Selah, Washington

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Selah, Washington
Location of Selah, Washington
Location of Selah, Washington
Coordinates: 46°39′8″N 120°32′6″W / 46.65222, -120.535
Country United States
State Washington
County Yakima
Area
 - Total 4.4 sq mi (11.5 km²)
 - Land 4.4 sq mi (11.3 km²)
 - Water 0.1 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation 1,119 ft (341 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 6,310
 - Density 1,444.2/sq mi (557.6/km²)
Time zone Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
 - Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code 98942
Area code(s) 509
FIPS code 53-63280[1]
GNIS feature ID 1512655[2]

Selah is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,310 at the 2000 census.

Contents

[edit] History

Selah was officially incorporated on April 3, 1919. The government is a Strong Mayor/Council form. The Tree Top apple processor co-operative (established in 1960) has its headquarters and two processing plants in Selah. Also in 2004 the Yakama Tribe bought the old Hi-Country juicing plant and currently produces store brand apple juice and other beverages. In addition a number of fruit companies have warehouses there, due to the proximity of fruit orchards in the nearby Wenas Valley and heights above the city and access to regional railroad and roadway systems for shipment to markets. Selah and the Wenas Valley increasingly serve as a "bedroom community" of the larger city of Yakima to the south.

The Washington State Audubon Society each Memorial Day weekend holds a campout at Hazel Wolf Bird Sanctuary in the upper Wenas Valley some 22 miles north of Selah. The upper valley also holds Wenas Lake, an irrigation reservoir famed among anglers.

[edit] Geography

Selah is located at 46°39′8″N, 120°32′6″W (46.652109, -120.535134)[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11.5 km²), of which, 4.4 square miles (11.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (1.35%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 6,310 people, 2,269 households, and 1,688 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,444.2 people per square mile (557.5/km²). There were 2,408 housing units at an average density of 551.1/sq mi (212.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.42% White, 0.60% African American, 1.22% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 6.40% from other races, and 2.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.05% of the population.

There were 2,269 households out of which 44.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.7% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,386, and the median income for a family was $49,477. Males had a median income of $39,241 versus $28,067 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,595. About 9.0% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.4% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Further reading

Lince, Robert S. The Selah Story. Selah, WA: Selah Valley Optimist Printing, 1984.

[edit] References

[edit] External links