Monitor 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 Chelan 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 United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is situated along the

Wenatchee River The Wenatchee River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington, originating at Lake Wenatchee and flowing southeast for , emptying into the Columbia River immediately north of Wenatchee, Washington. On its way it passes the towns of Plain, Le ...

about 8 miles upstream from its junction 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 ...

in the fertile Wenatchee Valley. Monitor is part of the

Wenatchee Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and most populous city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and has increased to 35,508 as of 2020. Located in the north-central part of the stat ...

–

East Wenatchee East Wenatchee is a city in Douglas County, Washington, Douglas County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census was 13,190, a 129.1% increase on the 2000 census, having annexed ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The

USPS The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

ZIP Code for Monitor is 98836. According to data from the 2000 census, the total population in the Monitor ZIP code was 342 persons. Monitor itself is not incorporated, and is not tracked by the Census.

History

Before the existence of Monitor, the area was known by settlers as Brown's Flat, named after Reuben Brown who settled there in 1885. In these days, the Wenatchee River formed the boundary between old Kittitas and Okanogan counties. At the site of Monitor a school was built to serve school districts on both sides of the river. The Great Northern Railway passed through in 1892, causing little stir in the area but jump-starting the construction of the Peshastin irrigation ditch, which would bring water the area and make it a prime place for agriculture. Constructed piecemeal by local contractors and land-owners, the portion of the ditch dug through Monitor was by rancher James Weythman and the Brown Brothers. The ditch was completed in the early 1900s and local orchards thrived. Monitor emerged as an agricultural shipping point along the railroad and a small community grew around the warehouses.Hull, Lindley M. (editor)''A History of Central Washington: Including the Famous Wenatchee, Entiat, Chelan and the Columbia Valleys, with an Indexed Eighty Scenic Historical Illustrations''. Spokane, WA: Shaw & Borden Company, 1929. Print. A post office was established in 1902 and the citizens chose to rename the community in honor of the

Ironclad warship An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship protected by steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The firs ...

USS Monitor USS ''Monitor'' was an ironclad warship built for the United States Navy during the American Civil War and completed in early 1862, the first such ship commissioned by the Navy. ''Monitor'' played a central role in the Battle of Hampton Roads ...

'' which fought for the Union navy in the

Battle of Hampton Roads The Battle of Hampton Roads, also referred to as the Battle of the ''Monitor'' and ''Merrimack'' or the Battle of Ironclads, was a naval battle during the American Civil War. The battle was fought over two days, March 8 and 9, 1862, in Hampton ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The town currently has a post office and several small businesses located along

US 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. ...

, which bypasses Monitor on the north side of the Wenatchee River.

Geography

Monitor is located alongside the

in the lower reaches of the Wenatchee Valley, approximately 8 miles upstream from the river's mouth at the

. The city of

, the largest in the region, is located at the confluence of the two rivers. The floor of the valley at Monitor is located at 715 feet above sea level, though rugged slopes rise immediately to the north of the community to a height of nearly 1,500 feet. Peaks over 2,400 feet are located within two miles to the south and west of the community.

U.S. Route 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected ...

and U.S. Route 97 pass concurrently through Monitor along the north side of the Wenatchee River. They connect the community with Wenatchee, 8 miles downstream, and to Cashmere about 4 miles upstream.

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, Monitor 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 Monitor, Washington
/ref>

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Washington (state) Unincorporated communities in Chelan County, Washington Wenatchee–East Wenatchee metropolitan area