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Ellensburg is a city in and 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
Kittitas County, Washington Kittitas County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. At the 2020 census, its population was 44,337. Its county seat and largest city is Ellensburg. The county was created in November 1883 when it was carved out of Yakima ...
, United States. It is located just east of the
Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...
near the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 at the 2020 census. and was estimated to be 18,703 in 2022. The city is located along the Yakima River in the Kittitas Valley, an agricultural region that extends east towards 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 ...
. The valley is a major producer of timothy hay, which is processed and shipped internationally. Ellensburg is also the home of Central Washington University (CWU). Ellensburg, originally named Ellensburgh for the wife of town founder John Alden Shoudy, was founded in 1871 and grew rapidly in the 1880s following the arrival of the
Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...
. The city was once a leading candidate to become the state capital of Washington, but its campaign was scuppered by a major fire in 1889.


History

John Alden Shoudy arrived in the Kittitas Valley in 1871 and purchased a small trading post from Andrew Jackson "A.J." Splawn, called "Robber's Roost". Robber's Roost was the first business in the valley, aside from the early trading that occurred among Native Americans, cattle drivers, trappers, and miners. A small stone monument to Robber's Roost with a placard can be found at its original location, present-day 3rd Avenue, just west of Main Street near the alley. Shoudy named the new town after his wife, Mary Ellen, thus officially starting the city of Ellensburgh around 1872. Shoudy had not been the first settler nor the first business person in the Kittitas Valley, but he was responsible for platting the city of Ellensburgh in the 1870s and also named the streets in the downtown district. Ellensburgh was officially incorporated on November 26, 1883. In 1894, the final -''h'' was dropped under standardization pressure from the
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
and Board of Geography Names. Ellensburg was an early center of commerce in Washington and was among the first cities in the state to have electrical service. The city launched a bid to become Washington state's capital in 1889, preparing a site in the Capital Hill neighborhood for government offices. On July 4 that year, however, a major fire destroyed much of the downtown area and stalled the campaign, which resumed with a series of referendums, in which Washington voters chose Olympia. The state legislature selected Ellensburg as the location for the State Normal School (now Central Washington University). There were several early newspapers in Ellensburg. ''The Daily Record'', which started in 1909, is the publication which serves the city and county today. Concerns over the state of Ellensburg's historic downtown led to the formation of the Ellensburg Downtown Association to work on revitalizing the area.


Arts and culture

The City of Ellensburg has several local art museums and galleries: *Kittitas County Historical Museum *The Goodey Gallery *Clymer Museum and Gallery *Gallery One Visual Arts Center *420 Loft Art Gallery *Sarah Spurgeon Gallery, Central Washington University (CWU) Department of Art *Museum of Culture & Environment, Central Washington University *'' Dick and Jane's Spot''


Events

*The Ellensburg Farmers Market is held every Saturday from May to October in downtown Ellensburg. *Ellensburg hosts the annual Winterhop Brewfest in January. Over 21 micro breweries from around the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
serve their product at various venues in the downtown buildings. *Every June, Ellensburg hosts
Dachshund The dachshund ( or ; German: 'badger dog'), also known as the wiener dog or sausage dog, badger dog, doxen and doxie, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, with varie ...
s on Parade. Events include a parade, Dachshund races, pet tricks, and a dog costume contest. *Ellensburg hosts the annual Jazz in the Valley music festival on the last weekend in July. *Ellensburg is a stop on the PRCA professional
rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...
circuit, occurring each year on Labor Day weekend. The Ellensburg Rodeo has been a town tradition since 1923, and is the largest rodeo in Washington state. The rodeo arena is encompassed by the Kittitas County Fair, also held during Labor Day weekend. The Kittitas County Fair officially began in 1885, and has been held at its current location since 1923. *Downtown Ellensburg hosts Buskers in the Burg the last Saturday in September. It included street performers (buskers), giant puppet art parade, tasting halls, children's activities, and an outdoor evening concert.


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 , of which is land and is water.


Climate

Owing to the strong Cascade rain shadow, Ellensburg experiences a typical Intermountain cool semi-arid climate (
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 ...
''BSk''). The hottest temperature recorded in Ellensburg was on July 26, 1928, while the coldest temperature recorded was on December 12, 1919.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 18,666 people and 8,110 households, and 3,541 families residing in the city.


2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 18,174 people, 7,301 households, and 2,889 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 7,867 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.7%
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 ...
, 1.5%
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 ...
, 1.0% Native American, 3.2% 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 ...
, 4.6% from other races, and 3.7% 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 9.7% of the population. There were 7,301 households, of which 19.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.2% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 60.4% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 23.5 years. 14.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 41.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 13.9% were from 45 to 64; and 8.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.1% male and 49.9% female.


2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 15,414 people, 6,249 households, and 2,649 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 6,732 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.07%
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 ...
, 1.17%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
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 ...
, 0.95% Native American, 4.09% Asian, 0.16%
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 ...
, 2.86% from other races, and 2.69% from two or more races. 6.33% of the population were
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. There were 6,249 households, of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.4% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 57.6% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 15.8% under the age of 18, 39.3% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 12.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $20,034, and the median income for a family was $37,625. Males had a median income of $31,022 versus $22,829 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,662. About 18.8% of families and 34.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.0% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.


Politics and government

The City of Ellensburg uses the Manager/Council form of government with a City Manager hired by the City Council. The seven-member City Council is elected at large and serve 4-year terms. The City Council elects a Mayor and Deputy Mayor from the council to serve 2-year terms. On the state legislative level, Ellensburg is in the 13th district. As of May, 2018, its state senator is Republican Judy Warnick, and its two state representatives are Republicans Alex Ybarra and Tom Dent. On the congressional level, Ellensburg is located in Washington's 8th congressional district and is represented by Democrat Kim Schrier.


Media

Kittitas County is served by the '' Daily Record'', a newspaper published in Ellensburg five days a week. The city maintains its own
public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...
, which opened on January 20, 1910, using funds donated by
Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...
.


Education


Higher education

* Central Washington University (est. 1891 as Washington State Normal School) offers both bachelor's and master's degrees, with over 10,000 undergraduates.


Public schools

Public schools are operated by Ellensburg School District 401. The district includes one high school ( Ellensburg High School), one middle school, and four elementary schools.


Notable people

* Byron Beck, American Basketball Association player * Drew Bledsoe, National Football League player *
John Brotherton John Brotherton is an American actor. He is most known for playing List of Full House and Fuller House characters#Matt Harmon, Matt Harmon on Netflix's ''Fuller House (TV series), Fuller House'', and had roles in films such as ''Furious 7'' (20 ...
, actor * Daryl Chapin, physicist best known for co-inventing solar cells * John Clymer, painter and illustrator * Gary Lee Conner, singer-songwriter, guitarist, co-founder of Screaming Trees band * Van Conner, singer-songwriter, bassist, co-founder of Screaming Trees band * Brian Habib, National Football League player * Brian Haley, actor, comedian *
John Haughm John Haughm (; born September 14, 1975) is an American musician and artist. He is most known for being the founder, guitarist, and vocalist of the band Agalloch, and later Pillorian. He is also a designer who has created packaging and merchandi ...
, founder, guitarist, and vocalist of the band
Agalloch Agalloch () is an American extreme metal band from Portland, Oregon. Formed in 1995 by frontman John Haughm, they released five full-length albums, four EPs, two singles, one split single, two demos, four compilation albums and one live video a ...
, and later Pillorian. * Dave Heaverlo, Major League baseball pitcher * Stevin John, known as " Blippi", YouTube creator, children's entertainer, and educator * Jon Kitna, National Football League player *
Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age ...
, singer-songwriter, co-founder and lead singer of Screaming Trees band * Ron Magers, television news anchor * Mark Pickerel, singer-songwriter acoustic guitar percussionist, co-founder of Screaming Trees band * Brian Thompson, actor * David Wilkie, NHLer for the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning. * Nick Zentner, a geology professor at Central Washington University, also known for online videos covering the geology of the Northwestern United States.


References


Further reading

* Caveness, Andrew (2009). ''Images of America: Ellensburg''. Mount Pleasant, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing. ' * Kirk, Ruth, and Carmela Alexander (1990, revised edition 1995). ''Exploring Washington's Past''. Seattle: University of Washington Press. .


External links


Ellensburg official websiteKittitas County Chamber of CommerceEllensburg Downtown AssociationEllensburg Public Library's Historic Local Photograph Collection hosted by the CWU Brooks Library
{{Authority control Cities in Washington (state) Cities in Kittitas County, Washington County seats in Washington (state) Populated places established in 1883 1883 establishments in Washington Territory Micropolitan areas of Washington (state) Populated places on the Yakima River