-day size, approximately , by act of the territorial legislature in 1854. The first known census recorded 616 people; the tally excluded indigenous people.
The first post office was established in 1854 at Cowlitz Landing. The first recognized court hearing in the Washington Territory was held in Lewis County at the John R. Jackson Courthouse, the oldest standing courthouse in Washington. The initial establishment of a county seat was Claquato in 1862.
Travel in the county relied on use of the rivers, tributaries, and difficult overland paths into the early 1870s. The Northern Pacific Railroad was constructed in the region in 1872 and the county connected between Kalama and Tacoma by January 1874. A depot was established in Saundersville, bypassing Newaukum and Claquato, allowing the Chehalis community to become the new county seat in August 1874.
20th century Population growth was "slow, but steady" at the beginning of the 20th century, increasing due to timber production and better travel. The county gained notoriety in 1919 due to the Centralia Tragedy, also known as the Centralia Massacre, and the economy suffered decline in the 1920s and 1930s, rebounding during World War II. The construction of dams and new highways, along with the discovery of large tracts of coal, led to further economic expansion and employment in the county during the mid-20th century.
Both eastern and western Lewis County experienced significant ash fall during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The disastrous event led to the creation of three visitor centers and other tourism-related businesses in the county.
21st century The county received official recognition as a "Purple Heart County" in November 2019.
Geography Lewis County sits along the Interstate 5 corridor. Lewis shares a border with eight other counties. Clockwise from the top left, those are: Grays Harbor, Thurston, Pierce, Yakima, Skamania, Cowlitz, Wahkiakum, and Pacific counties.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.4%) is water. One of the world's tallest Douglas fir trees was in the town of Mineral within Lewis County, attaining a height of .C. Michael Hogan (2008) Douglas-fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii, globalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Strõmberg
Geographic features Cascade Mountains Chehalis River and three of its tributaries, the South Fork Chehalis River, Newaukum River, the Skookumchuck River, along with several major creeks including Centralia's China Creek. Cowlitz River and its tributaries, including the Ohanapecosh River, Cispus River, and Tilton River. Nisqually River Lake Mayfield Riffe Lake Big Horn, the highest point in Lewis county Boistfort Peak, the highest point in the Willapa Hills Walupt Creek Falls
Major highways Interstate 5 U.S. Route 12 State Route 6 State Route 7
Adjacent counties
Grays Harbor County – north/northwest Thurston County – north Pierce County – north/northeast Yakima County – east Skamania County – south/southeast Cowlitz County – south Wahkiakum County – south/southwest Pacific County – west
National protected areas Gifford Pinchot National Forest (part) Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (part) Mount Rainier National Park (part) Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (part) Goat Rocks Wilderness (part)
Communities
Cities
Centralia Chehalis (county seat) Morton Mossyrock Napavine Toledo Vader Winlock
Town Pe Ell
Census-designated places Fords Prairie Mineral Onalaska Packwood
Unincorporated communities
Adna Alpha Alta Vista Ajlune Boistfort Bunker Cinebar Curtis Doty Dryad Ethel Evaline Forest Galvin Glenoma Harmony Klaber Lacamas Littell Mary's Corner Mayfield McCormick Meskill Newaukum Randle Saint Urban Salkum Silver Creek Swofford Wildwood Wilson Winston
Former communities
Burnt Ridge Ceres Cora Hanaford Kopiah Kosmos (inundated) Lindberg Mendota Nesika (inundated) Riffe (inundated) Walville
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 82,149. Of the residents, 22.1% were under the age of 18 and 21.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 42.6 years. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.1 males. 39.8% of residents lived in urban areas and 60.2% lived in rural areas.
Based on a data release by the United States Census, which detailed population growth and shifts between 2020-2025, an increase of over 800 children were recorded in the county, the largest numerical gain in the state.
+Lewis County, Washington – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)62,17464,88165,49690.63%85.99%79.73%Black or African American alone (NH)2393705300.35%0.49%0.65%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)7959529781.16%1.26%1.19%Asian alone (NH)4666437960.68%0.85%0.97%Pacific Islander alone (NH)1151031570.17%0.14%0.19%Other race alone (NH)73734030.11%0.10%0.49%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)1,0541,9064,9591.54%2.53%6.04%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3,6846,5278,8305.37%8.65%10.75%Total68,60075,45582,149100.00%100.00%100.00%
The racial makeup of the county was 82.6% White, 0.7% Black or African American, 1.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian, 5.1% from some other race, and 9.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.7% of the population.
There were 31,693 households in the county, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 35,412 housing units, of which 10.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.0% were owner-occupied and 29.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%.
2010 census As of the 2010 Census, there were 75,455 people, 29,743 households, and 20,104 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 34,050 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county's population: 89.7% white, 1.4% American Indian, 0.9% Asian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 4.0% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.1% were German, 14.9% were Irish, 12.5% were English, 7.7% were American, and 5.1% were Norwegian.
Of the 29,743 households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.4% were non-families, and 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 41.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,874 and the median income for a family was $53,358. Males had a median income of $43,695 versus $31,720 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,695. About 10.3% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
Homelessness Lewis County participates in the Point In Time Count (PTC), a census of the homeless population as required by law. Beginning in 2003 as mandated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the annual PTC, which tracks the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness on a specified date, is usually held in January.
Homeless residents in the county were listed as 309 in 2012, falling to 205 in 2013. A count in 2018 reported 132 homeless residents, and following counts reported 161 in 2019, 142 in 2020, 120 in 2022, and 153 in 2023. There was no census of homeless residents taken in 2021.