Morton, Washington

Morton, Washington
City
Main Street, Morton, Washington.
Location of Morton, Washington
Coordinates: 46°33′28″N 122°16′47″W / 46.55778°N 122.27972°W / 46.55778; -122.27972Coordinates: 46°33′28″N 122°16′47″W / 46.55778°N 122.27972°W / 46.55778; -122.27972
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Lewis
Area[1]
• Total	0.83 sq mi (2.15 km2)
• Land	0.82 sq mi (2.12 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation	948 ft (289 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	1,126
• Estimate (2012[3])	1,126
• Density	1,373.2/sq mi (530.2/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	98356
Area code(s)	360
FIPS code	53-47175
GNIS feature ID	1523383[4]
Website	www.visitmorton.com

Morton is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,126 at the 2010 census.

History

Morton was first settled in 1871 by James Fletcher. It was later named after Benjamin Harrison's Vice President, Levi P. Morton,^[5] in 1889. Morton was officially incorporated on January 7, 1913. Historic sources of revenue included logging, harvesting of cascara bark, and mining for cinnabar (mercury ore) in local mines. Morton was once known as the "tie mill capital of the world" in the 1950s. The longest railroad tie dock in the world ran along the railroad tracks east of Morton.^[6]

The Loggers Jubilee is held every year since 1937 or 1938.^[7]

Geography

Morton is located at 46°33′28″N 122°16′47″W / 46.55778°N 122.27972°W / 46.55778; -122.27972 (46.557869, -122.279631).^[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.83 square miles (2.15 km²), of which 0.82 square miles (2.12 km²) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²) is water.^[1]

Demographics

Fire station in Morton

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 1,126 people, 461 households, and 283 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,373.2 inhabitants per square mile (530.2 /km²). There were 535 housing units at an average density of 652.4 per square mile (251.9 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.2% White, 0.5% African American, 1.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 1.8% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population.

There were 461 households of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.6% were non-families. 29.9% 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 2.31 and the average family size was 2.83.

The median age in the city was 46.3 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.5% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64; and 26.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,045 people, 437 households, and 273 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,000.7 people per square mile (388.0/km²). There were 487 housing units at an average density of 466.4 per square mile (180.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.41% White, 1.24% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 2.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population.

There were 437 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 24.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,063, and the median income for a family was $37,054. Males had a median income of $36,607 versus $23,438 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,275. About 6.9% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Morton has voted Republican in the past, although less so than Lewis County as a whole. The results for the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election were as follows:^[11]

• Mitt Romney (Republican) - 224 (52.95%)
• Barack Obama (Democrat) - 193 (45.63%)
• Other candidates - 6 (1.42%)

Education

There are two schools, Morton Elementary and Morton Junior-Senior High.
Centralia College East is adjacent to the Junior-Senior High facility.

Notable People

• Brandy Lynn Clark, Singer/Songwriter for many Nashville recording artists such as LeAnn Rimes and Reba McEntire^[12]

Controversy

A teacher was convicted of inappropriately touching female students in 2008 and served 16 days in the Lewis County Jail. The school district attempted to dismiss him, but he sued and won. He attempted to resume his duties in the fall of 2010. Some parents withheld their children from the school. The state of Washington reviewed his teacher's certification.^[13] His license was suspended for three years,^[14] later reduced on appeal to two years.^[15] Nearly one year later, he died at the age of 57.^[16]

References

External links

• Morton General Hospital
• Morton Depot Project
• Fire Mountain Arts Council
• Morton Chamber of Commerce
• Morton School District
• Morton Logger's Jubilee
• Centralia College East

v t e Municipalities and communities of Lewis County, Washington, United States County seat: Chehalis Cities Centralia Chehalis Morton Mossyrock Napavine Toledo Vader Winlock Town Pe Ell CDPs Fords Prairie Mineral Onalaska Packwood Other unincorporated communities Adna Alpha Boistfort Bunker Ceres Cinebar Claquato Curtis Doty Dryad Ethel Evaline Forest Galvin Glenoma Guerrier Harmony Kalber Klaber Knab Kosmos Lacamas Lindberg Littell Marys Corner Newaukum Randle Saint Urbans Salkum Silver Creek Waunch Prairie Wildwood