Kittitas County, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kittitas County
U.S. county
Kittitas County Courthouse in Ellensburg
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Washington
Founded	November 24, 1883
Seat	Ellensburg
Largest city	Ellensburg
Area
• Total	2,333 sq mi (6,040 km2)
• Land	2,297 sq mi (5,950 km2)
• Water	36 sq mi (90 km2)  1.5%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	44,337
• Estimate  (2022)	45,189
• Density	20/sq mi (8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	8th

Kittitas County (/ˈkɪtɪtæs/) is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. At the 2020 census, its population was 44,337. Its county seat and largest city is Ellensburg. The county was created in November 1883 when it was carved out of Yakima County. Kittitas County comprises the Ellensburg, Washington, Micropolitan Statistical Area.

There are numerous interpretations of the county's name, which is from the language of the Yakama Nation. According to one source, it "has been said to mean everything from 'white chalk' to 'shale rock' to 'shoal people' to 'land of plenty'". Most anthropologists and historians concede that each interpretation has some validity depending upon the particular dialect spoken.

An irrigated hillside near Ellensburg

History

The county was organized in November 1883 by the Washington Territorial Legislature, carved from the northern part of Yakima County.

Indigenous peoples known as Kittitas (or Upper Yakima) occupied the lands along the Yakima River for hundreds of years before the present era. The Kittitas Valley was a traditional gathering place for tribes east of the Cascades.

White settlers began pouring into the Kittitas Valley in the late 1850s. Their arrival forced dislocation and displacement of the native inhabitants, who were eventually forced into the Yakama Indian Reservation. White settlers introduced livestock raising, crop farming, dairying, logging, lumber processing, and mining. The abundant grassland and the generally-favorable terrain made beef and cattle production become the county's mainstay. That was assisted by the introduction of railways into the area and the large-scale irrigation systems introduced in the 1930s.

Wheat planting in Kittitas Valley began in 1868. The county's first flour mill was established near Ellensburg in 1873. Production of alfalfa was also seen from the county's early days.

Lumber extraction was an important county activity from its early days, mostly in the west end. Logging camps were established near the county's three largest lakes (Cle Elum, Kachess, Keechelus).

Mining for coal and minerals was established by the mid-1880s.

The southeastern corner of the county is part of the U.S. Army's Yakima Training Center.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,333 square miles (6,040 km²), of which 2,297 square miles (5,950 km²) is land and 36 square miles (93 km²) (1.5%) is water. The highest point in the county is Mount Daniel at 7,959 feet (2,426 m) above mean sea level.

Geographic features

• Cascade Mountains
• Yakima River
• Manastash Ridge
• Wenatchee Mountains

Major highways

• Interstate 90
• Interstate 82
• U.S. Route 97

Adjacent counties

• Chelan County - north
• Douglas County - northeast
• Grant County - east
• Yakima County - south
• Pierce County - west
• King County - northwest

National protected areas

• Snoqualmie National Forest (part)
• Wenatchee National Forest (part)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 40,915 people, 16,595 households, and 9,225 families living in the county. The population density was 17.8 inhabitants per square mile (6.9/km²). There were 21,900 housing units at an average density of 9.5 units per square mile (3.7 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.3% white, 2.0% Asian, 1.0% American Indian, 0.9% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.7% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.2% were German, 15.4% were Irish, 12.7% were English, 8.2% were Norwegian, 5.1% were Italian, 5.0% were Swedish, and 3.4% were American.

Of the 16,595 households, 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 44.4% were non-families, and 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 31.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,232 and the median income for a family was $61,276. Males had a median income of $45,916 versus $35,380 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,467. About 10.3% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Flora and fauna

There are a variety of species represented within Kittitas County. These include a diversity of grasses, herbs, trees, birds, mammals and amphibians. The genus of ricegrass known as Oryzopsis was one of the earliest grasses classified within the county. Among the amphibian species found are the Cascades frog and the rough-skinned newt, the latter being a common far western USA taxon; in fact, examples of neoteny have been found in individual newts of this species within the county.

Communities

Cities

• Cle Elum
• Ellensburg (county seat)
• Kittitas
• Roslyn

Town

• South Cle Elum

Ghost towns

• Liberty

Census-designated places

• Easton
• Ronald
• Snoqualmie Pass (including Hyak)
• Thorp
• Vantage

Unincorporated communities

• Suncadia
• Teanaway
• Thrall

Events

• The Kittitas County Fair and Ellensburg Rodeo occur every Labor Day Weekend. The Kittitas County Fair began in 1885, and moved to its current location (North Maple and East 8th Avenue in Ellensburg) in 1923.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Kittitas para niños