Pacific

Formed February 4, 1851 (3^rd county)

Pacific County (20,920), South Bend (1,637), Raymond (2,882)

The domed Beaux Arts building was erected in 1910.  The courthouse is on Memorial Avenue at Cowlitz Street.  United States Highway 101 is three blocks to the north of the site.  C. Lewis Willson & Company designed this cream brick structure.  It features a dome and columns.  Pacific City was the first county seat and then Chinookville.  Oysterville had earlier courthouses built in 1863 and 1875.  The county was organized on February 4, 1851 from Lewis County as the 3^rd county.  Pacific County is named for the Pacific Ocean.  The county seat was named for its geographical location on the river. 

Pacific County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  One Superior Court Judge serves Pacific and Wahkiakum counties and Two District Court Judges serve Pacific County.  The county is located in the southwest corner of the state.  Seattle, Washington is northeast and Portland, Oregon is southeast of the county.  The Pacific Ocean is on its western border.  The Columbia River is on its southwest border.  The county center is 13.2 miles South of South Bend nearer Nemah.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Grays Harbor, Lewis, and Wahkiakum counties and Oregon and the Pacific Ocean. 

The area of the county is 1224 square miles.  It is 28 out of 39 in the state.  It ranks 29 out of 39 in population in the state.  It has a density of 17.09 persons per square mile making it 28 out of 39 in the state.  Pacific County has 32.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 101 enters the county from the north, Grays Harbor County, and exits to the south, Oregon.  The county looks like a small letter q.  South Bend is located in the northwest quarter of the county.  Raymond is to the east of South Bend.  South Bend is the county seat and Raymond is the largest city.  South Bend is 7.8% of the county population while Raymond is 13.8% of the county population.

South Bend