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Morton is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,036 at the 2020 census.


History

Morton was first settled in 1871 by James Fletcher. It was later named after
Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...
's Vice President, Levi P. Morton, in 1889. Morton was officially incorporated on January 7, 1913. Historic sources of revenue included logging, harvesting of cascara
bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, ...
, and mining for
cinnabar Cinnabar (), or cinnabarite (), from the grc, κιννάβαρι (), is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining elemental mercury and is the historic source for the bri ...
(mercury ore) in local mines. Morton was once known as the "tie mill capital of the world" in the 1950s. The longest
railroad tie A railroad tie, crosstie (American English), railway tie (Canadian English) or railway sleeper (Australian English, Australian and British English) is a rectangular support for the Track (rail transport), rails in railroad tracks. Generally la ...
dock in the world ran along the railroad tracks east of Morton.


Geography

Morton is located at (46.557869, -122.279631). According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.


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 is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
system, Morton has a
warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2010, there were 1,126 people, 461 households, and 283 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
was . There were 535 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.2%
White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 0.5%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 1.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 1.8% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population. There were 461 households, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.6% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the city was 46.3 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.5% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64; and 26.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.


Arts and culture


Festivals and events

The Morton Loggers’ Jubilee is a weekend celebration of the city's history of logging, usually held in August. The event, proclaimed as the "granddaddy of all logging shows", is highlighted by the coronation of a Jubilee Queen,
lawnmower A lawn mower (also known as a mower, grass cutter or lawnmower) is a device utilizing one or more revolving blades (or a reel) to cut a grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by the design of the mower, but g ...
and bed racing, and competitive logging contests. A parade, flea market, live music, and street dance performances round out the festivities.


Politics

Morton has voted Republican in the past, although less so than Lewis County as a whole. The results for the
2020 U.S. Presidential Election The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala H ...
were as follows: *
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...
( Republican) - 288 (69%) * Joseph Biden ( Democrat) - 114 (29%) * Other candidates - 32 (2%)


Education

There are two schools, Morton Elementary and Morton Junior-Senior High. Centralia College East is adjacent to the Junior-Senior High facility.


Notable people

* Bill Bryant, Seattle Port Commissioner * Brandy Clark, singer/songwriter for many Nashville recording artists such as
LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at age 13 with 1996's "Blue". She has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Chris ...
and
Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...
* Roger "Buzz" Osborne, singer/songwriter/guitarist for the rock band
Melvins Melvins (sometimes The Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Initially, they performed as a trio but later also sometimes appe ...


References


External links


Arbor Health (formerly Morton General Hospital)

Morton Depot Project



Morton Chamber of Commerce
*
Morton Logger's Jubilee

Centralia College East
{{authority control Cities in Washington (state) Cities in Lewis County, Washington