Grand Mound is a community and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a 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 counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in Thurston County,

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. It was named and founded by Jotham Weeks Goodell, father of

Phoebe Judson Phoebe Goodell Judson (October 25, 1831 – January 16, 1926; sometimes called Phoebe Newton Judson) was a Canadian and American pioneer and author. Along with her husband, Holden Judson, she founded the city of Lynden, Washington. In 1886, she ...

, in 1851. The population was 3,301 at the 2020 census. This area uses the 98579 and 98531 zip codes, which also includes

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

and

Gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...

History

Founded in 1851, stage service arrived in 1854. 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 to 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 species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

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

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

the industry failed and the

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, whic ...

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. In 1964, the Grand Mound Fire District was formed, merging twice, in 2002 with Thurston County Fire District #1, and then into the West Thurston Regional Fire Authority. A new fire station was built to serve Grand Mound in 2007. The community became a census-designated place in 1990. In March 2008, a 398-room

Great Wolf Lodge Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

opened in Grand Mound, which was majority owned by the

Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Upper and Lower Chehalis, Klallam, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, and Quinault peoples. They are one of the Northern Straits branch Central Coast Salish peoples of i ...

Geography

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

Centralia Centralia may refer to: Places Australia *Central Australia, sometimes called "Centralia" Canada * Centralia, Ontario ** RCAF Station Centralia, a former Royal Canadian Air Force training base ** Centralia (Essery Field) Aerodrome United State ...

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south 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 through the states of Califor ...

and

U.S. Route 12 U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States Numbered Highways, United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) an ...

serve the community, with the latter leaving Interstate 5 at the Grand Mound exit to head west to

Grays Harbor Grays Harbor is an estuary, estuarine bay located north of the mouth of the Columbia River, on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington (U.S. state), Washington state, in the United States of America. It is a ria, which formed at the end of the l ...

. 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 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

. Just north of Grand Mound is the

Scatter Creek Unit The Scatter Creek Unit is a 915-acre protected area and wildlife reserve in southern Thurston County, Washington, USA It is located just north of Grand Mound, Washington and east of Rochester, Washington. The site is owned and managed by the Washi ...

, 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 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 ...

, 0.31%

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 ...

, 1.23% Native American, 0.31%

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 ...

, 0.10%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 6.62% 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 3.44% 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 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 total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

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 t ...

, 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 the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of 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

Puget Sound War The Puget Sound War was an armed conflict that took place in the Puget Sound area of the state of Washington (U.S. state), Washington in 1855–56, between the United States Military, United States military, local militias and members of the ...

of 1855-56.http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/history/docs/markers/Fort-Henness-Monument.pdf Grandmound oregontrail.jpg, Oregon Trail marker Forthenness.jpg, Ft. Henness monument Forthenness layout.jpg, Ft. Henness layout

Government

Great Wolf Lodge interior - Grand Mound, Washington

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

; most locations in Grand Mound have Rochester addresses. A few locations on the south side of Grand Mound have

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)