1990 Census: Population of King County exceeds 1.5 million and Seattle rebounds to 515,000 in 1990.

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In 1990, the U.S. Census counts 1,507,319 residents in King County, an increase of more than 235,000 persons in ten years. The population of Seattle reaches more than 515,000. Seattle, after losing some 63,000 people between 1960 and 1980, gains 22,000 in ten years. King County dominates the state: The county is home to more than 30 percent of the Washington's population and contains seven of its 15 largest cities.

In 1990, the largest of the 39 counties in Washington state were:

King 1,507,319
Pierce 586,203
Snohomish 465,642
Spokane 361,364
Clark 238,053
Kitsap 189,731
Yakima 188,823
Thurston 161,238
Whatcom 127,780
Benton 112,560

In 1990, the largest towns in Washington were:

Seattle 516,259
Spokane 177,196
Tacoma 176,664
Bellevue 86,874
Everett 69,961
Yakima 54,827
Bellingham 52,179
Vancouver 46,380
Kennewick 42,155
Renton 41,688

In 1990, largest towns in King County were:

Seattle 516,259
Bellevue 86,874
Renton 41,688
Kirkland 40,052
Kent 37,960
Redmond 35,000
Auburn 33,102
Mercer Island 20,816
Des Moines 17,283
Bothell (King & Snohomish Cos.) 12,345 (11,986 in King County)

In 1990, incorporated and unincorporated town populations in King County (listed alphabetically) were:

Algona 1,694
Auburn 33,102
Beaux Arts Village 303
Bellevue 86,874
Black Diamond 1,422
Bothell (King & Snohomish Cos.) 12,345 (11,986 King County)
Bryn Mawr-Skyway (uninc.) 12,514
Burien (uninc.) 25,089
Carnation 1,243
Cascade-Fairwood (uninc.) 30,107
Clyde Hill 2,972
Covington-Sawyer-Wilderness (uninc.) 24,321
Des Moines 17,283
Duvall 2,770
Eastgate (uninc.) 4,434
East Hill-Meridian (uninc.) 42,696
East Renton Highlands (uninc.) 13,218
Enumclaw 7,227
Fall City (uninc.) 1,582
Federal Way (uninc.) 67,554
Hunts Point 513
Inglewood-Finn Hill (uninc.) 29,132
Issaquah 7,786
Kenmore (uninc.) 8,917
Kent 37,960
Kingsgate (uninc.) 14,259
Kirkland 40,052
Lake Forest North (uninc.) 8,002
Lake Forest Park 4,031
Lakeland North (uninc.) 14,402
Lakeland South (uninc.) 9,027
Lea Hill (uninc.) 6,876
Maple Valley (uninc.) 1,211
Medina 2,981
Mercer Island (city) 20,816
Milton (Pierce & King Cos.) 4,995 (697 King County)
Mirrormont (uninc.) 2,360
Newport Hills (uninc.) 14,736
Normandy Park 6,709
North Bend 2,578
North City-Ridgecrest (uninc.) 13,832
North Hill (uninc.) 5,706
Pacific 4,622
Pine Lake (uninc.) 13,940
Redmond 35,800
Renton 41,688
Richmond Beach-Innis Arden (uninc.) 7,242
Richmond Highlands (uninc.) 26,037
Riverton-Boulevard (uninc.) 15,337
Sahalee (uninc.) 13,951
Sea-Tac (uninc.) 22,694
Seattle 516,259
Sheridan Beach (uninc.) 6,518
Skykomish 273
Snoqualmie 1,546
Tukwila 11,874
West Lake Sammamish (uninc.) 6,087
White Center-Shorewood (uninc.) 20,531
Woodinville (uninc.) 23,654
Woodmont Beach (uninc.) 7,493
Yarrow Point 962

Sources:
U.S. Bureau of Census, Department of Commerce, 1990 Census of Population and Housing. Population and Housing Unit Counts (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1993), 5, 21-27, 28.

By Greg Lange, January 01, 2000

King County Courthouse, Seattle, ca. 1990
Courtesy Mark Ruwedel

University District's Blue Moon Tavern, Seattle, 1990s
Photo by Paul Dorpat

Train at foot of Bell Street on Seattle waterfront, near Pier 66, mid-1990s
Courtesy Warren Wing