Prosser, Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Prosser is a city in Benton County, Washington, along the Yakima River with only one zip code 99350. The population was 5,138 in July 2004. It is the county seat of Benton County.GR6
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[edit] History
The town of Prosser was founded by William Farrand Prosser, a Union Colonel in the Civil War from Pennsylvania, who settled in the area in 1882. Prosser was officially incorporated on March 2, 1899. As you can see in the picture above Prosser has an abundance of trees. When Prosser was settled there was only one natural tree in the area. All other trees were hand-planted. Prosser is known for it's wine production, temperate weather, pleasant citizens, and of course The Great Prosser Balloon Rally.
[edit] Annual events
- Prosser Community Awards Banquet In January we honor our hard working citizens and volunteers.
- Red Wine & Chocolate In February various wineries around the valley offer tasting and special prices.
- Sweet Retreat 2nd Saturday in March the Columbia Valley Winery Association hosts the pairing of sweet wine with food.
- Spring Barrel Tasting In April various wineries offer tasting.
- Wine Country Spring Fair In May on Mother's Day weekend arts and crafts in the park.
- Farmers Market Usually starts in May sometime and runs every weekend through harvest.
- The Dash Race for the Kids Early June after school lets out we have a bicycle competition a 62 mile "Metric Century" and youth fun run. Wine tasting after.
- Kestrel Festival Sponsored by Kestrel Wines. This is in June.
- Prosser's Best Run Saturday closest to July 4th, In honor of Marvin L. Best. 1 mile, 5k and 10k Runs.
- Old Fashioned 4th of July 4th of July Weekend, includes a kiddie parade, car show, fireworks, bingo, stage shows, and food vendors in the park.
- Art Walk and Wine Gala Wine tasting event in the middle of July.
- Prosser's Wine and Food Fair One of the top events of the year. Beginning of August. Thirty-some Washington Wineries and food from 20 vendors come together to offer sampling and tasting. Located at Art Fiker Stadium.
- A Night Out Beginning of September. Fundraising benefit of food and fun for the Prosser Memorial Foundation.
- Prosser State's Day Celebration Another on of the top events of the year. On Labor Day. There is a fly-in at the airport, a carnival in the park, and a parade in the morning. Miss Prosser is crowned.
- The Great Prosser Balloon Rally The last of the top events. On the 4th full weekend in September balloons launch on 3 days just after dawn from the Prosser airport. Balloons glow from within at Art Fiker Stadium during The Great Prosser Balloon Rally Night Glowshow.
- Annual Harvest Festival Same weekend as the Balloon Rally. Arts and crafts downtown with fun and food.
- Annual Caren Mercer-Andreason Street Painting Festival Same weekend as the Prosser Balloon Rally and Harvest Festival. Watch local and regional artists create works of art on the pavement in downtown Prosser.
- Thanksgiving in Wine Country Sunday after Thanksgiving. Sample all the newly released wines.
- Family Christmas Festival Early December Santa comes to town. The annual lighting of the Christmas tree takes place with carolers and holiday music.
[edit] Geography
Prosser is located at (46.206921, -119.765612).GR1 It is 665 ft above sea level. One river, the Yakima River, runs through it.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.5 km² (4.4 mi²). 11.1 km² (4.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (2.93%) is water.
[edit] Climate
Temperature
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High (°F) | 41 | 47 | 56 | 65 | 75 | 82 | 88 | 88 | 80 | 65 | 52 | 42 |
| Low (°F) | 25 | 30 | 32 | 38 | 45 | 50 | 54 | 52 | 45 | 38 | 32 | 27 |
Snowfall
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inches | 7.5 | 3 | 1 | .5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .5 | 2.5 | 7 |
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 4,838 people updated to 5,138 people in July 2004, 1,697 households, and 1,240 families residing in the city. The population density was 434.4/km² (1,125.1/mi²). There were 1,800 housing units at an average density of 161.6/km² (418.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.89% White, 0.54% African American, 0.91% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.29% Pacific Islander, 15.11% from other races, and 2.50% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 (11.1% Latin America).
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 population was spread out with 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 age is 32 years old. The median house value was $98,500 (2000). 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 for the city was $16,302. About 11.5% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.
For population 15 years and over in Prosser city
- Never married: 18.1%
- Now married: 64.1%
- Separated: 1.9%
- Widowed: 7.5%
- Divorced: 8.4%
For population 25 years and over in Prosser:
- High school or higher: 68.0%
- Bachelor's degree or higher: 16.2%
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.0%
- Unemployed: 6.6%
- Mean travel time to work: 18.9 minutes
[edit] Economy
The economy of Prosser is based on agriculture. In addition to fruit orchards and fruit packing plants, Prosser is an important center of wine making in the Yakima Valley American Viticultural Area.
[edit] Wineries
- Alexandria Nicole Cellars
- C R Sandidge Wines, winery in Chelan, tasting room in Prosser
- Chateau Champoux
- Chinook Wines
- Cowan Vineyards
- Coyote Canyon Winery
- Desert Wind Vineyard
- Hinzerling Winery and Vintner's Inn
- Hogue Cellars Winery
- Kestrel Winery
- Pontin del Roza Winery
- Snipes Gap Vineyards
- Snoqualmie Vineyards
- Thurston Wolfe Winery
[edit] Schools
- Prosser High School Grades 9-12, 843 Students
- Prosser Falls Education Center Grades 9-12, 69 Students
- Housel Middle School Grades 6-8, 676 Students
- Prosser Hights Elementary Grades 3-5, 676 Students
- Keene-Riverview Elementary Grades K-2, 480 students
- Whitstran Elementary Grades K-5, 285 Students
[edit] Sports
High School
- Prosser Mustangs
Football, Track, Cross-Country, Volleyball, Basketball (boys and girls), Tennis (boys and girls), Golf, Swim Team (boys and girls), Soccer (boys and girls), Dance Team, and Cheer.
[edit] Crime
Crime statistics provided are from 2001, 2002, and 2003. There were 0 murders, 1 rape and only 2 robberies in this time frame. An average of 3 assaults , 31 burglaries, 151 larceny counts, and 9 auto thefts per year. City-data.com crime index average for 3 years is 203.66 per 100,000. The US average is 329.7. Lower is better.
[edit] Major highways and closest cities
- Interstate 82
- U.S. Route 12
- Washington State Route 221
- Washington State Route 22
- Grandview, Washington 8 miles
- Mabton, Washington 12 miles
- Sunnyside, Washington 15 miles
- Benton City, Washington 17 miles
[edit] Citizens of note
- Kelly Blair-LaBounty--U.S. athlete (400 meter dash), 2000 Sydney Olympics
- Colonel William Farrand Prosser--city founder, U.S. Army Colonel in the Civil War
- Harold McCluskey -- "The Atomic Man"
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Prosser Chamber Of Commerce
- The Great Prosser Balloon Rally
