| Puget Island | |
| Settlement Type: | CDP |
| Pushpin Map: | Washington |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of Washington |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Washington |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Wahkiakum |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Km2: | 19.365 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 922 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | Pacific (PST) |
| Utc Offset: | -8 |
| Timezone Dst: | PDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -7 |
| Coordinates: | 46.1767°N -123.3836°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 98612[1] |
| Area Code: | 360 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Puget Island is a 7.5 sq mi(4,785 acre; 19.365 km) island and Census-designated place (CDP) in the Columbia River in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States. The island was named for Peter Puget, a lieutenant in the Vancouver Expedition of exploration, which first mapped the island in 1792.[2]
The Julia Butler Hansen Bridge (built in 1938) carries State Route 409 across the Cathlamet Channel to connect the island to the town of Cathlamet, Washington. Route 409 crosses the island to its southern shore, where it connects with the county-operated Wahkiakum County Ferry, Oscar B, providing service to Westport, Oregon. The 2020 census reported a population of 922 persons.
Puget Island's Robert W. Little Preserve is home to a population of endangered Columbian white-tailed deer.[3]
Puget Island was settled in 1884 by the Ostervold family. In addition to running dairy farms, farmers on the island grew mint from 1917 to the late 1940s. The next major crop grown on Puget Island was cucumbers, primarily for pickling, until the crops were damaged by mosaic disease. In the 1990s, sheep, dairying, and cottonwood were the main agricultural pursuits.[4]
As of the 2020 census, there were 922 people, 488 housing units, and 455 families. There were 833 White people, 1 African American, 13 Native Americans, 2 Asians, 7 people from some other race, and 66 people from two or more races. There were 34 people from Hispanic or Latino origin.[5]
The ancestry in Puget Island was 21.5% English, 8.7% German, 7.1% Irish, 4.9% Norwegian,1.8% Scottish, 1.8% French, and 0.9% Italian.
The median age was 60 years old. A total of 37.5% of the population were older than 65, with 22.5% being from 65 to 74 years, 12.7% being from 75 to 84 years, and 2.2% being 85 or older.
The median household income was $56,929, with families having $58,401, and non-families having $56,087. A total of 10.6% of the population were in poverty, with 9.3% of people between the ages of 18 and 64 being in poverty, and 17.4% of people over 65 being in poverty.