Odessa, Washington

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Odessa is a town in Lincoln County, Washington, United States. The population was 957 at the 2000 census.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Special Events
5 External links

[edit] History

George Finney first settled on the site of Odessa in 1886. He platted Odessa in the summer of 1899 after the Great Northern Railroad had built its line through the valley in 1892.The railroad siding was named Odessa Siding by railroad surveyors after Odessa, Russia because of the Russian wheat farmers in the area. The post office was established in June of 1898. The first store was opened in 1898 by J.B. Ziegler and W.N. Schoonover. After the train depot was built in 1900, the town grew rapidly. By 1904 the town had grown from 30 to 800 people. Odessa was officially incorporated on September 25, 1902.

[edit] Geography

Odessa is located at 47°19′60″N, 118°41′17″W (47.333230, -118.688188)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 957 people, 405 households, and 268 families residing in the town. The population density was 450.6/km² (1,170.9/mi²). There were 472 housing units at an average density of 222.2/km² (577.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.39% White, 0.21% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.94% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 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 for the town was $17,461. About 7.9% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] 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, rueben sandwiches, borscht soup, kuchen, apple strudel, hot potato salad, pfeffernuesse, cabbage rolls, and a variety of homemade pies. Polka music is provided by the Oom Pas and Mas, who are comprised of lederhosen-wearing local musicians. The group is known for it's performance of the Chicken Dance.