Odessa is a town in Lincoln County,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, United States. The population was 910 at the 2010 census.

History

A post office called Odessa has been in operation since 1898. The area was originally built up chiefly by Russians, and was named after Odessa, in present-day 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 Highways, U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern ...

to the north and Interstate 90 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. Named for the presence of crayfish, it is one of the few perennial streams in the Columbia Basin of central Washington, flowing from the northeastern Columbia River Plateau, roughly east o ...

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 The Missoula floods (also known as the Spokane floods or the Bretz floods or Bretz's floods) were cataclysmic glacial lake outburst floods that swept periodically across eastern Washington and down the Columbia River Gorge at the end of the las ...

at the end of the last ice age. 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. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

Odessa has a

Cold semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

(BSk) 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, notabl ...

system.

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 910 people, 394 households, and 253 families living in the town. 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 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 hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 1.0% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, 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 forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

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 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

of 2000, 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

, and 0.94% from two or more races.

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 married couples 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 total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

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 t ...

, 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)