Minnehaha 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 11,871 at the 2020 census.

Toponym

This area got its name from a ''Columbian'' newspaper editorial in 1891. The editor wrote about Burnt Bridge Creek and called it "Minnehaha, laughing water," from Longfellow's poem "

The Song of Hiawatha ''The Song of Hiawatha'' is an 1855 epic poem in trochaic tetrameter by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which features Native American characters. The epic relates the fictional adventures of an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha and the tragedy of his lo ...

". The name appealed to the citizenry and they kept it. Before that the area was called the "Black Forest" for its thick timber. While ''

Minnehaha Minnehaha is a Native American woman documented in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1855 epic poem ''The Song of Hiawatha''. She is the lover of the titular protagonist Hiawatha and comes to a tragic end. The name, often said to mean "laughing wat ...

'', a Native American word, is often translated as "Laughing Water", the correct translation is "curling water" or "waterfall", as in

Minnehaha Falls Minnehaha Park is a city park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, and home to Minnehaha Falls and the lower reaches of Minnehaha Creek. Officially named Minnehaha Regional Park, it is part of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board sy ...

, Minnesota. The name comes from the

Dakota language The Dakota language ( or ), also referred to as Dakhóta, is a Siouan language spoken by the Dakota people of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, commonly known in English as the Sioux. Dakota is closely related to and mutually intelligible with the Lak ...

Geography

Minnehaha is located in southwestern Clark County and is bordered on the west, south, and east by the city of

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 on the north by Walnut Grove. 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 Minnehaha CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.26%, is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,689 people, 2,795 households, and 2,031 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,464.1 people per square mile (1,337.3/km²). There were 2,907 housing units at an average density of 1,309.7/sq mi (505.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.28%

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 ...

, 2.20%

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, 2.81% Asian, 0.62%

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 ...

, 2.09% from other races, and 3.04% 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 4.10% of the population. 15.0% were of German, 13.2% English, 8.2% American and 7.8% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 2,795 households, out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.18. In the CDP, the age distribution of the population shows 28.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $46,766, and the median income for a family was $50,585. Males had a median income of $39,167 versus $28,984 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 $20,023. About 8.9% of families and 11.3% 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 15.9% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

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 ...

. The district operates Minnehaha Elementary School, as well as

Harry S Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th Vice president of the United States, vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Frank ...

Elementary School.

References

External links

Columbian newspaper article from 1928
{{authority control Census-designated places in Clark County, Washington Census-designated places in Washington (state)