Medical Lake is a small city in

Spokane County Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 539,339, making it the fourth-most populous county in Washington. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest c ...

, eastern

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. At the 2020 census, the population was 4,874. The city is the site of a psychiatric hospital, Eastern State Hospital, and of

Fairchild Air Force Base Fairchild Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base, located in the northwest United States in eastern Washington, approximately southwest of Spokane. The host unit at Fairchild is the 92nd Air Refueling Wing (92 ARW) assigned ...

, two major employers.

History

The city of Medical Lake was incorporated in 1890. The city took its name from the nearby eponymous lake. The

Spokane people The Spokan or Spokane people are a Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau, Native American Plateau tribe who inhabit the eastern portion of present-day Washington (state), Washington state and parts of northern Idaho in the United States o ...

, a Native American tribe which had long inhabited the area, believed the water and mud of the lake to possess curative properties. White settlers such as Andrew Lefevre and Stanley Hallett, who moved to the area in the 1870s, promoted this belief and marketed the lake salts for medicinal uses. A salt and soap industry developed here, followed by the construction of commercial bath houses in the 1880s. This was a period when springs and spas were popular developments across the country. Several resort hotels were constructed along the lake shore. In 1891, the state constructed Eastern State Hospital, and this further stimulated economic growth in the city. Such growth continued until the 1920s, when the lake declined in popularity as a tourist destination. A period of stagnation was interrupted in the 1940s with the construction of nearby

to support the US effort in World War II. This brought a surge of population to the city. Medical Lake's economy continues to depend upon the institutional presence of Eastern State Hospital and Fairchild AFB. Many residents of the city commute to work in nearby

Spokane 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 ...

, which has a more varied economy. In 1957, the U.S. Army established a

Nike missile Project Nike (Greek: Νίκη, "Victory") was a U.S. Army project proposed in May 1945 by Bell Laboratories, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. The project delivered the United States' first operational anti-aircraft mi ...

silo and command site near the town, designated F-45. It was decommissioned in 1966 and the site was later redeveloped into a residential area. Several parts of the city were destroyed by the Gray Fire, a wildfire that began on August 18, 2023, and burned over and 185 structures in the area. Medical Lake and Eastern State Hospital were evacuated and portions of nearby highways were closed to traffic for several days.

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. The city lies to the east of the lake of the same name. There are many other lakes within a few miles of the city, including West Medical Lake, Silver Lake, Clear Lake, and numerous smaller lakes and ponds south of the city. Driving distance from downtown Spokane is 16 miles via

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

and

Washington State Route 902 State Route 902 (SR 902), also named the Gold Star Memorial Highway, is a state highway located entirely in Spokane County, Washington, United States. It forms a loop that connects Medical Lake and Eastern State Hospital to Interstate ...

, the latter of which runs through the city. Eastern State Hospital is situated across the lake to the west. Fairchild Air Force Base is located immediately north of the city. Geologically, the city lies on basalt flows that were heavily eroded by catastrophic flooding at the end of the last Ice Age, making the city and its environs a part of the

Channeled Scablands The Channeled Scablands are a relatively barren and soil-free region of interconnected relict and dry flood channels, coulees and cataracts eroded into Palouse loess and the typically flat-lying basalt flows that remain after cataclysmic floods ...

terrain.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 5,060 people, 1,707 households, and 1,169 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 1,835 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.0%

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 ...

, 2.3%

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 ...

, 1.6% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.3%

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 ...

, 1.5% from other races, and 4.3% 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 5.7% of the population. There were 1,707 households, of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% 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, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.5% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age in the city was 36.8 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.4% were from 45 to 64; and 10% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 3,758 people, 1,090 households, and 767 families living in the city. The population density was 1,090.8 people per square mile (420.6/km²). There were 1,197 housing units at an average density of 347.4 per square mile (134.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.88%

, 4.60%

, 1.41% Native American, 1.57% Asian, 0.21%

, 1.01% from other races, and 2.32% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 4.12% of the population. There were 1,090 households, out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 24.3% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 35.5% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $42,159, and the median income for a family was $47,357. Males had a median income of $35,543 versus $23,971 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 $14,874. About 9.4% of families and 14.8% 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 12.3% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

Law enforcement

The city of Medical Lake contracts their

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

services from the Spokane County Sheriff's Department. The city had its own police department until 2009, when the department was shut down due to a lack of funding.

Culture

* A traditional local parade is held annually on June 15, known as the Founders Day Parade, a celebration of each anniversary to the founding of the town. It is an all day event. * During the winter season a festival is held annually, featuring a variety of activities, including

reindeer The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, taiga, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only re ...

petting, fireworks, and more. It is an all day event.

Education

The city of Medical Lake provides primary and secondary education in 3 separate public schools, with K-12 education. Medical Lake School District (#326) services the city of Medical Lake and Fairchild Airforce Base.

References

External links

Official WebsiteMedical Lake -- Thumbnail History
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 Spokane County, Washington 1890 establishments in Washington (state) Populated places established in 1890