Desert Aire, Washington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Desert Aire, Washington
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Location of Desert Aire, Washington
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| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Grant |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.1 sq mi (15.8 km2) |
| • Land | 3.4 sq mi (8.8 km2) |
| • Water | 2.7 sq mi (7.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 568 ft (173 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,288 |
| • Density | 375.1/sq mi (144.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
99349
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| Area code | 509 |
| FIPS code | 53-17617 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1511877 |
Desert Aire is a small community in Grant County, Washington, in the United States. It's a special kind of place called a "census-designated place" (CDP), which means it's like a town but not officially a city. About 2,288 people lived here in 2020. It's located about 560 feet (170 meters) above sea level.
Contents
Where is Desert Aire?
Desert Aire is located in the southwest part of Grant County. It sits right on the east bank of the Columbia River. The river here is part of a larger body of water called Priest Rapids Lake.
A main road, Washington State Route 243, runs along the eastern edge of Desert Aire. This highway can take you north about 5 miles (8 km) to the town of Mattawa. It also leads about 20 miles (32 km) to Interstate 90, which is across the Columbia River from Vantage. If you head southeast on SR 243, you'll reach SR 24 at the Vernita Bridge over the Columbia River, about 11 miles (18 km away).
The community covers a total area of about 6.1 square miles (15.8 square kilometers). A large part of this area, about 2.7 square miles (7.0 square kilometers), is water. This is because Desert Aire extends into the middle of the Columbia River. On the other side of the river, to the west, is Yakima County.
How Desert Aire Started
Desert Aire was created in the late 1960s. A group of investors, led by Harry Davidson, bought a large piece of land – about 3,200 acres (13 square kilometers) – right next to the Columbia River. They paid about $1,000,000 for the land.
Harry Davidson was very creative! He built a runway and would fly potential investors into the community using a Douglas DC-3 airplane. Their idea was to build a carefully planned community with about 1,600 homes. This new community would have its own airport, a golf course, and a marina for boats. Desert Aire officially opened in 1970.
Later, in 1994, a group called the Grant County Airport District #1 was formed. They now take care of the public airport in Desert Aire, which is used by many people in the region.
What's the Weather Like?
Desert Aire is known for its hot summers and very dry climate. It's one of the driest places in Washington state. This is because it's located in the "rain shadow" of two mountain ranges: the Cascades and the Umtanums. A rain shadow means the mountains block most of the rain clouds, so very little rain reaches the area.
- Summer (July): The average high temperature is around 102°F (39°C), and the average low is 64°F (18°C).
- Winter (January): The average high temperature is about 40°F (4°C), and the average low is 26°F (-3°C).
Desert Aire gets very little rain, only about 7 inches (178 mm) per year. It also doesn't get much snow, with an average of about 6 inches (152 mm) per year.
| Climate data for Priest Rapids Dam | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 71 (22) |
72 (22) |
82 (28) |
94 (34) |
105 (41) |
110 (43) |
112 (44) |
110 (43) |
105 (41) |
92 (33) |
76 (24) |
71 (22) |
112 (44) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 40.5 (4.7) |
47.5 (8.6) |
57.3 (14.1) |
65.7 (18.7) |
75.0 (23.9) |
82.8 (28.2) |
91.4 (33.0) |
90.1 (32.3) |
80.6 (27.0) |
65.8 (18.8) |
50.2 (10.1) |
40.3 (4.6) |
65.6 (18.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 27.1 (−2.7) |
31.1 (−0.5) |
36.9 (2.7) |
43.3 (6.3) |
51.3 (10.7) |
58.4 (14.7) |
64.8 (18.2) |
64.4 (18.0) |
56.1 (13.4) |
44.4 (6.9) |
34.9 (1.6) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
45.0 (7.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −12 (−24) |
−10 (−23) |
11 (−12) |
25 (−4) |
29 (−2) |
35 (2) |
47 (8) |
42 (6) |
33 (1) |
18 (−8) |
−7 (−22) |
−7 (−22) |
−12 (−24) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.90 (23) |
0.67 (17) |
0.64 (16) |
0.48 (12) |
0.46 (12) |
0.44 (11) |
0.19 (4.8) |
0.23 (5.8) |
0.28 (7.1) |
0.50 (13) |
1.01 (26) |
1.21 (31) |
7.01 (178.7) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.6 (6.6) |
0.7 (1.8) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.6 (1.5) |
1.9 (4.8) |
5.9 (14.95) |
Who Lives in Desert Aire?
In 2000, about 1,124 people lived in Desert Aire. The community had 371 households, and most of them (70.4%) were married couples. About 35.3% of households had children under 18 living with them.
The average age of people in Desert Aire in 2000 was 32 years old.
- 31.2% were under 18 years old.
- 25.4% were between 25 and 44 years old.
- 14.9% were 65 years or older.
Desert Aire in Pop Culture
The band the Dark Fantastic has a song called "Incident at Desert Aire." Even though the song's title mentions the place, the lyrics don't actually talk about Desert Aire itself.
See also
In Spanish: Desert Aire (Washington) para niños
