On April 22, 2020, Alcoa announced plans to close the Intalco aluminum smelter, located five miles away, laying off 700 workers.

A shoe manufacturing plant for Brooks Sports, capable of producing 500,000 pairs of shoes annually, resides in the city. The Cherry Point Refinery was constructed to the northwest in the 1970s. The construction of the Ferndale Refinery west of town in the 1950s caused a population boom in the town. Dairy processing was a significant employer for the town, and the old Carnation dairy plant has since been converted to offices. Originally, Ferndale's economy was based on timber, and shortly after, agriculture of the surrounding land. Ferndale averages slightly less snow than Lynden. Although Ferndale has slightly higher average wind speeds for much of the year, average temperatures, cloud cover and rainfall are similar to other lowland communities in western Whatcom County, such as Bellingham and Lynden. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.įerndale experiences a mild climate, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 ☏ (22.0 ☌). 29.1% of residents were under the age of 18 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24 27.2% were from 25 to 44 24% were from 45 to 64 and 10.9% were 65 years of age or older. The median age in the city was 34.2 years. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.20. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 4,210 households, of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.1% were non-families. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.0% of the population. The racial makeup of the city was 83.1% White, 1.0% African American, 2.6% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 5.2% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. There were 4,428 housing units at an average density of 669.9 per square mile (258.6/km 2). The population density was 1,726.9 inhabitants per square mile (666.8/km 2). The Washington state Office of Financial Management estimated for its April 1 annual population estimate that Ferndale had grown to 14,354 residents in 2019. About 13.3% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.Īs of the census of 2010, there were 11,415 people, 4,210 households, and 3,025 families residing in the city. The per capita income for the city was $23,837. Males had a median income of $47,917 versus $37,447 for females. Ferndale borders Hovander Homestead Park and Tennant Lake along its southeast boundary.ĭemographics Historical populationĪs of 2010 the median household income in the city was $52,831, and the median income for a family was $64,638.

Northwest of these areas are suburban developments. Downtown Ferndale is located near the river, along with Griffintown and a largely industrial area east of the Nooksack River. Ferndale was officially incorporated on March 19, 1907.Īccording to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.69 square miles (17.33 km 2), of which, 6.61 square miles (17.12 km 2) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km 2) is water. Ferndale was originally called Jam because the town was located next to a log jam on the Nooksack River, but the original schoolteacher decided it needed a more picturesque name. Eliminate Debt, Stop Foreclosure, Predatory Lending, False Arrest.First settled in 1872, Ferndale was given its name because of the ferns that once grew around the original school house.

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