Clear Lake is a census-designated place

Census-designated place

A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

 (CDP) in Skagit County, Washington

Skagit County, Washington

Skagit County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Skagit Indian tribe. As of 2010, the population was 116,901. It is included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington, Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, United States. The population was 1,002 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon, Washington

Mount Vernon is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,743 at the 2010 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...

–Anacortes

Anacortes, Washington

Anacortes is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is a consolidation of the name Anna Curtis, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Anacortes' population was 15,778 at the time of the 2010 census...

, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Clear Lake is located at 48°27′39"N 122°14′4"W (48.460758, -122.234427).

According to the United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the CDP has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.8 km²), of which, 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) of it (14.29%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 942 people, 371 households, and 258 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 492.3 people per square mile (190.4/km²). There were 392 housing units at an average density of 204.9/sq mi (79.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.12% White, 0.11% African American, 1.59% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.85% from other races

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.59% of the population.

There were 371 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the CDP the age distribution of the population shows 23.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $37,143, and the median income for a family was $44,167. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $30,865 for females. The per capita income

Per capita income

Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the CDP was $22,223. About 16.7% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 20.7% of those age 65 or over.

History

Some of the finest timber in the world covered the mountain foothills adjacent to Clear Lake. There were fir, cedar, hemlock, spruce, white pine, larch, and deciduous trees. Although there were settlers in the area as early as 1877, it was not until 1891 that the community of Clear Lake began to grow. In that year, a shingle mill was built followed by a number of other businesses to support a growing population. By December, 1899, there were several hotels, a meat market, a telephone company, a community church, and a school building among others. In 1906, the population had grown to 350 people. Clear Lake was a logging town with logging camps sprawled throughout the area. Fifty million feet of logs could be stored in Clear Lake while awaiting mill operations. At least a 1,000 people lived there around 1915 plus another 500 or 500 in camps around the outskirts of the town. By 1925, the mill, heart of the town, failed and brought down many Clear Lake businesses with it. Today, the town is a ghost of its former self.