Grand Mound is a community and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in

Thurston County, Washington Thurston County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 294,793. The county seat is Olympia, Washington, Olympia, the ...

, United States. It was named and founded by Jotham Weeks Goodell, father of Phoebe Judson, in 1851. The population was 3,301 at the 2020 census. This area uses the 98579 and 98531 zip codes, which also includes Rochester and

Gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word is derived from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*gatan'', meaning an opening or passageway. Synonyms include yett (which comes from the same root w ...

History

Founded in 1851, stage service arrived in 1854. Known as Mound Prairie, the community built Fort Henness, which consisted of two blockhouses, during the mid-1800s amid fears over potential Native American attacks during the

Puget Sound War The Puget Sound War was an armed conflict that took place in the Puget Sound area of the state of Washington in 1855–56, between the United States military, local militias and members of the Native American tribes of the Nisqually, Muck ...

; the fort never experienced combat. In 1913, the Washington State School for Girls (also known as the State Training School for Girls) was created and opened on in 1914. The school was renamed as Maple Lane School in 1959, and closed in 2011. In the 1920s,

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit is appreciated f ...

became a major crop in the area, and a processing plant was built, but during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

the industry failed and the

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...

closed the Grand Mound station. By 1941 the population of the area had grown to about 200 people and the community had a post office along with a store and a single gas station. On November 6th, 1962, voters approved the formation of Thurston County Fire Protection District No. 14, which provided fire suppression, and later emergency medical services. The district began operations from the since abandoned gas station in 1963, later demolishing the aging building to construct a new fire station on the same site, which was completed in late 1971. In September of 1979, voters approved the issuance of a $120,000 facilities bond, which funded a new fire station to serve the Michigan Hill area, and the addition of 4 new bays to the main station in Grand Mound. In November of 2000, voters approved a $750,000 facilities bond to build a new station on land donated to the district by Thurston County, and to purchase a new

water tender A water tender, sometimes known as a water tanker, is a type of firefighting apparatus that specializes in the transport of water from a water source to a fire scene. with proceeds from a $3,500,000 facilities bond voters approved in May of 2006. In August of 2009, voters approved the consolidation of Thurston County Fire Protection District No. 11 into Grand Mound - Rochester Fire Department (Fire District No. 1), forming West Thurston Regional Fire Authority on January 1st, 2010. The community became a census-designated place in 1990. In March 2008, a 398-room Great Wolf Lodge opened in Grand Mound, which was majority owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation.

Geography

Grand Mound is in the southern part of Thurston County, near the county line with Lewis County, immediately north of Centralia.

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

and U.S. Route 12 serve the community, with the latter leaving Interstate 5 at the Grand Mound exit to head west to

Grays Harbor Grays Harbor is an estuarine bay located north of the mouth of the Columbia River, on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington state, in the United States. It is a ria, which formed at the end of the last ice age, when sea levels flooded the ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land. It is located on Grand Mound Prairie, which was named after a tree-covered hill in the area, which was the largest of several similar mounds in the area. Prairie Creek is the only stream within the town's limits. It flows into the nearby Chehalis River, and the confluence of the two is located immediately southwest of the town. Scatter Creek can be found just north of Grand Mound, where it flows west through the Scatter Creek Wildlife Recreation Area and makes its way to its confluence with the Chehalis River, just south of nearby Rochester. Just north of Grand Mound is the Scatter Creek Unit, a 915-acre (370.29-hectare) wildlife reserve which contains one of the few remaining areas of south Puget Sound prairie.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,948 people, 687 households, and 529 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 621.2 people per square mile (239.5/km²). There were 734 housing units at an average density of 234.1/sq mi (90.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.99%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.31%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.23% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.10%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 6.62% from other races, and 3.44% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 10.16% of the population. There were 687 households, out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.13. In the CDP, the age distribution of the population shows 29.1% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $42,153, and the median income for a family was $41,864. Males had a median income of $40,250 versus $24,511 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $16,008. About 13.5% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Historic buildings and sites

Several historical markers can be found in Grand Mound. A historical marker in the community commemorates a successful attempt by the townswomen of Grand Mound to vote in Washington territorial elections. Just south of Grand Mound, on Old Highway 99, is an

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...

marker, established in 1916 by the Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution. A monument across from Grand Mound Cemetery marks the former location of Ft. Henness, a stockade built and occupied during the

of 1855-56. Grandmound oregontrail.jpg, Oregon Trail marker Forthenness.jpg, Ft. Henness monument Forthenness layout.jpg, Ft. Henness layout

Parks and recreation

The South Sound Speedway, a Figure 8 racetrack, is immediately northeast of the downtown area. The town is also home to the Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor waterpark and resort, which opened in 2008.

Government

Fire and emergency services are provided by the West Thurston Regional Fire Authority, with a single station located along Sargent Road. Grand Mound lacks a post office. Mail delivery is largely provided by the post office in neighboring Rochester; most locations in Grand Mound have Rochester addresses. A few locations on the south side of Grand Mound have Centralia addresses.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Thurston County, Washington Census-designated places in Washington (state) Unincorporated communities in Thurston County, Washington Unincorporated communities in Washington (state)