Altoona is a

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 Wahkiakum County, Washington, approximately 27 miles northwest of the town of Cathlamet. The population was 39 as of the 2010 census. The CDP includes the communities of Carlson Landing and Dahlia.

History

Altoona was one of six fish-buying stations and canneries located within a six-mile stretch of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

in the Grays Bay area. Before the decline of the Columbia River salmon industry during the 1940s, 39 canneries were operating along the lower Columbia River. Altoona was named after Altona, a city in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and a major fish-processing city on the

Elbe River The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Germany and flo ...

, by a Danish immigrant named Hans Petersen. In 1903, Petersen purchased 830 acres of land and founded the Altoona Mercantile and Fish Company Cannery. By 1910, the Altoona cannery was the fourth largest salmon cannery on the Columbia. Altoona became a major stop for

steamers Steamer may refer to: Transportation * Steamboat, smaller, insular boat on lakes and rivers * Steamship, ocean-faring ship * Screw steamer, steamboat or ship that uses "screws" (propellers) * Steam yacht, luxury or commercial yacht * Paddle st ...

and

fishing boats A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to fishing, catch fish and other valuable nektonic aquatic animals (e.g. shrimps/prawns, krills, coleoids, etc.) in the sea, lake or river. Humans have used different kinds of surface vessels in commercial ...

traveling between Astoria and Portland. Altoona was accessible only by boat; there was no direct road to the town until the early 1950s. In 1935, the Columbia River Packers Association (known today as

Bumble Bee Foods Bumble Bee Foods, LLC, is an American company that produces canned tuna, salmon, other seafoods, and chicken under the brand names "Bumble Bee," "Wild Selections," "Beach Cliff," "Brunswick," and "Snow's." The brand is marketed as " Clover L ...

) purchased the cannery and moved their headquarters to Altoona from Cottardi Station, located about 1/2 mile downstream. The town prospered until the decline of the entire Columbia River salmon industry which resulted in the closing of the Altoona cannery in 1947. After the cannery closed, the population of Altoona began to dwindle and today has around 50 residents. The derelict cannery remained vacant and deteriorated until it collapsed and fell into the Columbia River during a windstorm in the late 1990s.

Geography

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 Altoona CDP has a total area of , all of which is land, while none of it is water.

Climate

Altoona has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Csb'') typical of the coasts of southwest Washington and northwest Oregon, characterized by cold, rainy winters and mild to warm summers, with an average temperature of 51° F (13 °C).

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 56 people, 34 housing units, and 15 families residing in the CDP. There were 45

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 ...

people, 2

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

, 2 Native Americans, 0

Asians "Asian people" (sometimes "Asiatic people")United States National Library of Medicine. Medical Subject Headings. 2004. November 17, 200Nlm.nih.gov: ''Asian Continental Ancestry Group'' is also used for categorical purposes. is an umbrella term ...

, 0

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 ...

s, and 7 people from two or more races. 2 people had Hispanic or Latino origin. The ancestry for Altoona was 36.4%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 33.3% English, 27.3% Irish, and 27.3%

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

. The median age in Altoona was 75.1 years old. 54.5% of the population were over 65. 0.0% of the population were in poverty.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 39 people, 20 households, and 17 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 34 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 79.5%

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 ...

, 0.0%

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 ...

, 7.7% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 0.0%

, 0.0% from other races, and 12.8% 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 5.1% of the population. There were 20 households, out of which 5.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 85.0% were married couples living together, 0.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.0% were non-families. 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 0.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.95 and the average family size was 2.12. In the CDP, the age distribution of the population shows 2.6% under the age of 18, 0.0% from 18 to 24, 7.7% from 25 to 44, 48.7% from 45 to 64, and 41.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 62.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 116.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 123.5 males.

Education

The Altoona community is part of the Naselle-Grays River Valley School District, a

K-12 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the world. ...

school district of about 300 students.

References

External links

Naselle-Grays River Valley School District website
{{authority control Census-designated places in Wahkiakum County, Washington Census-designated places in Washington (state)