Friday Harbor is a town in San Juan County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,162 at 2010 census. Located on San Juan Island, Friday Harbor is the major commercial center of the

San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of ...

archipelago and is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of San Juan County.

History

In 1845 the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

laid claim to San Juan Island. In 1850 they built a salmon curing station. A few years later they started a sheep farm. The town's name originates from Joseph Poalie Friday, a

native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawa ...

. Friday worked at the

Pugets Sound Agricultural Company The Puget Sound Agricultural Company (PSAC), with common variations of the name including Puget Sound or Puget's Sound, was a subsidiary joint stock company formed in 1840 by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). Its stations operated within the Pacific N ...

's Fort Cowlitz, from 1841 to 1859–60 and later moved north to San Juan Island, raising and herding sheep around the harbor. After the peaceful settlement obtained following the Pig War, the San Juan Islands became a separate county in 1873. Friday Harbor was named the county seat. Friday Harbor was officially incorporated on February 10, 1909. It remains the only incorporated town in the San Juan Islands. File:Salmon cannery of the Friday Harbor Packing Co, Friday Harbor, Washington, 1915 (COBB 95).jpeg, Friday Harbor Packing Co. salmon cannery Friday Harbor and Puget Sound Navigation Co.'s steamer ''Whatcom'' at dock, 1915 Sailing ships, and later, the steamships of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet, visited the harbor on a regular basis hauling passengers, mail and freight. Freight from the island would include apples, pears, cherries, strawberries, peas, cream, eggs, chickens, grain, salmon, and lime. All were produced on or around San Juan Island. The Great Depression, World War II, the pea weevil, and competition from Eastern Washington growers brought about the decline of traditional island industries, diminishing Friday Harbor's export trade. The 1970s brought new industries - tourism, retirement, real estate, and construction. Today, Friday Harbor is again busy and prosperous.

Osamu Shimomura was a Japanese organic chemist and marine biologist, and Professor Emeritus at Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and Boston University School of Medicine. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2008 for th ...

harvested jellyfish from the docks of the harbor. Eventually he purified the proteins that allow the jellyfish to fluoresce green when exposed to blue light. One of them, green fluorescent protein, is now widely used as a marker of molecular activity.

Geography and climate

Friday Harbor is located on the east side of San Juan Island facing the San Juan Channel. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. Friday Harbor has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Csb'') with warm, dry summers and cold, though not severe, and rainy winters.

Transportation

Friday Harbor's primary connection to the mainland is via

Washington State Ferries Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a government agency that operates automobile and passenger ferry service in the U.S. state of Washington as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation. It runs ten routes serving 20 terminals loc ...

, which sail between the town and

Anacortes, Washington Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.Sidney, British Columbia Sidney is a town located at the northern end of the Saanich Peninsula, on Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It's 1 of the 13 Greater Victoria municipalities. It has a population of approximately 11,583. Sidney is ...

, on Washington State Ferries' only international route. This service is available seasonally, only (i.e., May to October). The

Friday Harbor Airport Friday Harbor Airport is a public use airport located just southwest of the town center of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in the U.S. state of Washington. It is owned by the Port of Friday Harbor. Although most U.S. airports use the same th ...

features limited airline service. The midtown Friday Harbor Seaplane Base is also served by regular daily floatplane scheduled services from the downtown pier to Seattle's Lake Union seaplane terminal or the South tip of Lake Washington at Renton Municipal Airport with Friday Harbor Seaplanes. Seasonal passenger ferry service is available from Bellingham, Port Townsend, and Seattle to Friday Harbor. On the island, there are taxis, seasonal shuttles, bicycles, and mopeds for rent.

Education

The town of Friday Harbor houses the world-famous marine biology facility, Friday Harbor Laboratories, a field station of the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

. The town has several schools, including the public Friday Harbor High School, Friday Harbor Middle School, and Friday Harbor Elementary School that are part of th
San Juan Island School District
and three private schools
Stillpoint School

Paideia Classical School
an
Spring Street International School
Also on the island is a branch of Skagit Valley College. The school district once included the Stuart Island Elementary School that was established in 1897 and was one of Washington's "remote and necessary" schools before closing in 2013.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 2,162 people, 1,015 households, and 481 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 1,273 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 83.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.5% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 10.9% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 3.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 15.9% of the population. There were 1,015 households, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.2% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.6% were non-families. 46.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the town was 41.3 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 28.7% were from 45 to 64; and 17% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,989 people, 896 households, and 468 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,467.7 people per square mile (564.7/km²). There were 1,053 housing units at an average density of 777.0 per square mile (298.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.01% White, 0.65% African American, 1.31% Native American, 1.41% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 2.61% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.23% of the population. There were 896 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.6% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.7% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.81. In the town, the age distribution of the population shows 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,139, and the median income for a family was $45,208. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $24,741 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $19,792. About 7.7% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Sister cities

Friday Harbor has the following sister cities: * Terschelling, Netherlands * Vela Luka, Croatia (shared with Anacortes)

In popular culture

Friday Harbor is featured as the default starting point in the computer game, '' Microsoft Flight Simulator X''. Friday Harbor has also been seen in several films including ''

Practical Magic ''Practical Magic'' is a 1998 American fantasy romantic drama film based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman. The film was directed by Griffin Dunne and stars Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Aid ...

'', '' Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home'', ''Pirate for the Sea'', and '' Namu, the Killer Whale''. Friday Harbor is the setting of the '' Friday Harbor'' novel series by Lisa Kleypas. The 2012 Hallmark Film called ''

Christmas with Holly ''Christmas with Holly'' is a 2012 made-for-TV film based on the 2010 book '' Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor'' by Lisa Kleypas. It originally aired on ABC as a Hallmark Hall of Fame film on December 9, 2012, starring Eloise Mumford and Sean Fa ...

'' is the TV-movie adaptation of '' Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor'', the first book in the series, and also features Friday Harbor.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Friday Harbor was also the home base for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, where president and founder Paul Watson lived.

Gallery

File:Friday Harbor 1.JPG, Friday Harbor File:Popeye_Seal_Statue.jpg, A statue of a seal named Popeye in Fairweather Park File:Friday Harbor Spring Street 2.JPG, Spring Street and harbor File:Friday Harbor Lavender and California Poppies.JPG, Friday Harbor's landscaping is rich with

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and easte ...

and California poppies. File:Friday harbor.jpg, Cars at the entrance to the ferry terminal File:Ferry-friday-harbor.jpg, Downtown

References

External links

Friday Harbor and San Juan Island Web Directory / Information

San Juan Islander - daily news site

The Journal of the San Juan Islands - newspaper and website

Friday Harbor and San Juan Islands online news

Washington State Ferries Anacortes / San Juan Schedule
{{Authority control Towns in San Juan County, Washington Port settlements in Washington (state) Towns in Washington (state) County seats in Washington (state)