Felida 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

Clark County Clark County may refer to: *Clark County, Arkansas *Clark County, Idaho *Clark County, Illinois *Clark County, Indiana *Clark County, Kansas *Clark County, Kentucky *Clark County, Missouri *Clark County, Nevada, containing Las Vegas *Clark County, ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, United States. The population was 9,526 at the 2020 census. A post office called Felida was established in 1890, and remained in operation until 1906. The community derives its name from

Felidae Felidae ( ) is the Family (biology), family of mammals in the Order (biology), order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats. A member of this family is also called a felid ( ). The 41 extant taxon, extant Felidae species exhibit the gre ...

, the family of cats.

History

The area has important ties to the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...

of 1804–1806, being close to the

Chinookan The Chinookan languages are a small family of extinct languages spoken in Oregon and Washington along the Columbia River by Chinook peoples. Although the last known native speaker of any Chinookan language died in 2012, the 2009-2013 American C ...

town of Cathlapotle, then a settlement of 700–800 people, with at least 14 substantial

plank house A plank house is a type of house constructed by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, typically using Thuja plicata, cedar planks. History The oldest plank house village found is located in Kitselas Canyon at the Paul Mason Site in west ...

s. The community's ties to the Chinookan people was commemorated by the construction of a replica of a Cathlapotle

at the nearby

Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge and is overseen by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge borders the Columbia River and is located west of the city of Ridgefield, Washington. The wildlife h ...

, which was dedicated March 29, 2005. A post office was established for the area northeast of

Vancouver Lake Vancouver Lake is located just west of Vancouver, Washington, United States, north of the Columbia River and Portland, Oregon, south of Ridgefield, Washington, and the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. The lake is shallow, with a maximum dept ...

, in 1890. While deciding what to name the post office, the first postmaster, Marian E. McIrvin, wanted it to be named Lakeview, but postal authorities informed him that there was already a place in Washington state named Lakeview. McIrvin's father-in-law suggested Felida for the name, and the name stuck. A competing theory is that the town's name came from a suggestion for the post office to be referred to as Powley, after a local resident. The post office didn't want that name, and suggested it should be named Polly instead. C.C. Lewis, the current postmaster, thought that Polly was a name for a parrot, and that it should actually be named for his cat, Thomas. He submitted the names, Thomas, Tomcat, and Felidae. The post office thought that Felida would be a nice name, and took it.

Geography

Felida is located in southwestern Clark County. The community is north of downtown

Vancouver 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 ...

and is bordered by the communities of Salmon Creek (to the east) and Lake Shore (to the south). 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 Felida CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.74%, is water.

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,683 people, 1,877 households, and 1,640 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,967.8 people per square mile (759.2/km²). There were 1,959 housing units at an average density of 678.3/sq mi (261.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.13%

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 ...

, 1.23%

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 ...

, 0.58% Native American, 2.96% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 0.70% from other races, and 2.36% 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 2.59% of the population. 21.4% were of German, 13.4% English, 10.3% Irish, 7.7% American and 5.2% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 1,877 households, out of which 46.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 79.3% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.6% were non-families. 9.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.22. In the CDP, the age distribution of the population shows 31.3% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $78,934, and the median income for a family was $80,264. Males had a median income of $59,125 versus $35,943 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 CDP was $28,294. About 2.9% of families and 3.4% 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 5.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 9,526 people, and 3,802 households in the CDP. The population density was 3,276.9 inhabitants per square mile, compared to 2,560.6 in 2010. The racial makeup was 88.3%

, 0.6%

, 0.1% Native American, 4.3% Asian, 0.0%

, and 6.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.9% of the population. 16.9% of the population were 65 years or older, with 11.0% from 65 to 74, 5.2% from 75 to 84, and 0.7% older than 85. 26.1% were under 18, and 5.2% were under 5. The gender makeup was 48.6% female and 51.4% male.

Education

It is within

Vancouver Public Schools Vancouver Public Schools is a school district in Vancouver, Washington Vancouver ( ) is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Fo ...

. Felida Elementary School is operated by the district.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Clark County, Washington Census-designated places in Washington (state)