Coupeville

History

Prior to European settlement, Coupeville and the bay in which it is located, Penn Cove, was inhabited by the Lower Skagit, a Lushootseed-speaking Coast Salish people. There were three villages around the bay, with the largest being at , meaning "snake place", the site of present day Coupeville. There was an abundance of salmon, clams, and other resources, as well as offering easy access to the water, making it an excellent village site. When Europeans arrived to explore the Puget Sound, it was Joseph Whidbey who first visited the bay, naming it Penn Cove in honor of his good friend. Captain George Vancouver later wrote after meeting the Skagit at the village that their population had quickly fallen due to disease. Coupeville was officially incorporated on April 20, 1910. Coupeville is a historic district within the federal Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. The reserve was established by Congress in 1978 as the first and only National Historical Reserve in the nation. Its also encompass farmlands, Fort Ebey State Park, Fort Casey State Park, shorelines and beaches, parks, trails, and 91 buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places. Coupeville was a film location for the 1998 movie Practical Magic.

Geography

Coupeville is located near the center of Whidbey Island, which lies in Puget Sound between the mainland and the Olympic Peninsula. On the north side of downtown is Penn Cove, an inlet of the Saratoga Passage. The city is part of the Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, which also includes Fort Ebey State Park to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  16,608
• Bald Eagle

  Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  16,195
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  16,004
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  15,306
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  14,123
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  12,188
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  11,857
• Glaucous-winged Gull

  Larus glaucescens J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  11,760

Most recent

• M 2.51 — 2026-08-09
  11 km SSW of River Road, Washington
• M 3.8 — 2026-07-02
  2 km E of Oak Harbor, Washington
• M 2.5 — 2026-06-26
  11 km E of Carnation, Washington
• M 2.87 — 2026-06-08
  2 km ESE of Oak Harbor, Washington
• M 2.56 — 2026-05-29
  7 km ENE of Ferndale, Washington
• M 2.84 — 2026-05-27
  4 km W of Wauna, Washington