Kittitas County, Washington

Kittitas County
County
Kittitas County Courthouse in Ellensburg
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 47°07′N 120°41′W
Country	United States
State	Washington
Founded	November 24, 1883
Seat	Ellensburg
Largest city	Ellensburg
Area
• Total	2,333 sq mi (6,040 km2)
• Land	2,297 sq mi (5,950 km2)
• Water	36 sq mi (90 km2)  1.5%
Population
• Estimate  (2015)	43,269
• Density	19/sq mi (7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	www.co.kittitas.wa.us

Kittitas County /ˈkɪttæs/ is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 40,915. Its county seat and largest city is Ellensburg. The county was created on November 24, 1883 when it separated from Yakima County.

There are numerous interpretations of the name, which is from the language of the Yakama Nation. According to one source, it "has been said to mean everything from 'white chalk' to 'shale rock' to 'shoal people' to 'land of plenty'. Most anthropologists and historians concede that each interpretation has some validity depending upon the particular dialect spoken."

Kittitas County comprises the Ellensburg, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,333 square miles (6,040 km²), of which 2,297 square miles (5,950 km²) is land and 36 square miles (93 km²) (1.5%) is water. The highest point in the county is Mount Daniel at 7,959 feet (2,426 m) above sea level.

Geographic features

• Cascade Mountains
• Yakima River
• Manastash Ridge
• Wenatchee Mountains

Major highways

• Interstate 90
• Interstate 82
• U.S. Route 97

Adjacent counties

• Chelan County - north
• Douglas County - northeast
• Grant County - east
• Yakima County - south
• Pierce County - west
• King County - northwest

National protected areas

• Snoqualmie National Forest (part)
• Wenatchee National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	8,777		—
1900	9,704		10.6%
1910	18,561		91.3%
1920	17,737		−4.4%
1930	18,154		2.4%
1940	20,230		11.4%
1950	22,235		9.9%
1960	20,467		−8.0%
1970	25,039		22.3%
1980	24,877		−0.6%
1990	26,725		7.4%
2000	33,362		24.8%
2010	40,915		22.6%
2015 (est.)	43,269		5.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2015

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 33,362 people, 13,382 households, and 7,788 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 16,475 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.77% White, 0.71% Black or African American, 0.91% Native American, 2.19% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 2.30% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. 5.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.4% were of German, 11.7% English, 9.0% Irish, 7.8% United States or American and 6.6% Norwegian ancestry. 93.2% spoke English and 4.5% Spanish as their first language.

There were 13,382 households out of which 26.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.80% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.80% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the population was spread out with 20.60% under the age of 18, 21.60% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,546, and the median income for a family was $46,057. Males had a median income of $36,257 versus $25,640 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,928. About 10.50% of families and 19.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.

An irrigated hillside near Ellensburg

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 40,915 people, 16,595 households, and 9,225 families residing in the county. The population density was 17.8 inhabitants per square mile (6.9/km²). There were 21,900 housing units at an average density of 9.5 per square mile (3.7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.3% white, 2.0% Asian, 1.0% American Indian, 0.9% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.7% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.2% were German, 15.4% were Irish, 12.7% were English, 8.2% were Norwegian, 5.1% were Italian, 5.0% were Swedish, and 3.4% were American.

Of the 16,595 households, 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 44.4% were non-families, and 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 31.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,232 and the median income for a family was $61,276. Males had a median income of $45,916 versus $35,380 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,467. About 10.3% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Flora and fauna

There are a variety of species represented within Kittitas County. These include a diversity of grasses, herbs, trees, birds, mammals and amphibians. The genus of ricegrass known as Oryzopsis was one of the earliest grasses classified within the county. Among the amphibian species found are the Cascades frog and the Rough-skinned Newt, the latter being a common far western USA taxon; in fact, examples of neoteny have been found in individual newts of this species within the county.

Communities

Cities

• Cle Elum
• Ellensburg (county seat)
• Kittitas
• Roslyn
• South Cle Elum

Census-designated places

• Easton
• Ronald
• Snoqualmie Pass
• Thorp
• Vantage

Unincorporated communities

• Bristol
• Doris
• Liberty
• Rocklyn
• Suncadia
• Teanaway
• Thrall

Events

• The Kittitas County Fair and Ellensburg Rodeo occur every Labor Day Weekend. The Kittitas County Fair began in 1885, and moved to its current location in 1923.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kittitas County, Washington
• History of Thorp, Washington

Further reading

• William Denison Lyman, History of the Yakima Valley, Washington: Comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties. In Two Volumes. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919. Volume 1 | Volume 2
• Andrew Caveness, "Images of America: Kittitas County." South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing Co., 2012. [2]

External links

• Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce
• Kittitas County official website
• Thorp Mill Town Historical Preservation Society
• The CWU Brooks Library Frederick Krueger Photograph Collection The Frederick Krueger Collection contains images of the Upper Kittitas Valley of Washington State from the 1880s to the 1960s. The images, scanned from photographic prints, glass negatives and rare publications, visually document the communities of Cle Elum, Roslyn and other towns and villages in western Kittitas County. The collection also focuses upon mining, logging and fur trapping in the region during the late 19th Century and early 20th Century.