Menlo is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in the Willapa Valley of Pacific 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 community is home to a general store and post office, the Pacific County Fairgrounds and a secondary/high school, Willapa Valley High School.

History

Menlo was settled in 1851 as a donation land claim. The area was named for the California town of Menlo Park in 1893 when 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 ...

line was laid down through the Willapa Valley. It was shortened to Menlo when the sign was cut in half. In 1936, Menlo's tiny Valley High School won the Washington state high school basketball championship at the University of Washington Pavilion.

Demographics

As Menlo is not a census-designated place, only approximate population information is available for the area; Menlo is located within the Willapa Valley School District, which has a population of 2,231 and covers 289.1 square miles. Menlo is located within Census Tract 9504 of Pacific County, which has a population of 3,921 and covers a larger area than the Willapa Valley School District.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. 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, Menlo has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Menlo, Washington
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Parks and recreation

The Willie Keil's Grave State Park Heritage Site is located approximately north of Menlo. The Willapa Hills Trail courses through the community.

References

Unincorporated communities in Washington (state) Unincorporated communities in Pacific County, Washington {{PacificCountyWA-geo-stub