1890 Census: Population of King County tops 63,000 and that of Seattle tops 42,000 in 1890.

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In 1890, the U.S. Census enumerates King County's population at 63,989 persons and Seattle's at 42,837 persons, an astonishing increase since the 1880 census. King County is the largest county in the state and Seattle is the largest town.

Between 1880 and 1890, the population of King County increased nine times and that of Seattle increased 12 times. The 1883 arrival of the Northern Pacific railroad to Puget Sound and the labor required for the building frenzy set off when the Great Fire (1889) destroyed Seattle's business district catalyzed the dramatic increase in population. Seattle had more than two-thirds of the population of the entire county, a portion that the city continued to exceed through the 1940 census.

The largest of the 34 counties in Washington state in 1890 were:

King 63,989
Pierce 50,940
Spokane 37,487
Whitman 19,109
Whatcom 18,591
Walla Walla 12,224
Clarke 11,709
Lewis 11,499
Thurston 9,675
Lincoln 9,312

The largest towns in Washington state in 1890 were:

Seattle 42,837
Tacoma 36,006
Spokane 19,922
Port Townsend 4,558
Olympia 4,698
Walla Walla 4,709
Fairhaven 4,076
Whatcom 4059
Vancouver 3,545
Ellensburg 2,768

The largest towns in King County in 1890 were:

Seattle 42,837
Ballard 1,173
Kent 853
Fremont 802
Slaughter (renamed Auburn) 740
Franklin 647
Black Diamond 561
Renton 406
Des Moines 212
Ross 218
Edgewater 191

Sources:
Population Abstract of the United States ed. by John L. Andriot (McLean, Virginia: Andriot Associates, 1983), 841, 844; U.S. Census Office, Department of Interior, Report on Population of the United States at the Eleventh Census: 1890. Part I (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1895) 44, 351-353.

By Greg Lange, January 01, 1900

Seattle's Chinatown in 1890s, 2nd Avenue and Washington Street (r.)

Ballard logging camp, 1890s
Courtesy MOHAI

Hotel Seattle at Yesler and James, 1890s
Postcard

Seattle, June 5, 1889, the day before the Great fire
Photo by William Boyd, Courtesy UW Special Collections

Waterfront showing sailing vessels anchored in harbor, Seattle, ca. 1889.
Photo by Boyd and Braas, Courtesy UW Special Collections (Neg. No. UW18559)