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Pe Ell, Washington
Location of Pe Ell, Washington
Location of Pe Ell, Washington
Country United States
State Washington
County Lewis
Area
 • Total 0.60 sq mi (1.55 km2)
 • Land 0.59 sq mi (1.53 km2)
 • Water 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation
420 ft (128 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 642
 • Density 1,142.13/sq mi (440.62/km2)
Time zone UTC−8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP code
98572
Area code 360
FIPS code 53-53930
GNIS feature ID 1507338

Pe Ell is a town in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 642 at the 2020 census.

History

Pe Ell was officially incorporated on March 9, 1906.

There have long been several versions of how Pe Ell was named, none of which can be authenticated.

  • The more accepted version is that the name comes from the attempts of the local Indians to pronounce the first name of an early French-Canadian settler, Pierre Charles, who was an ex-Hudson Bay employee. This version has it that the Indians could not pronounce Pierre, and their attempts turned it into Pe Ell.
  • Another version is that P and L were the first initials for Pierre Charles and his Indian wife. Two words were made from the initials: "Pe Ell".
  • Another distinct version is that Charlie Pershell, a Frenchman, settled in the area and married an Indian maiden. The. Indians found it difficult to sound out the "sh" in Pershell so it became Pe Ell.

In 1897, the North Pacific Railway built a railroad depot in the town. In 1907 Pe Ell's population was around 1,000—larger than it is today. The rich agricultural and timber resources of the region attracted farmers, millworkers, and loggers. By 1909, the town had a bank, three dry goods stores, two general stores, three grocery stores, two barber shops, five saloons, four hotels, a newspaper, a blacksmith, and even an opera house.

Geography

Pe Ell is located at 46°34′17″N 123°17′49″W / 46.57139°N 123.29694°W / 46.57139; -123.29694 (46.571415, -123.296842).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.59 square miles (1.53 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1910 838
1920 861 2.7%
1930 891 3.5%
1940 825 −7.4%
1950 787 −4.6%
1960 593 −24.7%
1970 582 −1.9%
1980 617 6.0%
1990 547 −11.3%
2000 657 20.1%
2010 632 −3.8%
2020 642 1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
2020 Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 632 people, 259 households, and 169 families living in the town. The population density was 1,071.2 inhabitants per square mile (413.6/km2). There were 290 housing units at an average density of 491.5 per square mile (189.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 91.3% White, 0.2% African American, 3.2% Native American, 1.7% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.3% of the population.

There were 259 households, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.7% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.91.

The median age in the town was 40 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.4% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Pe Ell (Washington) para niños

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