{{Infobox Ort in den Vereinigten Staaten
 |Name=Mount Vernon 
 |Stadtspitzname=
 |Bundesstaat=Washington
 |County=Skagit County
 |Bild1=Mount Vernon WA 04.jpg
 |Bildgröße1=
 |Bildbeschreibung1=Innenstadt Mount Vernons
 |Siegel=
 |Flagge=
 |Karte=250px
 |Beschriftung Karte=Lage von Mount Vernon im Skagit County
 |Beschriftung Positionskarte=
 |lat_deg=48
 |lat_min=25
 |lat_sec=12
 |lon_deg=122
 |lon_min=19
 |lon_sec=34
 |Gründung=
 |Zeitzone=UTC-8
 |Einwohner=26232
 |Stand=2000
 |Metropolregion=
 |Stand Metropolregion=
 |Fläche=29.4
 |Landfläche=28.8
 |Höhe=54.9
 |Gliederung=
 |Postleitzahl=98273, 98274
 |Vorwahl=360
 |Typ=City
 |Fips=53-47560
 |Gnis=1512485
 |Website=[http://www.ci.mount-vernon.wa.us www.ci.mount-vernon.wa.us]
 |Bürgermeister=Bud Norris
 |Bild2=
 |Bildgröße2=
 |Bildbeschreibung2=
}}

'''Mount Vernon''' ist eine Stadt und gleichzeitig Washington.

== Demographie ==
Die Stadt, die nach der Volkszählung des Jahres 2000 26.232 Einwohner hat, erstreckt sich über eine Fläche von 29,4 km². Es leben 75,4% Menschen weißer Hautfarbe in Mount Vernon, 2,6% Asiaten, 1,0% Amerikanische Ureinwohner, 0,7% Afro-Amerikaner, 17,3% Mitglieder anderer ethnischer Volksgruppen und 3,0 % Angehörige von mehr als einer Ethnie.  Lations (unabhängig von der Zugehörigkeit zu den genannten Volksgruppen) machen 25,1% der Bevölkerung aus.  

40,9% der Einwohner von Mount Vernon sind 24 Jahre alt bzw. jünger; 12,5% sind älter als 65; der Altersdurchschnitt beträgt 31 Jahre.

15,9% der Einwohner leben unter der Armutsgrenze, das Durchschnittseinkommen von einem der 9.276 Haushalte beträgt 37.999 USD.

== Geschichte ==
Die Anfänge der Stadt gehen bis ins Jahr 1870 zurück, als Jasper Gates und Joseph Dwelley sich am Ufer des Skagit River niederließen. Später ließen sich auch der Lehrer Harrison Clothier und einer seiner Schüler, E.G. English am Ort nieder. Die vier Männer gelten als Gründerväter; die Gründung selbst fand offiziell erst am 5. Juli 1893 statt.

=== Einwohnerentwicklung ===

{| class="prettytable" 
|-class="hintergrundfarbe8"
!Jahr
!Einwohner¹
|-
|1980
| align="right" |13.009
|-
|1990
| align="right" |17.647
|-
|2000
| align="right" |26.232
|-
|2005
| align="right" |29.271
|-
|}

<!-- Infobox begins -->
{{Infobox Settlement
|official_name            = City of Mount Vernon
|native_name              = 
|settlement_type          = City
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = 
|image_skyline            = Mount_Vernon_WA_04.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = First Street
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               = 
|image_shield             = 
|image_map = Skagit_County_Washington_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Mount_Vernon_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 350x200px
|map_caption              = Location of Mount Vernon in Washington State
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
|pushpin_map              = 
|pushpin_label_position   = 
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = State
|subdivision_name1        = Washington
|subdivision_type2        = County
|subdivision_name2        = Skagit
|government_type          = Mayor-council
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = Bud Norris
|leader_title1            = City Attorney
|leader_name1             = Kevin Rogerson
|leader_title2            = 
|leader_name2             = 
|leader_title3            = 
|leader_name3             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         = 
|established_title2       = Incorporated
|established_date2        = July 5, 1889
|established_title3       = 
|established_date3        = 
|unit_pref  =  Imperial
|area_footnotes           = 

|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 29.4
|area_total_sq_mi         = 11.4
|area_land_km2            = 28.8
|area_land_sq_mi          = 11.1
|area_water_km2           = 0.7
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.3
|area_water_percent       = 2.29
|area_urban_km2           = 
|area_urban_sq_mi         = 
|area_metro_km2           = 
|area_metro_sq_mi         = 
|population_as_of         = 2000
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_note          = 
|population_total         = 26232 <!--Note: use population_footnotes for refs, use only unformatted numbers here -->
|population_density_km2   = 911.6<!--Note: use population_footnotes for refs, use only unformatted numbers here -->
|population_density_sq_mi = 2,360.6<!--Note: use population_footnotes for refs, use only unformatted numbers here -->
|population_metro         = <!--Note: use population_footnotes for refs, use only unformatted numbers here -->
|population_density_metro_km2     = 
|population_density_metro_sq_mi   = 
|population_urban                 = <!--Note: use population_footnotes for refs, use only unformatted numbers here -->
|timezone                 = PST
|utc_offset               = -8
|timezone_DST             = PDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -7
|latd = 48 |latm = 25 |lats = 12 |latNS = N
|longd = 122 |longm = 19 |longs = 34 |longEW = W
|elevation_m              = 54.9
|elevation_ft             = 180
|postal_code_type         = ZIP codes
|postal_code              = 98273, 98274
|website                  = [http://www.ci.mount-vernon.wa.us/ www.ci.mount-vernon.wa.us]
|area_code                = 360
|blank_name               = FIPS code
|blank_info               = 53-47560
|blank1_name              = GNIS feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1512485
|footnotes                = 
}}
<!-- Infobox ends -->
thumb|250px|The [[Skagit River, which flows through Mount Vernon, is prone to flooding during periods of heavy rain in the Cascades. In October 2003 the townspeople of Mount Vernon turned out to build a sandbag dike along the river in anticipation of a flood.]]
'''Mount Vernon''' is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 26,232 at the 2000 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the county seat of Skagit County. Mount Vernon is known for its annual Tulip Festival. The climate of Skagit County is similar to that of Holland.  While many tulips are grown in the Skagit Valley, none are shipped to Holland, which has strict import-export laws.  In 1998 Mount Vernon was rated the #1 "Best Small City in America" by the New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities.<ref>
{{cite web
  |url=http://www.amazon.com/Rating-Guide-Americas-Small-Cities/dp/0879755997
  |title=New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
  |url=http://www.livemountvernon.com/
  |title=Mount Vernon Live
}}</ref>

==History==
Jasper Gates and Joseph Dwelley first settled on the banks of the Skagit River, where the City of Mount Vernon now lies, in 1870. Later on, Harrison Clothier came to the community to teach school and got into business with a former student, E.G. English. They were later recognized as the city's founders. Mount Vernon was officially incorporated on July 5, 1893.

The city was named after Mount Vernon, the plantation estate of George Washington.<ref></ref>

==Notable locals==
*Kyle Kendrick, Major League Baseball, Starting Pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies.  
*Glenn Beck, conservative talk show host.
*Robert M. Gates, United States Secretary of Defense.
*Michael E. Pegram, The owner of the 1998 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Real Quiet. 
*Cheryl Bentyne, jazz singer and member of The Manhattan Transfer
*Jim Caviezel, actor; most well-known for his role as Jesus in ''The Passion of the Christ''.
*R. Garcia y Robertson, fantasy and science fiction writer.
*NBA basketball player.
*Craig Kelly, pioneer snowboarder; killed by an avalanche in 2003.
*Chad Lindberg, actor.
*Demi Moore, actress; Lived in Mount Vernon and attended LaVenture Middle School for a brief time in her early adolescent years.
*Ross Mathews, actor, also known as Ross the Intern on ''The Tonight Show''
*Graham Kerr, culinary expert, author and television personality.
*Big Business and Murder City Devils.

==Notable buildings==
200px|thumb|Lincoln Theater|left
The Lincoln Theater on First Street in downtown Mount Vernon was built in 1926. Originally a vaudeville and silent movie theater, the Lincoln now hosts school performances and local concerts and showcases classic as well as contemporary movies year-round. The theater is also one of 98 theaters in the United States which still possesses its original Wurlitzer theatre organ, which is still played prior to every show<ref>[http://www.lincolntheatre.org/html/our_history.html Historical Information<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.

==Flood Control and Waterfront Redevelopment==
Since the city was founded, the downtown area of Mount Vernon bordering the Skagit River has been plagued by flooding, especially during times of heavy rain. Each time the water rises above a certain level, citizens must join to build a sandbag wall that stretches six city blocks and can be as high as five feet tall. In the spring of 2007, the city council authorized the mayor to purchase a mobile flood wall from Norway-based company AquaFence, the first such flood wall sold in the United States.<ref></ref> The flood wall is four feet high and can be assembled in as little as three hours by a handful of volunteers as opposed to the up to 12 hours and hundreds of volunteers required by the traditional sandbag wall.  The flood wall is meant to be a temporary solution as the city explores ways to build a permanent flood wall to remove the downtown area from FEMA's 100-year flood plain maps.

After adequate flood control is in place, the Citizen’s Advisory Committee will begin to implement plans to enhance the city's use of the waterfront, which is currently used mostly for parking. Current plans call for a promenade with condos or mixed-use development facing the river. 

==Transportation==

The new Skagit Station, built in 2004, delivers true multimodal transportation to a rapidly growing region.<ref>{{cite web
  |url=http://www.djc.com/news/co/11161148.html
  |title=Skagit Station offers hope for renewal
}}</ref>  Commuters and travelers can switch between modes of transportation in downtown Mount Vernon.  The station offers stops for the Skagit Transit bus<ref>{{cite web
  |url=http://www.skagittransit.org/index.cfm?do=page&pageID=1373
  |title=SKAT routes
}}</ref>, Greyhound bus, Cascades rail and local taxi.  The new Everett Express bus route connects to the Sounder Train in Everett.<ref>{{cite web
  |url=http://skat.baron-co.com/index.cfm?pageID=3223
  |title=SKAT Everett Express
}}</ref>

Skagit Regional Airport, five miles northwest, fills much of the area's general aviation needs. The closest commercial airport with scheduled passenger service is Bellingham International Airport, 25 miles north.

===Major Highways===
*25px '''Interstate 5''' runs north-south from the Mexican Border up to the Seattle, Portland (OR), Sacramento, Los Angeles and other places.
*25px '''State Route 9''' runs parellel to the Interstate 5, linking Mount Vernon with Snohomish and Arlington to the south and Sedro-Woolley and the Sumas to the north.
*25px '''State Route 20''' runs east-west from U.S. Route 101 on the Olympic Peninsula to Washington-Idaho State Line at Newport, Washington. State Route 20 crosses Admiralty Inlet via the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry and passes just northwest of town. The highway is known as the ''North Cascades Highway'' because it goes through the North Cascades National Park.
*25px '''State Route 538 runs east-west from Interstate 5 to SR 9 at the Baker Heights neighborhood.

==Demographics==
As of the White, 0.73% African American, 1.02% Native American, 2.58% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 17.13% from other races, and 2.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.12% of the population.