Odessa is a town in Lincoln 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 896 at the 2020 census.

History

A post office called Odessa has been in operation since 1898. The area was originally built up chiefly by Volga Germans, and was named after

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

, Ukraine. Odessa was officially incorporated on September 25, 1902.

Geography

Odessa is located at (47.3332, -118.6882) in southeastern Lincoln County near the border with Adams County. Washington State Routes 21 and 28 have a junction in Odessa. State Route 21 connects Odessa with

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 ...

to the north and

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 ...

to the south. State Route 28 provides east-west connections with communities in Lincoln County and to the west in Grant County.

Crab Creek Crab Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington (U.S. state), Washington. Named for the presence of crayfish, it is one of the few perennial stream, perennial streams in the Columbia River Drainage Basin, Columbia Basin of central Washingto ...

passes through Odessa, and State Route 28 roughly follows its path in the broader Odessa area. The town lies near the middle 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 ...

region, carved by the Missoula Floods at the end of the last ice age. 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 town has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

Odessa has a

Cold semi-arid climate Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

(BSk) 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.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 910 people, 394 households, and 253 families living in the town. 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 460 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.5%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 1.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 1.6% 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 2.6% of the population. There were 394 households, of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% 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, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.8% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age in the town was 50.8 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.6% were from 25 to 44; 31.3% were from 45 to 64; and 26.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 957 people, 405 households, and 268 families living in the town. The

was 1,170.9 people per square mile (450.6/km²). There were 472 housing units at an average density of 577.5 per square mile (222.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.39%

, 0.21%

, 0.52% Native American, 0.94% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.25% of the population. There were 405 households, out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were

living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 29.1% 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 2.28 and the average family size was 2.83. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 27.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,038, and the median income for a family was $38,594. Males had a median income of $30,764 versus $20,357 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 town was $17,461. About 7.9% of families and 10.6% 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 14.8% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Special events

Each year the town hosts the Odessa Deutschesfest, which occurs on the third weekend in September. Several thousand guests travel from distant places to experience the German festival. Attractions include the Sausage Bowl (Odessa High School 8-man football), Quilt Display, Art Show, Horseshoe Tournament, Historisches Museum, Bed and Tricycle races, Flea Market, Parade featuring modern farm machinery, Jugend (Youth) Garten, German Biergarten, and food circus. Some of the foods featured at the event include traditional German sausage, kartoffel und kloese, reuben sandwiches, borscht soup, kuchen, apple strudel, hot potato salad, pfeffernüsse, cabbage rolls, and a variety of homemade pies. Polka music is provided by the Oom Pas and Mas, composed of lederhosen-wearing local musicians. The group is known for its performance of the Chicken Dance.

References

External links

* *
Odessa Chamber of Commerce

Odessa Public Library

Odessa High School

Odessa Heritage. Digitized historical resources from the Odessa Public Library and Odessa Historisches Museum
{{Authority control Towns in Lincoln County, Washington Towns in Washington (state)