Ferndale, Washington

Ferndale, Washington
City
Location of Ferndale, Washington
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Whatcom
Government
• Mayor	Gary Jensen
Area
• Total	6.3 sq mi (16.2 km2)
• Land	6.2 sq mi (16.1 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	36 ft (11 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	8,758
• Density	1,409.1/sq mi (544.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98248
Area code	360
FIPS code	53-23620Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1512205Template:GR
Demonym	Ferndaler, Ferndalian
Website	www.ci.ferndale.wa.us

Ferndale is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The population was 8,758 at the 2000 census.

History

Ferndale was officially incorporated on March 19, 1907. It is so called because of the ferns that once grew around the original school house. Ferndale was originally called Jam because the town was located next to a log jam on the Nooksack River. The original schoolteacher decided it needed a more picturesque name.

Geography

Ferndale is located at 48°50′48″N 122°35′23″W (48.846670, -122.589720).Template:GR

The city has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16.2 km²), of which 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) (0.80%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 8,759 people, 3,147 households, and 2,303 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,409.1 people per square mile (543.6/km²). There were 3,292 housing units at an average density of 529.7/sq mi (204.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.85% White, 0.82% African American, 2.56% Native American, 2.43% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 5.31% from other races, and 3.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.02% of the population.

There were 3,147 households, of which 42.2% had children under age 18, 55.3% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77; the average family size was 3.25.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median household income in the city was $36,375, and the median income for a family was $44,626. Males had a median income of $34,658 versus $25,851 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,982. About 10.4% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Metallica Bridge

Ferndale is noted for its "Metallica Bridge." The Metallica logo has been a cult-like icon on the main railroad bridge for 26 years. Attempts have been made to paint over the stalwart, but none have lasted. The Metallica Bridge has a Facebook fan page with over 1200 fans, with a stated goal of bringing Metallica to Ferndale to play a free concert.

Sister City

Ferndale has the following sister city relationship:

• Miyoshi, Japan.

Gallery

• 
  Grain storage and rail line.
• 
  Main street.
• 
  Rail bridge over the Nooksack River.

See also

Cherry Point Refinery

External links

• http://www.ferndale.net
• http://www.ci.ferndale.wa.us
• Ferndale Chamber of Commerce
• Ferndale School District
• Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism
• Whatcom County Library System, serving Ferndale and surrounding areas