Kettle Falls is a city in Stevens County, Washington, United States, named for the nearby Kettle Falls on the Kettle River. The city itself is located on the Colville River immediately upstream from its confluence with 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 population of the city was 1,636 at the 2020 census.

History

The original Kettle Falls was officially incorporated on December 17, 1891, on the bank of the Columbia. Before it was flooded by the Grand Coulee Dam in 1940, city planners relocated the town at a community called Meyers Falls, near the railroad lines, helping to ensure its success as a trans-shipment point for the logging, agriculture, and paper industries. This is its present location, eight miles northwest of Colville and roughly 80 miles northwest of Spokane.

Geography

It is south of the Canada–United States border at Laurier and adjacent to Lake Roosevelt, the reservoir of the

. 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 land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 1,595 people, 676 households, and 419 families living 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 726 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.9%

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 ...

, 2.0% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.6% from other races, and 5.9% 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 1.7% of the population. There were 676 households, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% 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, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband/wife present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife/husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 38.6 years. 26.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 16.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 1,527 people, 632 households, and 398 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 686 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.29%

, 0.07%

, 3.86% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.07%

, 0.65% from other races, and 3.86% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.75% of the population. There were 632 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 29.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,031, and the median income for a family was $34,375. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $23,750 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 $13,614. About 15.1% of families and 21.1% 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 26.0% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* James Darling, NFL player from 1997 to 2006 * Cathy McMorris Rodgers, U.S. representative for since 2005

References

External links

Official City of Kettle Falls website

Stevens County Heritage
From the Libraries of Stevens County. Includes a collection of materials depicting early Kettle Falls and Meyers Falls. {{Authority control Cities in Washington (state) Cities in Stevens County, Washington Washington (state) populated places on the Columbia River Populated places established in 1940 Hudson's Bay Company trading posts