Wenatchee, Washington

Wenatchee
City of Wenatchee
View over the city in 2009
View over the city in 2009
Flag of Wenatchee
Nickname: 
Apple Capital of the World
Location of Wenatchee
Wenatchee is located in the United States
Wenatchee
Wenatchee
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 47°25′24″N 120°19′31″W / 47.42333°N 120.32528°W / 47.42333; -120.32528
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyChelan
Established1892
IncorporatedFebruary 29, 1892
Named forWenatchi tribe
Government
 • TypeMayor–council
 • MayorFrank Kuntz
 • CouncilWenatchee City Council
Area
 • City11.49 sq mi (29.75 km2)
 • Land10.57 sq mi (27.39 km2)
 • Water0.91 sq mi (2.36 km2)
 • Urban
31.373 sq mi (81.256 km2)
 • Metro
1,870 sq mi (4,843 km2)
Elevation
780 ft (237 m)
Population
 • City35,508
 • Density3,249.17/sq mi (1,254.56/km2)
 • Urban
67,227 (US: 412th)
 • Urban density210.45/sq mi (81.256/km2)
 • Metro
119,943 (US: 324th)
 • Metro density22.90/sq mi (8.84/km2)
 • Demonym
Wenatcheeite
Time zonePST
ZIP codes
98801
98807
Area code509
FIPS code53-77105
GNIS feature ID1527897[3]
Websitewww.wenatcheewa.gov

Wenatchee (/wɛˈnæ/ weh-NA-tchee) is the county seat and most populous city of Chelan County, Washington, United States.[4] The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925,[5] and has increased to 35,508 as of 2020.[6] Located in the north-central part of the state, at the confluence of the Columbia and Wenatchee rivers near the eastern foothills of the Cascade Range, Wenatchee lies on the western side of the Columbia River, across from the city of East Wenatchee. The Columbia River forms the boundary between Chelan and Douglas County. Wenatchee is the principal city of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Chelan and Douglas counties (total population around 110,884). However, the "Wenatchee Valley Area" generally refers to the land between Rocky Reach and Rock Island Dam on both banks of the Columbia, which includes East Wenatchee, Rock Island, and Malaga, as well as the surrounding towns of Monitor and Cashmere to the west of Wenatchee.

The city was named for the nearby Wenatchi Native American people. The name is a Sahaptin word that means "river which comes [or whose source is] from canyons" or "robe of the rainbow". Awenatchela means "people at the source [of a river]". The city of Wenatchee shares its name with the Wenatchee River, Lake Wenatchee and the Wenatchee National Forest.

Wenatchee is referred to as the "Apple Capital of the World" due to the valley's many orchards. The city is also sometimes referred to as the "Buckle of the Power Belt of the Great Northwest" which is a metaphor for the series of hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River. Rock Island Dam is located nearest to the middle of this "belt", and so was labeled the "Buckle". This saying is printed at the top of every issue of Wenatchee's newspaper, The Wenatchee World, but is no longer in common use elsewhere.[7]

  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference wwwcensusgov was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File" (PDF). American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  6. ^ "2020 United States Census Profile: Wenatchee, Washington". United States Census Bureau, Population Division. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  7. ^ "The Wenatchee World Online". Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved March 12, 2009.

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