White Salmon is a city in

Klickitat County Klickitat County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,735. The county seat and largest city is Goldendale. The county is named after the Klickitat tribe. History Klickitat Count ...

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 is located in the

Columbia River Gorge The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the st ...

. The population was 2,193 at the 2000 census and increased 1.4% to 2,224 at the 2010 census.

History

White Salmon was first settled in 1852 by Erastus Joslyn and his wife. White Salmon was officially incorporated on June 3, 1907. White Salmon was part of the home of the

Klickitat Tribe The Klickitat (also spelled Klikitat) are a Native American tribe of the Pacific Northwest. Today most Klickitat are enrolled in the federally recognized Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, some are also part of the Confederate ...

, now a part of the Yakama Confederated Nations. The Klickitat Tribe sold some land to the Joslyns. They were generally Native advocates for the time. The area was thrown open on October 31, 1858 for white settlement after the Klickitat and Yakama lost the fight for their homelands in the Yakama War. Within the same year, the region was very rapidly and heavily settled by white immigrants making land claims. The Klickitat were forced to relocate to the Yakama Reservation. White Salmon was named after the White Salmon, a now-extinct species of salmon that lived in the Columbia River and surrounding area.

Government

White Salmon's current city government includes Mayor Marla Keethler, who was elected to a four-year term in November 2019. New council members elected in November 2019 to four-year terms include Ashley Post (Position 1), David Lindley (Position 2), Jason Hartmann (Position 3) and Jim Ransier (Position 4) and Joe Turkiewicz (Position 5).

Geography

White Salmon is located at (45.728792, -121.483557). 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 t ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land. The city is located opposite Hood River,

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

on the Columbia River.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 2,224 people in 921 households, including 559 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 1,039 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 78.8% White, 0.3% African American, 1.4% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 14.7% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.4%. Of the 921 households 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.3% were non-families. 33.1% of households were one person and 14.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age was 38.1 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 2,193 people in 887 households, including 590 families, in the city. The population density was 1,759.2 people per square mile (677.4/km). There were 948 housing units at an average density of 760.5 per square mile (292.8/km). The

of the city was 83.08% White, 0.23% African American, 1.14% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 12.04% from other races, and 2.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.83%. Of the 887 households 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 29.7% of households were one person and 14.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.03. The age distribution was 28.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males. The median household income was $34,787 and the median family income was $39,653. Males had a median income of $33,021 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,995. About 13.0% of families and 16.7% 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 23.6% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

City website

''The Enterprise''
local newspaper {{Authority control Cities in Washington (state) Cities in Klickitat County, Washington Columbia River Gorge Washington (state) populated places on the Columbia River