List Of Municipalities In Washington

Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it is the 13th-most populous state, with inhabitants, and ranked 18th by land area, spanning of land. Washington is divided into 39 counties and contains 281 municipalities that are classified into cities and towns. Approximately of the state's population lives in incorporated municipalities.

The most populous municipality in Washington is Seattle with 737,015 residents, and the least populous municipality is Krupp with 49 residents. The state has ten cities with populations greater than 100,000 residents and sixteen with populations between 50,000 and 100,000 residents; the majority of cities have fewer than 5,000 residents. Seattle is also the largest municipality by land area, at , while Beaux Arts Village is the smallest at ; both are located in King County. The oldest municipality is Steilacoom, which was incorporated in 1854; the most recent municipality to incorporate was Spokane Valley in 2003. Five municipalities have also been disincorporated with their governments dissolved; the most recent was Westlake in 1966.

The state has five categories for its 281 municipalities that vary based on population at the time of incorporation or reorganization. , 197 are code cities, 10 are first-class cities, 5 are second-class cities, and 69 are towns; one city remains unclassified. All municipalities have an elected city or town council and an executive—either a mayor or manager—to oversee administration of the government. The municipal government generally provides some emergency services, a court system, road maintenance, planning and permitting, parks and recreation, and some utilities.

Classification of municipalities

There are four classifications for municipalities in the state of Washington: code city, first-class city, second-class city, and town. Municipalities can also be unclassified if they did not organize under these classifications. Each has their own powers and limitations that vary and are defined by state laws in Titles 35 and 35A of the Revised Code of Washington. These powers include the ability to collect general taxes to fund municipal services and specialized taxes for specific uses; providing emergency services, urban planning, and water treatment among other services; and enforce laws passed by the city council. After Washington was admitted as a U.S. state in 1889, the state legislature created classifications for local municipalities, each with a population threshold. First-class and code cities with populations greater than 10,000 are authorized under the state constitution to adopt a charter that grants home rule powers at the local level.

, Washington has ten first-class cities that are permitted to adopt and operate under a home rule charter; they are required to have a population of at least 10,000 residents at the time of their incorporation or reorganization. The state has five second-class cities that have limited authority and can only use powers granted by the state legislature; they are required to have at least 1,500 residents at the time of their incorporation or reorganization. There are 68 towns that also have a limited authority and had fewer than 1,500 residents at the time of their incorporation or reorganization. In 1994, the minimum population to incorporate a municipality was raised from 300 to 1,500 by the state legislature, which has prevented the creation of new towns.

The state legislature created another classification—the code city—in 1967 to grant greater control to cities, who sought expanded home rule authority to address complex issues as they urbanized. , the state has 197 municipalities that are code cities—the most of any classification. They are authorized to perform any function not specifically restricted in the state constitution or by state law. Any area with 1,500 residents is allowed to incorporate as a code city, and any code city with at least 10,000 residents are allowed to adopt a charter. Existing cities and towns are allowed to reorganize as a code city if they meet the population threshold and the change is approved by voters. , one city remains unclassified— Waitsburg, in Walla Walla County—and continues to use the 1881 territorial charter under which it was organized. It is allowed to exercise the powers of a code city under a 2003 law passed by the state legislature.

Non-charter cities and towns are authorized to adopt one of three forms of government for day-to-day municipal operations: commission, mayor–council, council–manager. The most common form is mayor–council, which has an elected mayor who takes office separately from the elected city council. The council–manager form is used by some municipalities and has a hired city manager as the chief executive of the government, while the mayor holds a ceremonial role and presides over city council meetings. , a total of the 227 municipalities that use a mayor–council system comprise 58percent of Washington residents in incorporated areas; the 54 municipalities that use a council–manager system, which are all code and first-class cities, comprise 42percent of residents in incorporated areas. The city commission system—which assigns its three elected commissioners as the heads of municipal departments—was last used by Shelton in 2017 and not adopted by another municipality.

List of municipalities

File:Downtown Seattle skyline from W Kinnear Place, Aug 2022.jpg, alt=The skyline of Seattle, photographed with high-rise buildings behind the Space Needle and with homes and trees in the foreground., Downtown skyline of Seattle, the most populous city in Washington
File:Spokane aerial, May 2023 (cropped).png, alt=Aerial view of Spokane with a large freeway in the foreground and mid-rise buildings in the background, Aerial view of Spokane, the second-most populous city in Washington
File:I-705 northbound approaching SR 509 in Downtown Tacoma.jpg, alt=Several high-rise buildings in the background behind a freeway with light traffic and several overhead destination signs, Skyline of Tacoma, the third-most populous city in Washington
File:Vancouver WA Aerial, June 2024.jpg, alt=Several mid-rise buildings against the shore of a large river with Mount St. Helens (a snow-capped volcano) in the background behind rows of evergreen trees., Skyline of Vancouver, the fourth-most populous city in Washington
File:Bellevue Bay aerial 4, April 2023.png, alt=Aerial view of a lakefront park and covered boat docks with high-rise buildings in the background, Aerial view of Bellevue, the fifth-most populous city in Washington
File:Kentstation.jpg, alt=Aerial view of several mid-rise buildings surrounded by parking lots and a parking garage, Aerial view of Kent, the sixth-most populous city in Washington
File:Everett Station and Everett skyline, April 2020.jpg, alt=A train station with empty platforms and tracks with several mid-rise buildings in the background against a blue sky., The skyline of Everett, the seventh-most populous city in Washington

See also

* Washington (state) statistical areas
* List of counties in Washington
* List of census-designated places in Washington
* List of unincorporated communities in Washington

Notes

References

External links

Title 35 RCW
(governing all cities)

Title 35A RCW
(governing code cities)

Association of Washington Cities

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