Edison, Washington

Edison, Washington
CDP
Approaching the center of Edison from the south on Farm to Market Road
Approaching the center of Edison from the south on Farm to Market Road
Location of Edison, Washington
Location of Edison, Washington
Coordinates: 48°33′50″N 122°26′05″W / 48.56389°N 122.43472°W / 48.56389; -122.43472
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountySkagit
Area
 • Total
0.58 sq mi (1.5 km2)
 • Land0.58 sq mi (1.5 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation
10 ft (3.0 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
240
 • Density410/sq mi (160/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code
98232
Area code360, 564
FIPS code53-20680
GNIS feature ID2408046

Edison is a census-designated place (CDP) in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 240 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Bow–Edison refers to Edison and the neighboring community of Bow, Washington.

History

First settled in 1869 by Ben Samson, it was later named for famous inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931), with his inventing productive laboratories in Menlo Park, New Jersey, East Orange, New Jersey, and Fort Myers, Florida.

In 1897, Edison became the headquarters of a national utopian socialist project known as Equality Colony, backed by an organization known as the Brotherhood of the Cooperative Commonwealth. The socialist colony was established on 280 acres just outside Edison and it engaged in farming and timber milling and included a school as well as blacksmith and copper-working shops. The Edison-based Brotherhood also published a newspaper called Industrial Freedom for national circulation to its approximately 3,000 supporters. The socialist community folded shortly after 1903, by which time only about 100 colony members remained.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.5 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2000133—
20101330.0%
202024080.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1970 1980 1990
2000 2010

Edison first appeared as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census.

Racial and ethnic composition

Edison CDP, Washington – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 123 127 199 92.48% 95.49% 82.92%
Black or African American alone (NH) 0 3 1 0.00% 2.26% 0.42%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 5 0 0 3.76% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian alone (NH) 3 0 1 2.26% 0.00% 0.42%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 0 0 2 0.00% 0.00% 0.83%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 1 3 25 0.75% 2.26% 10.42%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1 0 12 0.75% 0.00% 5.00%
Total 133 133 240 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

Economy and culture

Edison and neighboring Bow, Washington are popular day trip destinations for residents and visitors to the Skagit Valley, the Seattle area, and Bellingham, Washington. Edison is known for its concentration of artists and galleries, shops, bakeries, and farm-to-table restaurants serving locally sourced ingredients.

The Edison Chicken Parade is an annual event held at "high noon" on the last Sunday in February. The two-block parade last about five minutes and features real-life chickens alongside locals dressed as chickens and other fowl.

Notable people

Edison Elementary, 2013

Education

The community is served by the Burlington-Edison School District.

Edison High School was in use as Edison Elementary School until its replacement with a new, larger building in 1996. Currently, the only school located in Edison is (the new) Edison Elementary School, a K-8 school, built on the site of the former Edison High School.

See also

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Edison, Washington
  2. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Census Bureau profile: Edison, Washington". United States Census Bureau. May 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Laney, Cocoa (January 24, 2024). "Introducing Day Trip Diaries: Bow-Edison". Cascadia Daily News. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Bow–Edison: A Hidden Gem". Visit Skagit Valley. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  6. ↑ Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-918664-00-6.
  7. ↑ Meany, Edmond S. (1923). Origin of Washington geographic names. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 76.
  8. 1 2 Charles Pierce LeWarne, Utopias on Puget Sound, 1885-1915. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 1995; pp. 63-66.
  9. ↑ LeWarne, Utopias on Puget Sound, 1885-1915, pp. 102-103.
  10. ↑ "Decennial Census by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
  11. ↑ "1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Washington" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 28, 2023.
  12. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Washington" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 19, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Washington" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  14. 1 2 "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Washington" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  15. ↑ "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Washington" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 24, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  16. ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Edison CDP, Washington". United States Census Bureau.
  17. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Edison CDP, Washington". United States Census Bureau.
  18. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Edison CDP, Washington". United States Census Bureau.
  19. ↑ Landsel, Daneil (December 11, 2024). "This Tiny Town in the Pacific Northwest Is About to Be Really Famous for Food". Food & Wine. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  20. ↑ Beck, Jessie (October 5, 2021). "Why Edison, Washington, Is the Food- and Art-Filled Getaway You Need". Afar. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  21. 1 2 Meny, Ellen (March 11, 2022). "The Edison Chicken Parade Is a Must-see Event". KING 5 News. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  22. ↑ Berner, Alan (February 26, 2018). "Edison's Annual Chicken Parade Draws the Real Thing and the Wannabes". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  23. ↑ H.W. Halladay, "Equality Colony: A Brief History Showing Our Objects and Present Condition — Cooperative Colonies Are Not All Failures," Industrial Freedom [Equality, WA], New Series no. 9 (Nov. 1, 1901), pg. 1
  24. ↑ 2020 Census – School District Reference Map: Skagit County, WA (PDF) (Map). United States Census Bureau. December 21, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2026. - Text list