Florence, Washington Explained

Official Name:	Florence, Washington
Pushpin Map:	Washington#USA
Pushpin Label:	Florence
Subdivision Type:	Country
Subdivision Name:	United States
Subdivision Type1:	State
Subdivision Name1:	Washington
Subdivision Type2:	County
Subdivision Name2:	Snohomish
Timezone:	Pacific (PST)
Utc Offset:	-8
Timezone Dst:	PDT
Utc Offset Dst:	-7
Coordinates:	48.2206°N -122.3319°W
Postal Code Type:	ZIP code
Blank Name:	FIPS code
Blank1 Name:	GNIS feature ID

Florence is an unincorporated community in Snohomish County, in the U.S. state of Washington. It's located on Florence Island in the Stillaguamish River delta.

History

A post office called Florence was established in 1884, and remained in operation until 1949.^[1] The community was platted in 1866 and named after the love interest of an early postmaster.^[2]

During its heyday, Florence had several hotels, bars and restaurants, as well as a stagecoach line and dock for sternwheelers. Florence eventually lost out to nearby Stanwood as the area's main center of commerce.^[3]

Notes and References

Web site: Post Offices . Jim Forte Postal History . 31 July 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160306120103/http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?state=WA . 6 March 2016 .
Book: Meany, Edmond S.. Origin of Washington geographic names. University of Washington Press. Seattle. 87. Florence, a town in Snohomish County. The site was first settled in 1864 by Harry Marshall. Twenty years later F. E. Norton became postmaster of the first postoffice there, 1884. The latter named the office, it is said, after his old sweetheart. (History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties, pages 368-869.).
News: Whitely . Peyton . June 9, 2004 . Restoration to bring a little of community "back to life" . H16 . . April 24, 2017 . Little evidence remains of the once-bustling settlement of Florence besides a large black-and-white photograph inside Stanwood's new QFC supermarket. The photo, made early in the 1900s, shows a small store and post office, old cars and a sign offering Owl cigars for 5 cents each. Beneath the photo is the inscription, "E.A. Hevly Cash Store, Florence, Wash." Florence may be relegated to faded images of the past, but the Hevly building still stands and is being restored after years of neglect..