Toppenish () is a city in
Yakima 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 8,854 at the
2020 census.
It is located within the
Yakama Indian Reservation, established in 1855.
Toppenish calls itself the city of Murals, as it has more than 75
mural
A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' ...
s adorning its buildings. The first, "Clearing the Land", was painted in 1989, and the city hosts horse-drawn tours and annual art events. All murals are historically accurate and depict scenes of the region from 1840 to 1940.
History
All territory set aside for the
Yakama Indian Reservation by the
Treaty of Washington was held communally in the name of the tribe. None of the land was individually owned. The treaty of 1855, between the United States government, representatives from thirteen other bands, tribes, and
Chief Kamiakin, resulted in the Yakama Nation relinquishing of their homeland. Prior to their ceding the land, only Native Americans had lived in the area.
For a time they were not much disturbed, but the
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
was constructed into the area in 1883. More white settlers migrated into the region, looking for farming land, and joined the ranchers in older settlements bordering 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 ...
.
The
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act of 1887 (also known as the General Allotment Act or the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887) regulated land rights on tribal territories within the United States. Named after Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts, it authorized the P ...
of 1887 was part of federal legislation designed to force assimilation to European-American ways by Native Americans. Specifically, it was designed to break up the communal tribal land of Native American reservations and allot portions to individual households of tribal members, in order to encourage subsistence farming in the European-American style and familiarity with western conceptions of property. Lands declared excess by the government to this allotment were available for sale to anyone, and European Americans had been demanding more land in the West for years. Under varying conditions, Native American landowners were to be allowed to sell their plots.
Josephine Bowser Lillie was among Native Americans granted an allotment of land within the Yakama Reservation. Of mixed Native American/European ancestry and Yakama identification, she is known as "The Mother of Toppenish." She platted the north of her land. These tracts became the first deeded land to be sold on the Yakama Nation Reservation.

A driving figure in Toppenish's early development was William Leslie Shearer (October 31, 1862 – June 5, 1922). Since Toppenish had no church in 1897 Shearer obtained permission from the Northern Pacific Railroad Company and offered the freight room for religious services. Following this, he helped organize the first Methodist Church and, as trustee, was instrumental in the construction of a building that would house the church and also serve as school classrooms until a separate schoolhouse could be built. The building was completed in time for the 1898-1899 school term.
After leaving the employment of the railroad, Shearer, with Frank J. Lemon as his partner, opened Toppenish's first drugstore in 1905. About a year later, Shearer sold out, turning his attention to the newly organized Yakima Produce and Trading company, with George Plank, A.W. McDonald and M. McDonald as partners. The company bought some acreage and leased more sagebrush land to develop the 1700-acre ranch near Satus Station. Shearer had a system of irrigation ditches constructed leading from Satus Creek to the acreage.
Toppenish was officially incorporated on April 29, 1907, and founded by Johnny Barnes. The city lies inside the boundaries of the Yakama Nation's Reservation.
Etymology
''Tẋápniš'' in the
Sahaptin language
Sahaptin (), also called Ichishkiin (; Umatilla language, Umatilla: , Yakama dialect, Yakama: ), is one of the two-language Sahaptian languages, Sahaptian branch of the Plateau Penutian languages, Plateau Penutian family spoken in a section of t ...
of the Yakama is the likely source of the name Toppenish. The word means ‘protruded, stuck out’ and recalls a landslide that occurred on the ridge south of
White Swan, Washington. According to
William Bright
William Oliver Bright (August 13, 1928 – October 15, 2006) was an American linguist and toponymist who specialized in Native American and South Asian languages and descriptive linguistics.
Biography
Bright earned a bachelor's degree in lin ...
, the name "Toppenish" comes from the Sahaptin word ''/txápniš/'', referring to a landslide, from ''/txá-/'', "accidentally", ''/-pni-/'', "to launch, to take forth and out", and ''/-ša/'', "
continuative present tense".
Geography
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 , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 census, there were 8,854 people, 2,397 households, and 1,926 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 2,453 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 18.33%
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 ...
, 0.40%
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 ...
, 9.36%
Native American, 0.36%
Asian, 0.14%
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 ...
, 52.79% from some other races and 18.62% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 84.41% of the population. 31.3% of residents were under the age of 18, 9.3% were under 5 years of age, and 11.9% were 65 and older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% female.
2010 census
As of the
2010 census, there were 8,949 people, 2,237 households, and 1,900 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,334 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 33.85%
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 ...
, 0.68%
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 ...
, 8.05%
Native American, 0.31%
Asian, 0.07%
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 ...
, 52.58% from some other races and 4.47% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 82.56% of the population.
There were 2,237 households, of which 62.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% 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, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 10.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 15.1% were non-families. 11.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.96 and the average family size was 4.22.
The median age in the city was 24.3 years. 37.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 13.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 17.2% were from 45 to 64; and 6.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.3% male and 48.7% female.
2000 census
As of the
2000 census, there were 8,946 people, 2,275 households, and 1,874 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,440 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 31.48%
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 ...
, 0.56%
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 ...
, 7.90%
Native American, 0.37%
Asian, 0.02%
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 ...
, 55.95% from some other races and 3.72% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 75.72% of the population.
There were 2,275 households, out of which 52.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.6% were non-families. 14.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.88 and the average family size was 4.26.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 38.8% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 14.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,950, and the median income for a family was $28,228. Males had a median income of $22,264 versus $19,704 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 $9,101. About 29.2% of families and 32.0% 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 38.1% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.
Crime
According to the
Uniform Crime Report statistics compiled by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
(FBI) in 2023, there were 64 violent crimes and 524 property crimes per 100,000 residents. Of these, the violent crimes consisted of 8 murders, 3 forcible rapes, 27 robberies and 26 aggravated assaults, while 88 burglaries, 333 larceny-thefts, 101 motor vehicle thefts and 2 acts of arson defined the property offenses.
Education
Public schools are operated by the
Toppenish School District, whose offices are located here.
The Yakama Nation also operates the
Yakama Nation Tribal School, which is adjacent to Toppenish.
Notable people
*
Vicki Adams, trick rider
*
Fred Anderson, former NFL player
*
Leslie E. Brown,
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
aviator
*
Westley Allan Dodd, serial killer
*
Bunky Echo-Hawk, Native American artist and poet
*
Terry Grosz, game warden
*
Charles Lollar
Charles Lollar (born June 22, 1971) is an American businessman and Republican Party politician. A former Marine Corps officer, he was the Republican nominee for Maryland's 5th congressional district in 2010, losing to Democratic incumbent Sten ...
, businessman and political candidate
*
A.B. Quintanilla, record producer and musician
*
Gregory Short
Gregory Norman Short (August 14, 1938 – April 1, 1999) was a composer, educator, and performer. He was born in Toppenish, Washington, the largest city in the Yakima Indian Reservation. Later, he attended the Juilliard School and University o ...
, composer, educator, and performer
*
Dale E. Stovall,
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
general
*
Billy J. Williams, former
United States attorney
United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...
for the
District of Oregon
References
External links
City of Toppenish – official websiteHistory of Toppenishat
HistoryLink
HistoryLink is an online encyclopedia of Washington (state), Washington state history. The site has more than 8,100 entries and attracts 23,000 weekly visitors. It has 500 biographies and more than 14,000 images.
The non-profit historical organi ...
{{Authority control
Cities in Washington (state)
Cities in Yakima County, Washington
1887 establishments in Washington Territory
Populated places on the Yakima River
Washington (state) placenames of Native American origin
Seats of government of American Indian reservations