This is one of a series of looks at Snohomish and Island county communities based on data from the U.S. Census of 2010.
Sultan lies at the confluence of the Sultan and Skykomish rivers.
The area was settled by whites around 1880 and incorporated in 1905. Both the Sultan River and the town were named by prospectors for the chief of a Snohomish sub-tribe whose members lived on the Skykomish River in the 1870s. The chief’s name was Tsul-tad, or Tseul-tud, which was anglicized by the miners into Sultan. For generations, Sultan was a small logging community.
In 1968, the town was visited by more than 20,000 hippies during The Sky River Rock Festival and Lighter Than Air Fair, one of the first outdoor rock festivals. The event took place on a farm near town. The lineup included Santana, Country Joe &the Fish, the Grateful Dead, Muddy Waters, the Youngbloods and comedian Richard Pryor.
Sultan population vs. Snohomish County and Washington
| Sultan | County | Washington | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population, 2010 | 4,651 | 713,335 | 6,724,540 |
| Population change, 2000 to 2010 | 28.1% | 17.7% | 14.1% |
| Population, 2000 | 3,344 | 606,024 | 5,894,121 |
| Persons under 5 years | 8.8% | 6.6% | 6.5% |
| Persons under 18 years | 30.7% | 24.4% | 23.5% |
| Persons 65 years and over | 7.3% | 10.3% | 12.3% |
| Female persons | 48.5% | 50.0% | 50.2% |
| White persons | 86.2% | 78.4% | 77.3% |
| Black persons | 0.2% | 2.5% | 3.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native persons | 1.0% | 1.4% | 1.5% |
| Asian persons | 1.6% | 8.9% | 7.2% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Persons reporting two or more races | 3.7% | 4.6% | 4.7% |
| Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin | 12.2% | 9.0% | 11.2% |
| White persons not Hispanic | 82.1% | 74.3% | 72.5% |
More about the city of Sultan
City of Sultan official website
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