Puget Sound Region - Political Geography

Political Geography

The urban region designated the Puget Sound Region is centered on Seattle and consists of nine counties, two urban center cities and four satellite cities making up what has been dubbed "Pugetopolis". Both urban core cities have large industrial areas and seaports plus a high-rise central business district. The satellite cities are primarily suburban, featuring a small downtown core and a small industrial area or port. The suburbs consist mostly of residences, strip malls, and shopping centers. The region is also home to numerous ports. The two largest and busiest are the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma, which, if combined, comprise the third largest container port in North America after Los Angeles/Long Beach and New York/New Jersey.

The United States Census Bureau defines the Puget Sound region as the Seattle–Tacoma–Olympia Combined Statistical Area. This includes the Seattle metropolitan area, made up of the following counties (see Fig. STB):

• Seattle–Bellevue–Everett metropolitan division
  • King County: Seattle and its immediate vicinity
  • Snohomish County: north of Seattle
• Tacoma metropolitan division
  • Pierce County: south of Seattle

Based on commuting patterns, the adjacent metropolitan areas of Olympia, Bremerton, and Mount Vernon, along with a few smaller satellite urban areas, are grouped together in the CSA. The population of this wider region is 4,269,349—almost two-thirds of Washington's population—as of 2012. The Seattle CSA is the 12th largest CSA, and the 13th largest primary census statistical area in the country. The additional metropolitan and micropolitan areas included are:

• Bremerton–Silverdale metropolitan area
  • Kitsap County: west of Seattle, separated from the city by Puget Sound; connected to Seattle by ferry and to Tacoma by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge
• Olympia metropolitan area
  • Thurston County: southwest of Seattle, at the south end of Puget Sound
• Mount Vernon–Anacortes metropolitan area
  • Skagit County

• Oak Harbor micropolitan area
  • Island County: northwest of Everett, encompassing Whidbey and Camano Islands in Puget Sound
• Shelton micropolitan area
  • Mason County: west of Tacoma and northwest of Olympia

A state-run ferry system, Washington State Ferries, connects the larger islands to the Washington mainland, as well as both sides of the sound, allowing cars and people to move about the greater Puget Sound region.