Colville, Washington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Colville, Washington
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Colville Post Office
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Location of Colville, Washington
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| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Stevens |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| Area | |
| • City | 3.08 sq mi (7.99 km2) |
| • Land | 3.08 sq mi (7.99 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,647 ft (502 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • City | 4,917 |
| • Density | 1,594.4/sq mi (615.6/km2) |
| • Urban | 4,966 |
| • CSA | 757,146 (US: 70th) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
99114
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| Area code | 509 |
| FIPS code | 53-14170 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2410205 |
| Website | City of Colville |
Colville is a city in Stevens County, Washington, United States. It is the main city and county seat (the place where the county government is) for Stevens County. In 2020, about 4,917 people lived there.
Contents
Discovering Colville's Past
Colville has a long and interesting history, starting with fur traders and soldiers.
Early Days: Fort Colvile
In 1825, a man named John Work from The Hudson's Bay Company set up Fort Colvile. This fort was near Kettle Falls, a place where people traded furs. It became the main trading spot on the Upper Columbia River. The area was named after Andrew Colvile, who was a governor of the Hudson's Bay Company.
The fort was used for trading and later helped support gold miners in the 1850s. It was left empty in 1870. Many years later, the area where the fort stood was covered by Lake Roosevelt. This happened after the Grand Coulee Dam was built on the Columbia River.
Settling the Land: The Oregon Treaty
For a long time, both the British and Americans wanted control of the Pacific Northwest. This disagreement was called the Oregon boundary dispute. In 1846, they signed the Oregon Treaty. This treaty set the border between Canada and the United States at the 49th Parallel. This new border was about 40 miles north of where Colville is today.
A New Fort and a Growing Town
In 1859, the U.S. Army built a new Fort Colville. It was located about 3 miles northeast of the current city, in a place called Pinkney City. This army fort was closed in 1882.
As the army fort was closing, businesses and buildings started moving to the Colville River Valley. This is where the city of Colville is now. In 1883, a man named W. F. Hooker tried to name the new town "Belmont." But he was asked to change the name to Colville. This way, the county seat could move there.
On January 1, 1884, the Stevens County courthouse officially moved to Colville. Many people say that John U. Hofstetter helped found the city. Colville officially became a city on June 7, 1890.
Colville Air Force Station
In the 1950s, the Colville Air Force Station was built about 14.7 miles northeast of Colville. It was a radar station that helped protect the country's air space. Today, only a few buildings remain at the site.
Colville's Location and Weather
Colville is located in a beautiful part of Washington state.
Geography of Colville
The city of Colville covers an area of about 2.93 square miles (7.59 square kilometers). All of this area is land.
Understanding Colville's Climate
Colville has a special type of weather called a continental Mediterranean climate. This means it has big changes in temperature throughout the year. Summers are usually warm to hot, and sometimes humid. Winters are cold, and can even be very cold.
| Climate data for Colville, Washington (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1899–1952, 1993–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 57 (14) |
63 (17) |
76 (24) |
92 (33) |
96 (36) |
112 (44) |
109 (43) |
106 (41) |
102 (39) |
91 (33) |
75 (24) |
58 (14) |
112 (44) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 34.3 (1.3) |
41.9 (5.5) |
52.8 (11.6) |
62.5 (16.9) |
72.2 (22.3) |
78.3 (25.7) |
88.4 (31.3) |
88.5 (31.4) |
78.2 (25.7) |
60.6 (15.9) |
43.5 (6.4) |
34.2 (1.2) |
61.3 (16.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 28.8 (−1.8) |
32.9 (0.5) |
41.1 (5.1) |
48.9 (9.4) |
57.6 (14.2) |
63.4 (17.4) |
70.5 (21.4) |
69.7 (20.9) |
61.0 (16.1) |
47.5 (8.6) |
36.2 (2.3) |
28.8 (−1.8) |
48.9 (9.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.2 (−4.9) |
23.9 (−4.5) |
29.5 (−1.4) |
35.3 (1.8) |
43.0 (6.1) |
48.6 (9.2) |
52.6 (11.4) |
51.0 (10.6) |
43.8 (6.6) |
34.5 (1.4) |
28.9 (−1.7) |
23.5 (−4.7) |
36.5 (2.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −29 (−34) |
−29 (−34) |
−15 (−26) |
12 (−11) |
24 (−4) |
28 (−2) |
31 (−1) |
29 (−2) |
20 (−7) |
4 (−16) |
−11 (−24) |
−23 (−31) |
−29 (−34) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.20 (56) |
1.47 (37) |
1.89 (48) |
1.53 (39) |
1.93 (49) |
2.14 (54) |
0.83 (21) |
0.68 (17) |
0.72 (18) |
1.51 (38) |
2.19 (56) |
2.80 (71) |
19.89 (505) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 14.5 (37) |
5.4 (14) |
2.7 (6.9) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
5.6 (14) |
15.0 (38) |
43.4 (110) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 11.9 | 9.5 | 11.4 | 9.5 | 10.3 | 8.9 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 9.1 | 12.2 | 11.9 | 107.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 7.6 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 3.0 | 7.7 | 24.9 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
People of Colville: Demographics
The number of people living in Colville has changed over the years.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 67 | — | |
| 1890 | 539 | 704.5% | |
| 1900 | 594 | 10.2% | |
| 1910 | 1,533 | 158.1% | |
| 1920 | 1,718 | 12.1% | |
| 1930 | 1,803 | 4.9% | |
| 1940 | 2,418 | 34.1% | |
| 1950 | 3,033 | 25.4% | |
| 1960 | 3,806 | 25.5% | |
| 1970 | 3,742 | −1.7% | |
| 1980 | 4,510 | 20.5% | |
| 1990 | 4,360 | −3.3% | |
| 2000 | 4,988 | 14.4% | |
| 2010 | 4,673 | −6.3% | |
| 2020 | 4,917 | 5.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, there were 4,673 people living in Colville. There were 2,043 households, which are groups of people living together in one home. About 28.8% of these households had children under 18. The average age of people in the city was 40.4 years old.
Most people in Colville are White (92.4%). There are also smaller groups of Native American (2.1%), Asian (0.9%), and African American (0.1%) residents. About 3.8% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
Colville's Economy: How People Make a Living
The economy in Colville is based on several important activities.
Main Industries in Colville
The main ways people earn money in Colville are through farming, working with timber (wood from trees), and mining. Many people also work for government offices like the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service. The headquarters for the Colville National Forest are located here.
Major Employers and Local Businesses
Some of the biggest private companies that employ people in Colville include Boise Cascade, Vaagen Brothers, and Hewes Marine. Other important businesses are Colmac Coil Manufacturing, Colmac Industries, and Delta Dental of Washington.
Other Economic Activities
Smaller parts of the economy include raising cattle and horses, and growing hay. Tourism is also growing, with visitors coming to the nearby National Forest for hunting and fishing. Local farms, orchards, and corn mazes also attract tourists. The city's downtown area is becoming more lively with a growing music, arts, and crafts community.
Famous People from Colville
- Charles Day, who won a gold medal in rowing at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
See also
In Spanish: Colville (Washington) para niños
