| Weather: Mount Vernon, WA |
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| 5min Related Video: Mount Vernon |
| Wikipedia: Mount Vernon, Washington |
| City of Mount Vernon | |
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| — Town — | |
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| Coordinates: 48°25′12″N 122°19′34″W / 48.42°N 122.32611°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Skagit |
| Incorporated | July 5, 1889 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Mayor-council |
| - Mayor | Bud L. Norris |
| - City Attorney | Kevin Rogerson |
| Area [1] | |
| - Total | 11.4 sq mi (29.4 km2) |
| - Land | 11.1 sq mi (28.8 km2) |
| - Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2) 2.29% |
| Elevation | 180 ft (54.9 m) |
| Population (2000)[2] | |
| - Total | 26,232 |
| - Density | 2,360.6/sq mi (911.6/km2) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 98273, 98274 |
| Area code(s) | 360 |
| FIPS code | 53-47560[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1512485[3] |
| Website | www.ci.mount-vernon.wa.us |
Mount Vernon is a town in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 26,232 at the 2000 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the county seat of Skagit County. Downtown Mount Vernon is known for its annual Tulip Festival Street Fair which is part of the Skagit ValleyTulip Festival. The climate of Skagit County is similar to that of northern France. While millions of tulips are grown in the Skagit Valley, none are shipped to the European Union, which has strict import-export laws that protect its markets. In 1998, Mount Vernon was rated the #1 "Best Small City in America" by the New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities.[4][5]
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Jasper Gates and Joseph Dwelley first settled on the banks of the Skagit River, where the town of Mount Vernon now lies, in 1870. Later on, Harrison Clothier came to the community to teach school and join in business with a former student, E.G. English. They were later recognized as the town's founders. Mount Vernon was officially incorporated on July 5, 1893.
The town was named after Mount Vernon, the plantation estate of George Washington.[6]
The Lincoln Theater on First Street in downtown Mount Vernon was built in 1926. Originally a vaudeville and silent movie theater, the Lincoln now hosts live performances, concerts and showcases classic as well as contemporary movies year-round. The theater is also one of 98 theaters in the United States which still possesses its original Wurlitzer theatre organ, which is often played prior to a show[7].
Since this town was founded, the downtown area of Mount Vernon bordering the Skagit River has been plagued by flooding, especially during times of heavy rain. Each time the water rises above a certain level, citizens must join to build a sandbag wall that stretches six city blocks and can be as high as five feet tall. In the spring of 2007, the town council authorized the mayor to purchase a mobile flood wall from Norway-based company AquaFence, the first such flood wall sold in the United States.[8] The flood wall is four feet high and can be assembled in as little as three hours by a handful of volunteers as opposed to the up to 12 hours and hundreds of volunteers required by the traditional sandbag wall. The flood wall is meant to be a temporary solution while the town explores ways to build a permanent flood wall to remove the downtown area from FEMA's 100-year flood plain maps.
After adequate flood control is in place, the Citizen’s Advisory Committee will begin to implement plans to enhance the town's use of the waterfront, which is currently used mostly for parking. Current plans call for a promenade with condos or mixed-use development facing the river.
The new Skagit Station, built in 2004, delivers true multimodal transportation to a rapidly growing region.[9] Commuters and travelers can switch between modes of transportation in downtown Mount Vernon. The station offers stops for the Skagit Transit bus[10], Greyhound bus, Amtrak Cascades rail and local taxi. The new Everett Express bus route connects to the Sounder Train in Everett.[11]
Skagit Regional Airport, five miles (8 km) northwest, fills much of the area's general aviation needs. The closest commercial airport with scheduled passenger service is Bellingham International Airport, 25 miles (40 km) north.
Interstate 5 runs north-south from the Mexican Border up to the Peace Arch in the United States-Canada border, near Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia. It connects Mount Vernon to Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Los Angeles and other places.
State Route 9 runs parallel to the Interstate 5, linking Mount Vernon with Snohomish and Arlington to the south and Sedro-Woolley and the United States-Canada border near Sumas to the north.
State Route 20 runs east-west from U.S. Route 101 on the Olympic Peninsula to Washington-Idaho State Line at Newport, Washington. State Route 20 crosses Admiralty Inlet via the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry and passes just northwest of town. The highway is known as the North Cascades Highway because it goes through the North Cascades National Park.
State Route 536 runs from SR 20 into the downtown and Interstate 5.
State Route 538 runs east-west from Interstate 5 to SR 9 at the Baker Heights neighborhood.As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 26,232 people, 9,276 households, and 6,205 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,360.6 people per square mile (911.6/km²). There were 9,686 housing units at an average density of 871.6/sq mi (336.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.44% White, 0.73% African American, 1.02% Native American, 2.58% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 17.13% from other races, and 2.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.12% of the population.
There were 9,276 households out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $53,496.[12] Males had a median income of $33,724 versus $27,244 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,041. About 10.8% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Mount Vernon has the following Sister Cities, according to the Washington State Lt. Governor's list of Washington Sister Cities:
 Law Firm and water tower |
 Skagit River and the West Division Street bridge |
Lincoln Theater (built 1926) |
 The Mount Vernon Café & Lounge |
 South First Street |
 Downtown as seen from west side of Skagit River with view of Mt. Baker |
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