Kittitas County, Washington

Infobox U.S. County
county = Kittitas County
state = Washington




map size = 225
founded = November 24, 1883
seat = Ellensburg | area_total_sq_mi =2333
area_land_sq_mi =2297
area_water_sq_mi =36
area percentage = 1.54%
Pop of year = 2006
pop = 37,189
density_km2 =6
web = www.co.kittitas.wa.us
|

Kittitas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2000, the population was 33,362. Its county seat is Ellensburg, which is also the county's largest city.

There are numerous interpretations of the name, which is from the language of the Kittitas American Indian language. 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." cite web| last = Cochran | first = Jennifer | title=Kittitas County About the County|url=http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/about/history.asp| date=2007]

Kittitas County officially separated from Yakima County in 1884.cite book | title = Illustrated History of Klickitat, Yakima, & Kittitas Counties, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington | publisher = Interstate Publishing Company | date = 1904 | pages = p. 349]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,333 square miles (6,043 km²), of which, 2,297 square miles (5,950 km²) of it is land and 36 square miles (93 km²) of it (1.54%) is water. The highest point in the county is Mount Daniel at 2426 meters (7,959 feet) above sea level.

Geographic features

*Cascade Mountains
*Columbia River
*Manastash Ridge
*Wenatchee Mountains
*Yakima Canyon

Major highways

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

Adjacent counties

*Chelan County, Washington - north
*Douglas County, Washington - northeast
*Grant County, Washington - east
*Yakima County, Washington - south
*Pierce County, Washington - west
*King County, Washington - northwest

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 33,362 people, 13,382 households, and 7,788 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 16,475 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.77% White, 0.71% Black or African American, 0.91% Native American, 2.19% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 2.30% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. 5.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.4% were of German, 11.7% English, 9.0% Irish, 7.8% United States or American and 6.6% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000. 93.2% spoke English and 4.5% Spanish as their first language.

There were 13,382 households out of which 26.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.80% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.80% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the population was spread out with 20.60% under the age of 18, 21.60% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,546, and the median income for a family was $46,057. Males had a median income of $36,257 versus $25,640 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,928. About 10.50% of families and 19.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.

Census-recognized communities

*Cle Elum
*Easton
*Ellensburg
*Kittitas
*Ronald
*Roslyn
*Snoqualmie Pass
*South Cle Elum
*Thorp
*Vantage

Other communities

*Doris
*Liberty
*Rocklyn
*Suncadia
*Teanaway
*Thrall

External links

* [http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/ Kittitas County official website]
* [http://digital.lib.cwu.edu/cgi-bin/library?site=localhost&a=p&p=about&c=krueger&l=en&w=utf-8 The Frederick Krueger Photograph Collection] The Frederick Krueger Collection contains images of the Upper Kittitas Valley of Washington State from the 1880s to the 1960s. The images, scanned from photographic prints, glass negatives and rare publications, visually document the communities of Cle Elum, Roslyn and other towns and villages in western Kittitas County. The collection also focuses upon mining, logging and fur trapping in the region during the late 19th Century and early 20th Century.

References

Further reading

*cite book|author=Lyman, William Denison|title=History of the Yakima Valley, Washington : comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton counties|publisher=S.J. Clarke|year=1919 [http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/publications%5Fdetail.aspx?p=17 Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection]