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Colton
Colton, Washington
Aerial view of Colton in 2023
Aerial view of Colton in 2023
Location of Colton, Washington
Location of Colton, Washington
Country United States
State Washington
County Whitman
Area
 • Total 0.62 sq mi (1.60 km2)
 • Land 0.62 sq mi (1.60 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
2,562 ft (781 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 401
 • Density 647/sq mi (250.6/km2)
Time zone UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
99113
Area code 509
FIPS code 53-13890
GNIS feature ID 1504078

Colton is a town in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 401 at the 2020 census.

History

Colton was first settled in 1879 by J.A. Cole, and was founded in 1882 by J.B. Stanley. Colton was incorporated in 1890 however it was not recorded until 1893.

Plans for the formation of Colton were made in 1879. Several residents of the town of Uniontown, which was settled a few years earlier, found dissatisfaction with the proprietor of that town. In June 1879, the town of Colton was surveyed and platted on the 480 acre farm of Gregor Kosher. That month L.J, Wolford moved his hotel to Colton and Chris Adamson moved his blacksmith shop. Dr. Cole erected the first new building on the corner of Steptoe and Broadway (now Main Street); J.B. Standley moved his small supply of merchandise into the new building. The town took its name from the first three letters of Cole, and the last three from Clinton, a son of Mr. Wolford, whose family was the first to live in Colton.

On October 10, 1879, John Standley was appointed postmaster and opened a post office in his own store. During the summer of 1880 a petition was granted from the county seat, at Asotin to separate Colton from the school district of Uniontown. The first school was opened in the Cole Building. Mrs. Viola Flowers was the first teacher.

Colton was a filming location for country artist Kenny Chesney in his 1995 hit song Me and You.

Notable natives

  • Mike Kramer, former head football coach at Eastern Washington, Montana State, and Idaho State
  • Albert Rooks, captain of USS Houston (CA-30), posthumous Medal of Honor recipient
  • Lowell Ward Rooks (1893−1973), army officer (brother of Albert)
  • Opal Whiteley, nature writer and diarist

Geography

Colton is located along U.S. Route 195 in the Palouse region of southeastern Washington, just west of the Idaho border.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.59 square miles (1.53 km2), all of it land.

Distances

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Colton has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 251
1910 393 56.6%
1920 382 −2.8%
1930 269 −29.6%
1940 262 −2.6%
1950 207 −21.0%
1960 253 22.2%
1970 279 10.3%
1980 307 10.0%
1990 325 5.9%
2000 386 18.8%
2010 418 8.3%
2020 401 −4.1%
Source:
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 418 people, 164 households, and 126 families living in the town. The population density was 708.5 inhabitants per square mile (273.6/km2). There were 167 housing units at an average density of 283.1 per square mile (109.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.5% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population.

There were 164 households, of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.9% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 23.2% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.91.

The median age in the town was 44.2 years. 26.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.9% were from 25 to 44; 33.3% were from 45 to 64; and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.0% male and 49.0% female.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Colton (Washington) para niños

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