PORT ANGELES

city, seat of Clallam county, northwestern Washington, U.S., on Juan de Fuca Strait, linked by ferry to Victoria, B.C., 18 mi (29 km) north across the strait. Located at the base of Ediz Hook (a 3 1/2 mi-long, curving sand bar), the site was visited in 1791 by Francisco Eliza who founded an Indian village and named it Puerto de Nuestra Seora de los Angeles. Permanently settled in 1862, it has sheltered harbour facilities that serve the fishing industry; the city also has lumber, paper, and food-processing plants. Dairy farms are in the vicinity. Port Angeles is headquarters for nearby Olympic National Park and is known for its Salmon Derby (held every Labor Day weekend). It is the site of Peninsula College (1961) and a U.S. Coast Guard Air Rescue Station. Inc. 1890. Pop. (1990) 17,710.