| East Wenatchee, Washington | |||
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| — City — | |||
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| Location in the state of Washington | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Washington | ||
| County | Douglas | ||
| Incorporated | March 11, 1935 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Steven C. Lacy | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 3.67 sq mi (6.0 km2) | ||
| • Land | 3.67 sq mi (6.0 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 712 ft (217 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 13,190 | ||
| • Density | 3,126.3/sq mi (1,207.1/km2) | ||
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) | ||
| ZIP code | 98802 | ||
| Area code | 509 | ||
| FIPS code | 53-20155[1] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 1519148[2] | ||
| Website | www.east-wenatchee.com | ||
East Wenatchee is a city in Douglas County, Washington, United States along the northern banks of the Columbia River. The population at the 2010 census was 13,190, a 129.1% increase over the 2000 census.
On November 10, 2002, East Wenatchee was designated a principal city of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area by the Office of Management and Budget.[3]
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At the turn of the 20th Century, irrigation projects, including the Columbia Basin Project east of the region, opened the door for farming the barren land. Orchards become the area's leading industry.
In 1908, the first highway bridge to span the Columbia River opened. The privately owned bridge carried people, horses, wagons, and automobiles; it also supported two large water pipelines along its sides. It connected Chelan County on the Wenatchee shore with Douglas County on East Wenatchee shore. The bridge opened East Wenatchee and the rest of Douglas County to apple orchard development. Still standing today, the bridge is a 1,060-foot (320 m) pinconnected steel cantilever bridge and cost $177,000 to build. It once carried Sunset Highway (State Highway 2) across the river.
The bridge was the brainchild of W. T. Clark, one of the builders of the Highline Canal, a major irrigation project to water the apple orchards in the valley. It was financed in part by James J. Hill (1838–1916), of the Great Northern Railway (which arrived in Wenatchee in 1892). In its second year of operation the canal firm that owned it decided to start charging tolls.
This prompted local leaders to hasten to the state legislature to persuade the state to purchase the bridge as part of the state highway system. The state purchased the bridge despite the state-employed consultant's opinion "that the ugliness of the structure is very apparent" (Dorpat), despite defects in the timber floor and concrete piers, and despite leaks in the waterpipes.
The structure remained in full use until 1950 when the George Stellar bridge was built. Today, it remains as a footbridge and still has the old pipeline running across it.
From its foundation in agriculture, the region's economy has diversified to include year-round tourism and a variety of other industries.
On February 28, 1935, citizens voted, 48 in favor and 46 against, to incorporate the town of East Wenatchee.[4] When the town was incorporated on March 11, 1935, the original town site was 50 acres (200,000 m2). Today, the town has grown into a city. As of 2007, East Wenatchee's boundaries encompassed 3.67 square miles (9.5 km2).
On Oct. 5, 1931, East Wenatchee became part of aviation history. Having taken off from Misawa, Japan, pilots Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon Jr. safely belly-landed their Bellanca airplane Miss Veedol on a nearby airstrip known then as Fancher Field. After take off, the pilots intentionally jettisoned the landing gear to conserve fuel. This flight was the first nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean. In honor of this pioneering flight, East Wenatchee's airport is called Pangborn Memorial Airport, and the Pangborn-Herndon Memorial Site, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is nearby.
On May 27, 1987, East Wenatchee became part of archaeological history. On that date, while digging in an orchard just east of the city, farmworkers accidentally discovered a cache of 11,000-year-old Clovis points and other artifacts, left by Pleistocene hunters some 11,000 years earlier. The East Wenatchee Clovis Site, explored in two subsequent archaeological digs in 1988 and 1990, was closed to science by the landowner after protests by local Native American tribes. The legal moratorium on new archaeological work at the site ended on June 1, 2007.[1]
East Wenatchee is located at (47.421506, -120.288094).[5]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2), all of it land.
| Climate data for East Wenatchee, Washington | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) |
66 (19) |
78 (26) |
93 (34) |
104 (40) |
107 (42) |
110 (43) |
106 (41) |
101 (38) |
90 (32) |
76 (24) |
67 (19) |
110 (43) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 36 (2) |
44 (7) |
55 (13) |
64 (18) |
73 (23) |
80 (27) |
88 (31) |
88 (31) |
78 (26) |
64 (18) |
47 (8) |
35 (2) |
62.7 (17.0) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 25 (−4) |
28 (−2) |
34 (1) |
41 (5) |
49 (9) |
56 (13) |
62 (17) |
61 (16) |
52 (11) |
41 (5) |
32 (0) |
25 (−4) |
42.2 (5.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −17 (−27) |
−18 (−28) |
5 (−15) |
20 (−7) |
27 (−3) |
39 (4) |
40 (4) |
41 (5) |
21 (−6) |
19 (−7) |
0 (−18) |
−19 (−28) |
−19 (−28) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 1.33 (33.8) |
1.03 (26.2) |
0.61 (15.5) |
0.53 (13.5) |
0.69 (17.5) |
0.66 (16.8) |
0.34 (8.6) |
0.19 (4.8) |
0.30 (7.6) |
0.52 (13.2) |
1.38 (35.1) |
1.53 (38.9) |
9.11 (231.4) |
| Source: [6] | |||||||||||||
East Wenachee has seen a rapid increase in population since 2000.
There are many orchards surrounding East Wenatchee. Commercial crops primarily include apples, sweet cherries and pears. Apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums are also grown.
Wheat and other grain are also grown on farms in the outlying areas near East Wenatchee.
The following activities are located in East Wenatchee or the nearby city of Wenatchee:
Wenatchee Valley's Super Oval
Apple Blossom Festival
Wings & Wheels
On the first weekend of October, the City hosts an annual Wings and Wheels Festival to commemorate Clyde Pangborn's historic non-stop flight across the Pacific Ocean.
Classy Chassis Parade & Car Show
Sprint Boat Racing
On July 9, 2011 and August 13, 2011 Thunderswamp will host United States Sprint Boat Association (USSBA) racing. Please see www.thunderswamp.com for more information.
The following projects are taking place in East Wenatchee or nearby Wenatchee.
Current Construction Projects:
As of the census[1] of 2010, there are 5,757 people, 2,295 households, and 1,569 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,474.4 inhabitants per square mile (954.0/km²). There are 2,429 housing units at an average density of 402.5 persons/km² (1,044.0 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 89.1% White, 0.40% African American, 0.96% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 6.13%other races, and 2.69% from two or more races. 12.1% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,295 households out of which 34.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% are married couples living together, 11.4% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 31.6% are non-families. 26.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.48 and the average family size is 2.98.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $34,919, and the median income for a family is $41,518. Males have a median income of $37,629 versus $24,875 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,876. 16.5% of the population and 13.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 28.6% are under the age of 18 and 4.2% are 65 or older.
The Wenatchee Valley Mall is a regional mall that serves Douglas and Chelan counties. The mall features big retail stores such as:
Other stores include:
The mall serves many restaurants such as:
Locally owned businesses and specialty shops line Wenatchee Avenue in downtown Wenatchee. As of 9/20/11 an entire block of downtown wenatchee storefronts are empty.
City Hall is located at 271 9th St. N.E., East Wenatchee, WA 98802
Steven C. Lacy (1998–present) A native of Washington, Steven C. Lacy graduated from Franklin Pierce High School in 1969. He graduated from the University of Utah School of Law in 1979 with a juris doctor degree, and settled in East Wenatchee.
Dawn Collings
East Wenatchee has one sister city:
Public K-12 education is provided by the Eastmont School District#206.
Schools:
Link Transit provides public transportation throughout the Wenatchee valley including routes that connect the cities of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee with Leavenworth, Chelan, and Waterville.
The city is served by Pangborn Memorial Airport with daily flights to Seattle via Alaska Airlines.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Horizon Air | Seattle/Tacoma |
There are also Executive Flight jets that fly out of Pangborn Memorial Airport.
East Wenatchee's rail access is located across the Columbia River in Wenatchee which is on the major railroad line of the Great Northern Railway (now BNSF Railway) to Seattle. It was once the eastern terminus of electric operations (1909–56) on its Cascade Tunnel route, which went all the way to Skykomish. Here, steam or diesel locomotives were changed, or coupled, to electric locomotives for this route. Today Amtrak's Empire Builder serves the city.
Also see:
East Wenatchee is serviced by State Route 28, U.S. Route 97, and U.S. Route 2.
6. Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce, www.wenatchee.org
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