Wenatchee, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wenatchee
City
City of Wenatchee
View over the city in 2009
Flag
Nickname(s):  Apple Capital of the World
Wenatchee Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Chelan
Established	1892
Incorporated	February 29, 1892
Named for	Wenatchi tribe
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
Area
• City	11.49 sq mi (29.75 km2)
• Land	10.57 sq mi (27.39 km2)
• Water	0.91 sq mi (2.36 km2)
• Urban	31.373 sq mi (81.256 km2)
• Metro	1,870 sq mi (4,843 km2)
Elevation	715 ft (218 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	35,508
• Density	3,249.17/sq mi (1,254.56/km2)
• Urban	67,227 (US: 412th)
• Urban density	210.45/sq mi (81.256/km2)
• Metro	119,943 (US: 324th)
• Metro density	22.90/sq mi (8.84/km2)
• Demonym	Wenatcheeite
Time zone	PST
ZIP codes	98801 98807
Area code(s)	509
FIPS code	53-77105
GNIS feature ID	2412212

Wenatchee is a city in Washington State, United States. It is the main city in Chelan County. In 2020, about 35,508 people lived there.

Wenatchee is in the north-central part of Washington. It sits where the Columbia and Wenatchee rivers meet. The city is also close to the Cascade Range mountains. Across the Columbia River is the city of East Wenatchee.

The city gets its name from the local Wenatchi Native American people. Their language, Sahaptin, has a word that means "river from canyons" or "robe of the rainbow." The city is also called the "Apple Capital of the World." This is because many apple orchards grow in the valley.

History

Ancient Times

Scientists have found old tools in nearby East Wenatchee. These tools are more than 11,000 years old. They show that people lived in the Wenatchee area during the last Ice Age. The Columbia River and mountains provided lots of food. You can see some of these ancient tools at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center.

Native Americans and Early Settlers

Many Native American villages were in the area long ago. One village, Nikwikwi'estku, was where downtown Wenatchee is today. In 1811, a surveyor named David Thompson met Native American horsemen here. He was invited into a village with large huts. Fur traders wrote about friendly relations with the tribes.

In 1863, a Catholic priest named Father Respari started working with local Native Americans. Later, other settlers came to live on the land. Wenatchee became a city on January 7, 1893. By 1900, 451 people lived there.

Apple bins are stacked high at a processing facility in Wenatchee.

Growing Up as a City

A railroad line was finished in 1893. It connected Wenatchee to other big cities like Seattle. This railroad helped the area grow a lot. It brought people to Wenatchee and helped farmers send their apples and wheat to markets far away.

By the early 1900s, Wenatchee was known as the "Home of the World's Best Apples." Growing fruit, especially apples, became very important for the city's economy. It still is a big part of the area's income today.

Wenatchee Fire Station No. 1 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1931, two pilots, Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon, landed their plane, the Miss Veedol, in East Wenatchee. They were the first people to fly non-stop across the Pacific Ocean! Their 41-hour flight from Japan was a huge achievement. You can see the plane's propeller at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center.

In 1936, the Rock Island Dam was finished. This dam helped protect Wenatchee from floods. It also started making electricity from the Columbia River. The water from the dam also helped farmers water their fields.

Recent Times

In 1975, a fruit company called Stemilt Growers moved its main office to Wenatchee. It became the largest company shipping fresh sweet cherries in the world.

Every year, Wenatchee hosts the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival. This festival brings many people to the city. It has two big parades, a food fair with foods from around the world, and a fun carnival.

In 2013, a large wildfire spread south of Wenatchee. It affected over 40 homes nearby. The city also has an LGBT Pride festival. In 2023, about 4,000 people attended the festival at Memorial Park.

Geography

The Wenatchee River, just before flowing into the Columbia.

Wenatchee is located where the Wenatchee River and Columbia River meet. This area is at the eastern edge of the Cascade Range mountains. Farmers use water from the Columbia River to grow many crops in Wenatchee.

The city is surrounded by the Wenatchee River to the north and the Columbia River to the east. The Wenatchee Mountains are to the south and west. These mountains form a natural wall around the city. Wenatchee covers about 11.49 square miles (29.75 square kilometers) of land and water.

Climate

Wenatchee has a semi-arid climate. This means it has cold winters and hot, dry summers.

People Living in Wenatchee

2020 Census Information

In 2020, the U.S. census counted 35,508 people living in Wenatchee. There were 13,793 households. About 30.7% of these households had children under 18. Many different groups of people live in Wenatchee. About 32.59% of the people were of Hispanic or Latino background. The median age in the city was 37.5 years.

Arts and Culture

The Wenatchee post office has a large painting called The Saga of Wenatchee. It was painted in 1940. This painting was part of a government program to create public art during the Great Depression.

Wenatchee is home to many performing arts groups. These include the Wenatchee Valley Symphony and the Columbia Chorale. There are also theater companies that put on plays all year. A special group is Mariachi Huenachi. This mariachi program from the Wenatchee School District has even performed in Washington D.C. at the U.S. Capitol!

The Town Toyota Center often hosts high school mariachi groups. Famous mariachi bands sometimes visit to teach and perform concerts.

Sports

Professional Sports Teams

Wenatchee has a few professional sports teams:

Former Teams

Some sports teams that used to play in Wenatchee include:

Amateur Sports Teams

Many amateur sports clubs are active in Wenatchee:

The Wenatchee Valley Super Oval in East Wenatchee is a track used for local car racing. The Town Toyota Center, built in 2008, hosts many sports events and shows.

Parks and Recreation

Burch Mountain above Wenatchee.

The Wenatchee Valley has many fun sports and outdoor activities for every season. There are places like the WRAC tennis club, a big swimming pool, and an ice arena. You can also find several golf courses and many baseball and soccer fields. Pickleball is also very popular here.

You can go hiking, fishing, and hunting. Boating and water sports are also common on the Columbia and Wenatchee rivers. In winter, the nearby mountains offer great snowmobiling, sledding, skiing, and snowboarding. Popular ski areas include Mission Ridge and Stevens Pass.

The city has a large system of parks and paved trails. This is called the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail. It is a 10-mile (16 km) loop along both sides of the Columbia River. People use it for biking, walking, jogging, and skating. In winter, cross-country skiers and snowshoers also use the trail. The hills around Wenatchee are protected for hiking.

Education

The former Carnegie Library is now home to the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival.

Wells House, another historic building. Its former grounds are now home to Wenatchee Valley College.

Public schools in Wenatchee are part of the Wenatchee School District. This district has six elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school (Wenatchee High School). There are also alternative high schools and learning programs.

Some private schools in Wenatchee include Children's Gate Montessori School and St. Joseph Catholic School.

Colleges and Universities

Wenatchee is home to Wenatchee Valley College. This is a two-year community college. It has a main campus in Wenatchee and another campus in Omak. The college serves a very large area in Washington State.

Washington State University also has a research center in Wenatchee. It focuses on tree fruit.

Transportation

Major roads like U.S. Route 2 and U.S. Route 97 pass near Wenatchee. State Route 28 goes through East Wenatchee.

You can cross the Columbia River using three bridges. Two are for cars: the Richard Odabashian Bridge and the Senator George Sellar Bridge. One is for people walking: the Old Wenatchee Bridge.

Public Transportation

Link Transit provides bus services in Wenatchee and nearby areas. They even have electric buses! Since 2021, all Link Transit rides are free.

Columbia Station is the city's train station. You can catch Amtrak passenger trains there. Buses from Greyhound and other companies also stop at this station.

Air Travel

The city has Pangborn Memorial Airport. It is about 5 miles (8 km) east of Wenatchee. You can take commercial flights from this airport to Seattle on Alaska Air. The airport is working to allow even larger planes in the future.

Railroads

Wenatchee is on a main railroad line for the BNSF Railway. This line goes to Seattle. The Amtrak Empire Builder passenger train serves Wenatchee. There is also a local freight railroad that connects with BNSF in Wenatchee.

Notable People

Many interesting people have come from Wenatchee, including:

• Chris DeGarmo (b. 1963), a musician from the band Queensrÿche.
• Tyler Farrar (b. 1984), a professional cyclist.
• Don Lanphere (1928–2003), a jazz saxophone player.
• Noreen Nash (b. 1924-2023), an actress.
• Bud Sagendorf (1915–1994), a cartoonist famous for drawing Popeye.
• Heidi Schreck (b. 1971), an actress and playwright.
• Kurt Schulz (b. 1968), a former NFL football player.
• Hailey Van Lith (b. 2001), a college basketball player.
• Elizabeth Zharoff (b. 1986), an opera singer and YouTuber.

Sister cities

Wenatchee has four sister cities around the world:

• Kuroishi, Japan
• Misawa, Japan
• Tynda, Russia
• Naju, South Korea

See also

In Spanish: Wenatchee (Washington) para niños