Menlo is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in the Willapa Valley of

Pacific County Pacific County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,365. Its county seat is South Bend, and its largest city is Raymond. The county was formed by the government of Oregon Territory in Feb ...

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 o ...

, United States. The community is home to a general store and post office, the Pacific County Fairgrounds and a secondary/high school — Willapa Valley High School.

History

Menlo was settled in 1851 as a donation land claim. The area was named for the California town of Menlo Park in 1893 when the Northern Pacific Railway line was laid down through the Willapa Valley. It was shortened to Menlo when the sign was cut in half.

Demographics

As Menlo is not a census-designated place, only approximate population information is available for the area; Menlo is located within the Willapa Valley School District, which has a population of 2,231 and covers 289.1 square miles. Menlo is located within Census Tract 9504 of Pacific County, which has a population of 3,921 and covers a larger area than the Willapa Valley School District.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. 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, Menlo has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Menlo, Washington
/ref>

Parks and recreation

The Willie Keil's Grave State Park Heritage Site is located approximately north of Menlo. The

Willapa Hills Trail The Willapa Hills Trail is a intercounty rail trail in the U.S. state of Washington that is part of the Willapa Hills State Park. Following an east–west route alongside State Route 6, the tract links Chehalis and South Bend, traveling throu ...

courses through the community.

References

Unincorporated communities in Washington (state) Unincorporated communities in Pacific County, Washington {{PacificCountyWA-geo-stub