Prosser () is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Benton County, Washington
Benton County is a County (United States), county in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 206,873. The county seat is Prosser, Wash ...
, United States.
Situated along the
Yakima River, it had a population of 6,062 at the
2020 census.
History
Prosser was long home to
Native Americans who lived and fished along the river. They called the area "Táptat" (alternatively spelled Tap-tat, Top tut, etc.), which translates to "long hair in front, short hair on the sides", referring to a style of headdress.
Colonel William Farrand Prosser first surveyed the area in 1879, then claimed homestead in 1882. The
Northern Pacific Railroad
The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...
laid tracks through the area two years later. A town plat was filed by Colonel Prosser in 1885, and in 1886 he was elected
Yakima County Auditor. He moved to
North Yakima to attend to these duties, and never returned to the town that he founded.
Lewis Hinzerling built a flour mill at Prosser falls in 1887, encouraging further settlement of the area. The first
irrigation canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...
was completed in 1893 by the Prosser Falls Land and Irrigation Company. Prosser was officially incorporated in 1899 with a population of 229 people.
In 1905,
Benton County was carved out of the eastern portions of
Yakima
Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...
and
Klickitat Counties. The new town of Prosser was chosen as county seat. In 1907 a power plant was added and began delivering
electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
to the town. The following year, a new high school was built, followed a year later by a telephone exchange. In 1910 the city received a grant from
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...
for a public library.
Throughout the 1910s and 1920s various companies drilled in this area for oil and natural gas. There were no large findings and the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
put an end to exploration.
On November 5, 1912, Benton County voters held a
referendum
A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
to move the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
from Prosser to either
Kennewick
Kennewick () is a city in Benton County, Washington, Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is located along the southwest bank of the Columbia River, just southeast of the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima ...
or
Benton City. Intense rivalry and war of words between Benton City, Kennewick, and Prosser preceded the vote. Despite getting a majority of the vote, Kennewick did not receive 60 percent of the vote as required by law. To date, Prosser remains the county seat.
In 1919,
Washington State College
Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant universities in the American West. With an un ...
(later WSU) established the Irrigation Experiment Station at Prosser. The program's mandate is to study the problems faced by farmers, orchardists, and ranchers in the dry central part of the state. The station originally employed scientists from the college in Pullman, who partnered with scientists from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The station is still currently in use, and offers a number of agricultural education programs.
Prosser at one point had three newspapers, which were consolidated in the 1920s into the Prosser ''Record-Bulletin'', and a permanent courthouse was built in 1926. The Benton County Historical Museum was dedicated in 1968.
In more recent years, Prosser's location on a major river (the Yakima) and highway access has encouraged a growing
wine business and associated
tourist
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...
industry. Several Prosser wineries are located within the
Yakima Valley appellation.
Geography
Prosser is located near the eastern end of the
Yakima Valley. It is above sea level.
One river, the
Yakima River, runs through it.
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 city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.
The former community of
Kinneyville is now a neighborhood fully contained within Prosser. The city has the
ZIP code 99350.
Climate
Prosser experiences a
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 se ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''BSk'').
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 census, there were 6,062 people, 2,272 households in the city.
2010 census
As of the
2010 census, there were 5,714 people, 2,023 households, and 1,396 families residing in the city. 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 2,129 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 76.1%
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 ...
, 0.5%
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 ...
, 0.5%
Native American, 2.0%
Asian, 0.1%
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 ...
, 17.6% from
other races, and 3.2% 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 37.2% of the population.
There were 2,023 households, of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% 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, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.0% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.42.
The median age in the city was 32.8 years. 30.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 21.4% were from 45 to 64; and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.
2000 census
As of the
2000 census, there were 4,838 people 1,697 households, and 1,240 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,125.1 people per square mile (434.4/km
2). There were 1,800 housing units at an average density of 418.6 per square mile (161.6/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 79.89%
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 ...
, 0.54%
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 ...
, 0.91%
Native American, 0.76%
Asian, 0.29%
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 ...
, 15.11% from
other races, and 2.50% 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 29.37% of the population. Ancestries: German (17.3%), English (10.8%), Irish (9.3%), United States (6.8%), Norwegian (4.3%), French (4.2%), 12.5% Foreign born (99.1% Mexican).
There were 1,697 households, out of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the city, the age distribution of the population showed 32.5% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,185, and the median income for a family was $45,162. Males had a median income of $36,750 versus $26,146 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 city was $16,302. About 11.5% of families and 13.5% 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 21.1% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The economy of Prosser is based on agriculture. In addition to fruit orchards and fruit packing plants, Prosser is part of the
Yakima Valley AVA, a major wine-growing region. Prosser now has nearly 30 wineries in the city and surrounding areas.
Schools
Public education is provided by the Prosser School District, also known as Prosser Public Schools, which operates six schools.
Media
Prosser was formerly served by four competing newspapers at the turn of the 20th century. The ''American'' was established in 1893 and only ran for three years and was bought out by the new ''Prosser Record''. The ''Prosser Falls Bulletin'' ceased publication in 1902 and was replaced with the ''Republican Bulletin'' in 1907. The ''Benton Independent'' was established in 1909 and was consolidated into the ''Record'' in 1913, becoming the ''Independent Record'' five years later. On July 1, 1920, the ''Republican Bulletin'' and ''Independent Record'' were merged into the
''Prosser Record-Bulletin'', which continues to serve the Prosser area.
In addition to a newspaper, Prosser has had an FM-radio station since 1963.
KZXR-FM (101.7
FM) is a
radio station
Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...
broadcasting a
regional Mexican
Regional Mexican music refers collectively to the regional subgenres of the country music of Mexico and its derivatives from the Southwestern United States. Each subgenre is representative of a certain region and its popularity also varies by ...
music format. The station is currently owned by Amador and Rosalie Bustos'
Bustos Media, through licensee Bustos Media Holdings, LLC.
Crime
Notable people
*
Mary L. Boas — Mathematician and physics instructor and author
*
George Boomer — Socialist newspaper editor and 1908 gubernatorial candidate
*
Walter Clore — Father of
Washington wine
*
Lorena González, Seattle city councilmember
*
Kelly Blair Labounty — 1996 Olympian.
*
Harold McCluskey — "The Atomic Man"
*
Kellen Moore — Former
NFL Quarterback. Current Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints.
*
Brian Norman Prior — IX Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota
*
William Farrand Prosser — city founder, U.S. Army Colonel in the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
See also
*
List of Harvest Festivals
References
External links
City of Prosser Official WebsiteProsser Chamber of CommerceYakima Valley Visitors & Convention BureauProsser Heritage. Digitized historical resources from the Prosser branch of Mid-Columbia Libraries and the Benton County Museum & Historical Society.
{{Authority control
Cities in Washington (state)
Cities in Benton County, Washington
County seats in Washington (state)
Populated places on the Yakima River
Prosser, Washington