Kelso, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kelso, Washington
City
Main Post Office in Kelso in 2009
Motto(s):  "City of Friendly People"
Location of Kelso, Washington
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Cowlitz
Platted	1884
Government
• Type	Council-manager
Area
• Total	8.84 sq mi (22.89 km2)
• Land	8.13 sq mi (21.07 km2)
• Water	0.70 sq mi (1.82 km2)
Elevation	75 ft (23 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	12,720
• Density	1,526.37/sq mi (589.32/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98626
Area code(s)	360
FIPS code	53-35065
GNIS feature ID	1512343

Kelso is a city in southwest Washington. It's the main city, or "county seat," of Cowlitz County. In 2020, about 12,720 people lived there. Kelso is part of a larger area with Longview, Washington that has over 110,000 people. Kelso and Longview are next to each other. The city is also close to the famous Mount St. Helens.

History of Kelso: From Tribes to Today

Early Inhabitants: The Cowlitz People

The first people known to live in the Kelso area were Native Americans. They were part of the Cowlitz tribe. The Cowlitz tribe had two main groups: the Upper Cowlitz and the Lower Cowlitz. They spoke different languages. In 1855, explorers from Europe estimated there were over 6,000 Cowlitz people.

Founding and Early Economy

Kelso was started by Peter W. Crawford. He was a surveyor from Scotland. In 1847, he claimed land along the Lower Cowlitz River. Crawford planned out a town and named it after his hometown in Scotland. The town was officially recorded in 1884 and became a city in 1889. For a long time, Kelso's economy has mostly been about wood products.

The Smelt Capital of the World

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Kelso was a big center for fishing smelt. Smelt are small fish. People caught thousands of tons of smelt from the Cowlitz River. These fish were sent to markets all over the country. In 1956, Kelso even got the nickname "Smelt Capital of the World." However, the number of smelt has gone down a lot. This might be because too many were caught, or due to climate change and loss of their natural homes.

Mysterious Events and Natural Disasters

The Maury Island Incident

In 1947, some strange events happened in Kelso. This was part of the mysterious Maury Island incident. A military plane crashed in southeast Kelso. It was carrying strange, slag-like material. This material was supposedly from a UFO.

Mount St. Helens Eruption

On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted. Kelso is only about 24 miles (39 km) away. Residents felt the huge shock wave from the eruption. This was the biggest volcanic eruption in recent history in the United States. Kelso received a lot of volcanic ash from the air. There were also massive mudflows from the Toutle and Cowlitz Rivers. Many parts of the city, like the Three Rivers Golf Course, are built on volcanic ash. This ash was removed from the Cowlitz River by volunteers.

Aldercrest-Banyon Landslide

In March 1998, a slow-moving landslide started in the Aldercrest neighborhood. It was called the Aldercrest-Banyon landslide. This landslide damaged the foundations of 64 homes. Eventually, 129 houses were destroyed. Investigations showed that these homes were built on an old landslide area. Three years of heavy rain made the ground move. In October 1998, President Bill Clinton declared it a federal disaster. This landslide was one of the most expensive in U.S. history. After this, Kelso made stricter rules for building in certain areas.

Local History Museum

The Cowlitz County Historical Museum has many exhibits. They show the history of the local area.

Historic Places to Visit

Several buildings in Kelso are listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Cowlitz County, Washington. These are important places from the past. They include the Adam Catlin House, the Nat Smith House, and the Kelso U.S. Post Office.

Geography and Climate of Kelso

Location and Rivers

Kelso is located right on Interstate 5. This is a major highway that runs north and south. The city is about 48 miles (77 km) north of Portland, Oregon. It's also about 125 miles (201 km) south of Seattle, Washington. The Pacific Ocean beaches are about 80 miles (129 km) away.

The city covers about 8.50 square miles (22.01 km2). Most of this is land, with a small part being water. Three rivers flow through or near Kelso: the Columbia, Cowlitz, and Coweeman. These rivers were once important for transportation. Steamboats used the Cowlitz River until 1918. Kelso and Longview are often called the "Twin Cities" of southwest Washington.

Kelso's Weather

Kelso has a mild climate. Summers are generally warm, and winters are cool and wet. The area gets a good amount of rain throughout the year.

Economy and Jobs in Kelso

Kelso has good access to the Columbia River, Interstate 5, and train lines. This helps support its manufacturing businesses. The biggest employer in Kelso is the Kelso School District. Other large employers include Foster Farms and Safeway. You can also find jobs at Target, ALS Environmental, Western Fabrication, PAPE Machinery, and DSU Peterbilt.

People of Kelso: Demographics

Kelso's population has grown over the years. In 2020, there were 12,720 people living in the city.

What the 2010 Census Showed

In 2010, there were 11,925 people living in Kelso. There were 4,720 households, which are groups of people living together. About 34.9% of these households had children under 18. The average age in Kelso was 34.6 years old. About 26.3% of residents were under 18.

Most people in Kelso (85.2%) identified as White. Other groups included African American (0.8%), Native American (2.1%), and Asian (1.6%). About 11.3% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

Education in Kelso

The Kelso School District runs the public schools in the city. It serves about 4,715 students. The district has three high schools, including Kelso High School. There are also two middle schools and seven elementary schools.

Getting Around Kelso: Transportation

Roads and Highways

Interstate 5 is the main highway that goes through Kelso. It connects the city to places north and south. Two other highways, State Route 4 and State Route 432, link Kelso to Longview. They cross the Cowlitz River.

Train Service

Amtrak, the national passenger train system, serves Kelso and Longview. The Amtrak station is located at the Kelso Multimodal Transportation Center. It is right along the Cowlitz River.

Bus Services

The cities of Kelso and Longview have a local bus system called RiverCities Transit. Kelso is also served by Greyhound Bus Lines. Greyhound provides bus service to other cities from the Kelso Multimodal Transportation Center.

Air Travel

Kelso is served by the Southwest Washington Regional Airport. This airport was formerly known as the Kelso-Longview Regional Airport.

Sports and Fun in Kelso

Baseball Team

The Cowlitz Black Bears are a baseball team that plays in the West Coast League. This is a summer baseball league with teams from Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. The Black Bears play their games at David Story Field. This field is on the Lower Columbia College campus in nearby Longview.

City Parks and Recreation

Kelso has eight city parks. They cover a total of about 50 acres (20 hectares). There are also about 6 miles (10 km) of paths for biking and walking. The biggest park is Tam o'Shanter Park. It's a large park covering 38 acres (15 hectares) along the Coweeman River.

Tam o'Shanter Park has fields for soccer and fastpitch softball. It also has baseball fields for different age groups and basketball courts. The park hosts the yearly Kelso Hilander Festival. This festival includes Scottish Highland games. The park's name comes from a type of Scottish hat, the Tam o' shanter.

Media in Kelso

Kelso has several radio stations. There are four FM stations (KUKN, K268BN, KLOG and KTJC) and one AM station (KLOG). Cable television service comes from nearby Longview. Kelso's main newspaper is The Daily News. This newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize in 1981 for its coverage of the Mount St. Helens eruption.

Sister Cities

Kelso has two sister cities. These are cities that have special friendly relationships.

• Kelso, Scottish Borders, Scotland, United Kingdom
• Makinohara, Japan

Famous People from Kelso

Many interesting people have come from Kelso. Here are a few: