Mansfield is a town in Douglas County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee

Wenatchee, Washington

Wenatchee is located in North Central Washington and is the largest city and county seat of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925...

–East Wenatchee

East Wenatchee, Washington

East Wenatchee is a city in Douglas County, Washington, United States along the northern banks of the Columbia River. The population at the 2010 census was 13,190, a 129.1% increase over the 2000 census....

 Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 328 at the 2000 census.

History

R.E. Darling named Mansfield in 1905 after his hometown of Mansfield, Ohio

Mansfield, Ohio

Mansfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Richland County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau, approximately southwest of Cleveland and northeast of Columbus....

. Mansfield's land was purchased and first developed in 1909 by the Great Northern Railway. Mansfield was officially incorporated on February 23, 1911.

Fires

By 1914, the town had grown substantially, and had acquired two hotels, a bank, a doctor's office, and many more amenities. What had started as a town based on agriculture and the railroad had grown into a popular resort destination.

In June 1914, a fire broke out in Mansfield's Knox Store, known as "Mansfield's greatest store". The fire was pushed by the wind and spread over both sides of the first block Mansfield's Main Street. The fire caused roughly $200,000 US in damage. In November of the same year, fire destroyed the second block of Main Street. After the fires, town ordinace was passed requiring all new buildings within certain areas of the town to be built of fire-proof materials.

In 1922, the Cross Hotel, owned by contractor Robert Cross, burned to the ground. The hotel was one of Mansfield's greatest attractions, and was considered to be one of the best hotels in all of North Central Washington. Though his hotel was lost, many of the houses built by Cross are still in use today.

The Great Depression

Mansfield's economy continued to grow throughout the years leading up to the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

. The town's enormous amount of wheat production proved very lucrative, and the town continued to grow.

In the mid-1920s, a terrible drought hit Mansfield and the surrounding area. That, along with the beginnings of the Great Depression, caused many people to leave Mansfield in search of work.

After the Depression and Mansfield Today

The town's crops and economy eventually recovered, but the damage had been done. Mansfield would never fully return to what it once was. The railroad eventually closed its service depot in Mansfield. In the 1950s, the train station was sold off and moved. Finally, in the 1980s, the railroad departed from Mansfield for the last time. The railroad was no longer able to serve the communities it passed through in Central Washington. The rails were dismantled, leaving Mansfield as "the town at the end of the rails".

Today, Mansfield is still a town based on agriculture. The town's grain elevators process around 1.7 million bushels of wheat annually.

The town is home of the Gallaher House

Gallaher House

The Gallaher House built in 1914 is an historic octagon house located at 600 12th Street in Bridgeport, Washington. On June 27, 1995, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places....

.

Geography

Mansfield is located at 47°48′47"N 119°38′24"W (47.812967, -119.640096).

According to the United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 319 people, 148 households, and 95 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,026.7 people per square mile (397.3/km²). There were 168 housing units at an average density of 540.7 per square mile (209.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.04% White, 0.63% Native American, 1.57% from other races

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 3.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.45% of the population.

There were 148 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.63.

In the town the age distribution of the population shows 21.9% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $42,500. Males had a median income of $38,125 versus $21,667 for females. The per capita income

Per capita income

Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town was $17,368. About 13.3% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Recreation

Mansfield is well known in hang gliding circles for its favorable Summer weather. Manfield is also home to high-power rocketry launch events from Spring to Fall. Its close proximity to the Grand Coulee Dam

Grand Coulee Dam

Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants. A third power station was completed in 1974 to increase its energy...

 and Lake Chelan

Lake Chelan

Lake Chelan is a narrow, 55-mile-long lake in Chelan County, northern Washington state, U.S. It is the largest natural lake in Washington state...

allow for aquatic recreation. In Winter, Mansfield's surrounding land provides opportunities for cross country skiers and snowmobilers.