Union Gap is a city in

Yakima County Yakima County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 256,728. The county seat and most populous city is Yakima, Washington, Ya ...

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 6,568 at the 2020 census. Union Gap has become the retail hub for the entire Yakima Valley as a result of Valley Mall and other thriving businesses being located here. Part of the city is within the

Yakama Nation The Yakama Indian Reservation (spelled Yakima until 1994) is a Native American reservation in Washington state of the federally recognized tribe known as the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. The tribe is made up of Klikitat ...

Name

The town is named for a

water gap A water gap is a gap that flowing water has carved through a mountain range or mountain ridge and that still carries water today. Such gaps that no longer carry water currents are called wind gaps. Water gaps and wind gaps often offer a pract ...

formed by the

Yakima River The Yakima River is a tributary of the Columbia River in south central and eastern Washington state, named for the indigenous Yakama people. Lewis and Clark mention in their journals that the Chin-nâm pam (or the Lower Snake River Chamnapam N ...

between the

Rattlesnake Hills The Rattlesnake Hills, also known as Rattlesnake Ridge, is a 16-mile (26 km) long anticline mountain ridge in Yakima County, Washington, Yakima County and Benton County, Washington, Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Wash ...

and

Ahtanum Ridge Ahtanum Ridge is a long anticline mountain ridge in Yakima County, Washington, Yakima County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is located just south of the city of Yakima, Washington, Yakima, and much of its length is at the ...

. The gap is traversed by U.S. Route 97,

Interstate 82 Interstate 82 (I-82) is an Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States that travels through parts of Washington (state), Washington and Oregon. It runs from its northwestern terminus at I ...

, and Thorp Road, and the BNSF Railway.

History

The city of Union Gap was originally named Yakima City and was officially incorporated on November 23, 1883. When bypassed by 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 ...

in December 1884, over 100 buildings were moved with rollers and horse teams to the nearby site of the depot. The new city was dubbed North Yakima. In 1918, North Yakima was renamed to simply

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 the original town to the south was named Union Gap to avoid confusion between the two towns.

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 , of which, is land and is water.

Economy

Liberty Bottleworks, a

water bottle A water bottle is a container that is used to hold liquids, mainly water, for the purpose of transporting a drink while travelling or while otherwise away from a supply of potable water. Water bottles are usually made of plastic, glass, metal. ...

manufacturer, operates out of a plant in Union Gap that employs 18 people.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 6,568 people, 2,183 households, and 1,527 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 2,275 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 43.79%

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 ...

, 1.10%

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 ...

, 2.79% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.11%

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 ...

, 35.76% from some other races and 15.88% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

people of any race were 58.62% of the population. 28.5% of residents were under the age of 18, 8.7% were under 5 years of age, and 10.5% were 65 and older.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,047 people, 2,061 households, and 1,420 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,173 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 62.91%

, 0.91%

, 2.61% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.03%

, 29.07% from some other races and 3.59% from two or more races.

people of any race were 47.18% of the population. There were 2,061 households, of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% 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, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.1% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.43. The median age in the city was 32.7 years. 28.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 5,621 people, 2,070 households, and 1,407 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,210 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 72.19%

, 0.41%

, 2.24% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.09%

, 20.17% from some other races and 4.32% from two or more races.

people of any race were 29.57% of the population. There were 2,070 households, out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.20. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 28.5% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,676, and the median income for a family was $34,795. Males had a median income of $25,802 versus $23,393 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 $13,102. About 14.9% of families and 18.0% 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 24.2% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Union Gap is the namesake of

Gary Puckett & The Union Gap Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (initially credited as The Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett) was an American pop rock group active in the late 1960s. The group, formed by Gary Puckett, Gary "Mutha" Withem, Dwight Bement, Kerry Chater and Paul Whea ...

, a nationally successful pop group of the late 1960s (Puckett grew up in the adjacent city of

References

External links

City of Union Gap – official website
{{Authority control Cities in Washington (state) Cities in Yakima County, Washington 1918 establishments in Washington (state) Populated places on the Yakima River Water gaps of Washington (state)