Formed October 31, 1873 (23rd county)
San Juan County (15,769), Fridays Harbor (2,162)
The red brick Classical Revival courthouse was erected in 1906. The courthouse is on Court Street at 2nd Street. W. P. White is the courthouse designer. The building has been enlarged twice and renovated in 1991. San Juan County was created in October 31, 1873 from Whatcom County as the 23rd county with Fridays Harbor as the only county seat. The county is named for San Juan Island which was named by its founder for St. John the Baptist. The county seat is named for its founder Joseph Friday.
San Juan County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners. One Superior Court Judge and One District Court Judge serve San Juan County. The county is in the northwest part of the state. Seattle, Washington is south and Vancouver, Canada is north of the county. The county center is 7.1 miles Northeast of Fridays Harbor nearer Orcas. The county is surrounded clockwise by Whatcom, Skagit, Island, Jefferson, and Clallam counties and Canada.
The area of the county is 621 square miles. It is 36 out of 39 in the state. It ranks 32 out of 39 in population in the state. It has a density of 25.39 persons per square mile making it 22 out of 39 in the state. San Juan County has 13.7% of its population in its incorporated areas. There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county. The county resembles the parts of an exploded balloon. Fridays Harbor is located in the southwest quarter of the county. Fridays Harbor is the county seat and the largest city since it is the only incorporated city. It is 13.7% of the county population.
Fridays Harbor
