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Colville is a
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
in Stevens County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,917 at the 2020 census. It is the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Stevens County.


History

John Work, an agent for The
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...
, established Fort Colvile near the Kettle Falls fur trading site in 1825. It replaced the
Spokane House Spokane House was a Factory (trading post), fur-trading post founded in 1810 by the British-Canadian North West Company, located on a peninsula where the Spokane River and Little Spokane River meet. When established, the North West Company's fart ...
and the Flathead Post as the main trading center on the Upper Columbia River. The area was named for Andrew Colvile, a Hudson's Bay Company governor. The fort continued to be used for some time as a center of mining and transportation/supply support associated with gold rushes in the 1850s, particularly the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. After it was abandoned in 1870, some buildings stood until as late as 1910. The site was flooded by Lake Roosevelt after 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 ...
on the Columbia River. Americans also wanted to operate in this territory. In the first half of the 19th century, the
Oregon boundary dispute The Oregon boundary dispute or the Oregon Question was a 19th-century territorial dispute over the political division of the Pacific Northwest of North America between several nations that had competing territorial and commercial aspirations in ...
(or Oregon question) arose as a result of competing British and American claims to the Pacific Northwest. It was settled by the
Oregon Treaty The Oregon Treaty was a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to ...
of 1846, which set the new boundary between Canada and the United States at the 49th Parallel, about Forty (40) miles to the north. In 1859, the U.S. Army established a new Fort Colville at Pinkney City, Washington, about 3 miles NE of the current city of Colville. That fort was abandoned in 1882. In late 1871, with the resolution of
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...
land claims, Governor Edward Selig Salomon directed John Wynne to accept those lands which extended south to Orin-Rice Road, including some currently part of the City of Colville. With the planned closure of Fort Colville, businesses and buildings moved to the present location in the Colville River Valley prior to 1882. In January 1883, W. F. Hooker filed the first plat in Stevens County with the name "Belmont" or "Bellmond". He was encouraged to change the plat name to Colville so that the county seat could be moved to this location. On December 28, 1883, the Stevens County Board of County Commissioners, including county commissioner John U. Hofstetter, held a special session regarding the removal of county records to Belmont from the county seat of Colville, formerly called Pinkney City. In that meeting, commissioners allowed moving the county seat and jail to the town with the name of Colville, if proprietors provided a block of land for them without cost. County officers were allowed to move into a building owned by John U. Hofstetter for two years. On January 1, 1884, the Stevens County courthouse moved to Colville. City tradition says that Colville was founded by John U. Hofstetter. With the arrival of the Spokane Falls and Northern Railway in the summer of 1889, eventually connecting
Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...
with
Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
via the
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
, the fledgling community experienced a brief boom period which saw the establishment of the region's first bank and the construction of several substantial brick structures. Colville officially incorporated as a city on June 7, 1890. In the 1950s, the Colville Air Force Station was developed and operated 14.7 miles north and east of Colville as part of the
Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air De ...
's network of radar stations. A few buildings remain at the site today. It is used largely by paint-ballers.


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 city has a total area of , all of it land.


Climate

This climatic 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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Colville has a continental Mediterranean climate, abbreviated ''Dsb'' on climate maps.


Demographics

As of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $32,168, and the median income for a family was $40,466. Males had a median income of $32,066 versus $21,782 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $18,031. About 10.4% of families and 15.5% 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 ...
, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.


2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,673 people, 2,043 households, and 1,161 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 2,221 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.4%
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 ...
, 0.1%
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 ...
, 2.1% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2%
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 ...
, 1.2% from other races, and 3.0% 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 3.8% of the population. There were 2,043 households, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.2% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 40.4 years. 24% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.9% were from 45 to 64; and 18.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.8% male and 54.2% female.


Economy

The area's economy is based chiefly on agriculture and the timber and mining industry, manufacturing, and regional offices of the
Washington State Department of Natural Resources The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages over of forest, rangeland, range, agricultural, and commercial lands in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The DNR also manages of aquatic areas which include sh ...
and
U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...
, where the
Colville National Forest The Colville National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in northeastern Washington state. It is bordered on the west by the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest and the Kaniksu National Forest to the east. The forest also borders Litt ...
is headquartered. Major private employers include Boise Cascade, Vaagen Brothers, Hewes Marine, Colmac Coil Manufacturing, Colmac Industries, and Delta Dental of Washington. Lesser industries are cattle, horse, and hay-farming. Tourism has increased to the nearby National Forest Land for hunting and fishing, and to local farms, orchards and corn mazes. A blossoming music, arts and crafts community has sprung up around the city's rejuvenated downtown.


Newspaper

* ''
Statesman-Examiner The ''Statesman-Examiner'' is a weekly newspaper based in Colville, Washington. The paper is distributed every Wednesday. History In August 1890, Emmett Clark, of Portland, founded the ''Colville Republican'' in Stevens County, Washington. ...
''


Notable person

Charles Day, Gold medal Olympic rower (Berlin - 1936)


References


External links

*
Colville Chamber of Commerce

History of Colville
at
HistoryLink HistoryLink is an online encyclopedia of Washington (state), Washington state history. The site has more than 8,100 entries and attracts 23,000 weekly visitors. It has 500 biographies and more than 14,000 images. The non-profit historical organi ...
{{Authority control Cities in Washington (state) Cities in Stevens County, Washington County seats in Washington (state) Washington (state) populated places on the Columbia River Populated places established in 1825