Dayton, Washington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dayton
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| Dayton, Washington | |
Columbia County Courthouse in Dayton
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Location of Dayton, Washington
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| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Columbia |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.44 sq mi (3.73 km2) |
| • Land | 1.44 sq mi (3.73 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,660 ft (506 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,448 |
| • Density | 1,700/sq mi (656.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
99328
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| Area code(s) | 509 |
| FIPS code | 53-16970 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1504356 |
| Website | City of Dayton |
Dayton is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,448 at the 2020 census.
History
Dayton was founded in the 1860s. A town site plat was filed by Jesse N. and Elizabeth Day on November 23, 1871. The city was officially incorporated on November 10, 1881, and was named for Jesse Day.
Dayton has the oldest train depot in Washington state, dating from 1881, and the oldest continuously used courthouse, operating since 1887. The historic community of Baileysburg was situated about one mile southeast of Dayton, at the junction of North Touchet and South Touchet Roads.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the town underwent a $3 million restoration program, repairing the historic depot and historic courthouse, adding pedestrian amenities to Main Street, and creating a National Historic District.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Dayton has a total area of 1.43 square miles (3.70 km2), all of it land. The Touchet River runs through the city.
Dayton has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) with hot summers (though nights are pleasantly cool) and chilly, though not severe, winters with only very moderate snowfall. Dayton's winter climate is somewhat milder than most of eastern Washington. Precipitation is moderate for most of the year except for a dry period between July and September, at which time major wildfires are very common in the region due to the hot days and very low humidity.
| Climate data for Dayton, Washington (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 70 (21) |
74 (23) |
84 (29) |
93 (34) |
101 (38) |
111 (44) |
109 (43) |
114 (46) |
105 (41) |
92 (33) |
80 (27) |
69 (21) |
114 (46) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 41.5 (5.3) |
46.2 (7.9) |
53.9 (12.2) |
61.1 (16.2) |
69.9 (21.1) |
76.8 (24.9) |
87.6 (30.9) |
86.7 (30.4) |
77.2 (25.1) |
62.9 (17.2) |
49.3 (9.6) |
40.7 (4.8) |
62.8 (17.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 34.0 (1.1) |
37.2 (2.9) |
43.4 (6.3) |
49.4 (9.7) |
57.2 (14.0) |
63.4 (17.4) |
71.3 (21.8) |
70.5 (21.4) |
62.2 (16.8) |
50.4 (10.2) |
40.2 (4.6) |
33.6 (0.9) |
51.1 (10.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 26.4 (−3.1) |
28.2 (−2.1) |
33.0 (0.6) |
37.8 (3.2) |
44.5 (6.9) |
49.9 (9.9) |
54.9 (12.7) |
54.2 (12.3) |
47.2 (8.4) |
38.0 (3.3) |
31.0 (−0.6) |
26.5 (−3.1) |
39.3 (4.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −22 (−30) |
−22 (−30) |
2 (−17) |
12 (−11) |
18 (−8) |
22 (−6) |
30 (−1) |
28 (−2) |
18 (−8) |
7 (−14) |
−10 (−23) |
−25 (−32) |
−25 (−32) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.08 (53) |
1.72 (44) |
2.24 (57) |
1.86 (47) |
1.80 (46) |
1.24 (31) |
0.39 (9.9) |
0.45 (11) |
0.73 (19) |
1.54 (39) |
2.43 (62) |
2.31 (59) |
18.79 (477) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 6.3 (16) |
1.9 (4.8) |
1.0 (2.5) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
1.2 (3.0) |
5.2 (13) |
15.8 (40) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 13.5 | 12.0 | 13.1 | 11.6 | 9.8 | 7.4 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 5.1 | 9.9 | 14.1 | 14.3 | 116.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.4 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 3.6 | 11.5 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 996 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,880 | 88.8% | |
| 1900 | 2,216 | 17.9% | |
| 1910 | 2,389 | 7.8% | |
| 1920 | 2,695 | 12.8% | |
| 1930 | 2,528 | −6.2% | |
| 1940 | 3,026 | 19.7% | |
| 1950 | 2,979 | −1.6% | |
| 1960 | 2,913 | −2.2% | |
| 1970 | 2,596 | −10.9% | |
| 1980 | 2,565 | −1.2% | |
| 1990 | 2,468 | −3.8% | |
| 2000 | 2,655 | 7.6% | |
| 2010 | 2,526 | −4.9% | |
| 2020 | 2,448 | −3.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census |
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2010 census
At the 2010 census there were 2,526 people, 1,082 households, and 670 families living in the city. The population density was 1,766.4 inhabitants per square mile (682.0/km2). There were 1,200 housing units at an average density of 839.2 per square mile (324.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.6% White, 0.4% African American, 1.9% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 1.8% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.1%.
Of the 1,082 households 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.1% were non-families. 33.1% of households were one person and 15.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.85.
The median age was 46.3 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.1% were from 25 to 44; 30% were from 45 to 64; and 22.2% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.
Education
The city's public school system is managed by the Dayton School District, which covers the vast majority of Columbia County.
A library within the city is operated by the Columbia County Rural Library District. People living in Dayton are in the library's taxation base, but not in the library's voting base; the voting area for the library only consists of unincorporated areas. The library was established in 1919 as a small reading room while a women's civics club fundraised for a permanent building. The raised funds were transferred to the Dayton city government in 1935 and used to construct a public library in 1937 using New Deal funding; the building was later expanded in 1947.
It is the only public library in Columbia County. A ballot measure submitted in 2023 proposed to close the rural library district, and therefore the library itself, entirely due to the placement and availability of children's books on racial issues and LGBT topics; amid then-ongoing book banning efforts in the United States, the library would have been the first one nationwide to close over such a dispute if it succeeded, according to the American Library Association. The library collection would be received by the Washington State Library if the rural library district was dissolved. The initiative was ruled unconstitutional in September 2023 by the Columbia County Superior Court due to its exclusion of voters in incorporated areas; the ruling blocked the initiative from appearing on the November 2023 ballot.
Notable residents
- Dmitri Borgmann, writer
- Frank Finkel, claimed lone survivor of the Battle of the Little Bighorn
- Frederick Gilbreath, United States Army General
- Robert Shields, diarist
- Jim Watkins, businessman
See also
In Spanish: Dayton (Washington) para niños
