Introduction
Island of the San Juan Islands in Washington state, United States
LopezLocation of Lopez Island in the San JuansInteractive map of LopezGeographyLocationPacific NorthwestCoordinates48°28′44″N 122°53′31″W / 48.47889°N 122.89194°W / 48.47889; -122.89194ArchipelagoSan Juan IslandsArea29.81 sq mi (77.2 km2)AdministrationUnited StatesStateWashingtonCountySan JuanDemographicsPopulation3,156 (2020)
Lopez Island is the third largest of the San Juan Islands and an unincorporated town in San Juan County, Washington, United States. Lopez Island is 29.81 square miles (77.2 km2) in land area. The 2020 census population was 3,156, though the population swells in the summer, as second homes, rental houses, and campsites fill up.
History
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Iceberg Point at the southern tip of Lopez Island overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca
The ancestors of today's Northern Straits Coast Salish people began to appear in the wake of the continental ice sheet that started to recede 11,000 years ago. Archaeological evidence suggests that the island supported hunting and gathering between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago. The marine culture encountered by the first Europeans to the area developed about 2,500 years ago, and traces of its once thriving villages remain in the shell middens found along the shoreline of American and English camps and throughout the San Juan islands.
During the Wilkes Expedition, Lopez Island was given the name Chauncey Island, after the American naval commander Isaac Chauncey. When the British reorganized the official admiralty naval charts in 1847, Henry Kellett systematically removed many of Wilkes's names. He renamed the island Lopez, for Gonzalo López de Haro, the Spanish naval officer who was the first European to sail to the San Juan Islands archipelago.
The Lopez Island Historical Museum collects and preserves the regional history of Lopez and the San Juan Islands. The museum features artifacts reflecting Lopez's contributions to the maritime, fishing and farming industries. The museum has an extensive archive of local historical documents as well as artifacts depicting life on Lopez Island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
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2010 Census[edit]
As of the 2010 census, there were 2,383 people, 1,204 households, and 719 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 93.6% White, 0.3% African American, 0.9% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 1.2% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.6% of the population.
There were 1,204 households, of which 14% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.3% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.45.
The median age in the city was 56.9 years. 12.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6%, 28.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.
