Coulee Dam is a town in

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, C ...

, and Okanogan counties in the State of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. The Douglas County portion of Coulee Dam is part of the

Wenatchee Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and largest city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and was estimated to have increased to 34,360 as of 2019. Located in the north-central part ...

–

East Wenatchee East Wenatchee is a city in Douglas County, Washington, Douglas County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census was 13,190, a 129.1% increase on the 2000 census, having annexed m ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. The population was 1,211 as of the 2020 census.

History

Coulee Dam under construction - NARA - 298709

Coulee Dam was founded by the U.S.

Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation, and formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and opera ...

in 1933, to serve as headquarters for the construction of the

Grand Coulee Dam Grand Coulee Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water. Constructed between 1933 and 1942, Grand Coulee originally had two powerhous ...

. The Okanogan County portion was known as Mason City, location of the head contractor. The Portions in Douglas and Grant Counties were known as Engineers Town and were government owned. In 1942 with the end of the contract in sight, CBI transferred control of Mason City to the Municipal Division of the Columbia Basin Project. In 1948 Mason City was incorporated into Coulee Dam. The government began the process of selling the town to the public in 1957, finishing in 1959. Coulee Dam was officially incorporated as a town on February 26, 1959. It is the headquarters of

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is a U.S. national recreation area that encompasses the long Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake between Grand Coulee Dam and Northport, Washington, in eastern Washington state. The Grand Coulee Dam was built on the ...

, and home of one of the world's largest man-made piles of sand, a , -high hill remaining from dam construction.

Geography

Coulee Dam is located at (47.968467, -118.978162). The

Okanogan County Okanogan County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington along the Canada–U.S. border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,104. The county seat is Okanogan, while the largest city is Omak. Its area is the largest in ...

portion lies within the

Colville Indian Reservation The Colville Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in the northwest United States, in north central Washington, inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which is federally recognized. Established in ...

, and forms the southern limit of the

Okanogan Highlands The Okanagan Highland is an elevated hilly plateau area in British Columbia, Canada, and the U.S. state of Washington (where it is spelled Okanogan Highlands). Rounded mountains with elevations up to above sea level and deep, narrow valleys are ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

Climate

This

climatic Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...

region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Coulee Dam has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Coulee Dam, Washington
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Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,098 people, 459 households, and 301 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 534 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 55.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 35.5% Native American, 0.7%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 2.4% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 5.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 6.7% of the population. There were 459 households, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.4% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the town was 41.6 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.9% male and 50.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,044 people, 448 households, and 305 families living in the town. The population density was 1,532.5 people per square mile (592.8/km²). There were 499 housing units at an average density of 732.5 per square mile (283.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 64.56%

, 0.29%

, 29.12% Native American, 0.48%

, 0.57% from

, and 4.98% from two or more races.

of any race were 2.78% of the population. There were 448 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.74. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 20.7% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,391, and the median income for a family was $45,066. Males had a median income of $38,000 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,791. About 6.7% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{Authority control Towns in Douglas County, Washington Towns in Grant County, Washington Towns in Okanogan County, Washington Towns in Washington (state) Wenatchee–East Wenatchee metropolitan area Populated places in the Okanagan Country Washington (state) populated places on the Columbia River Company towns in Washington (state)