Ack! I live in the Pacific Northwest. Coastal BC Canada, to be more
precise, and we have one helluva lot of 'coons here. We have them come
right to the porch and poke their noses in the door, looking for goodies.

Raccoons are bad news for baylisascaris parasites. They bathroom on
horizontal surfaces and use a common spot for a while. There was a case at a
day care center in California where they were going on the roof. A sudden
downpour caused the feces to go to the play surface below where the eggs
developed and hatched in the soil. A toddler was infected and died. They had
to remove a foot of surface and pave. Another case where a toddler had a
habit of licking firweood brought into the house. Guess where the racoons
were pooing. That toddler is now brain damaged and will never function past
infant stage. Nothing like seeing pics of autopsy labs and films to
understand the gravity. It scares me mostly when there are small children in
the home. Cover sand boxes, wash hands. Don't let them put things in their
mouths outside. Strategically deworm household pets who go outside.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol8no4/01-0273.htm