Tonasket, Washington
Encyclopedia
Tonasket is a city in Okanogan County, Washington, United States
. The population was 994 at the 2000 census and increased 3.8% to 1,032 at the 2010 census.
, a local leader from this area who assumed the status of grand chief of the American Okanogan after the drawing of the U.S.-Canada border by the Oregon Treaty
of 1846, assuming a leadership role in Okanogan territory formerly held by Chief Nicola
who lived north of the border.
Tonasket is a city located along the eastern bank of the Okanogan River in north-central Okanogan County, Washington. U.S. Highway 97, the main north-south highway through central Washington, bisects the city on its way north to the Canadian border approximately twenty miles north. Washington state highway 20 breaks east of 97, running across the state. The city, with an elevation 900 feet above sea level, is bordered on the north by Siwash Creek, and the south by Bonaparte Creek. The present population is estimated to be approximately 1,000.
Tonasket, which has been the site of a U.S. Post Office since 1901, was plat
ted in 1910 and incorporated in 1927. It serves as a hub for agricultural and forestry industries in north central Okanogan County. It is the location of three major fruit storage and processing facilities and the offices of the Tonasket Ranger District of the Okanogan National Forest
. Tonasket is 20 miles west of Cayuse Mountain Road, home of the Okanogan Family Faire, a local barter fair and harvest celebration.
Many descendants of pioneer families still reside in Tonasket and the surrounding areas and are interested in preserving and sharing the history of their heritage. A son of one of those pioneer families, Walter H. Brattain, grew up on a cattle ranch near Tonasket, attended Tonasket schools and shared the 1956 Nobel Prize
in Physics (with William Shockley
and John Bardeen
) for the invention of the transistor
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.7 km²), all of it land.
Tonasket Municipal Airport (W01) opened to the public in July 1990 with one paved runway of 3053 ft (931 m) in length, situated 2 mi (3 km) miles northwest of town on 100 acres (40.5 ha) of land.
of 2000, there were 994 people, 420 households, and 223 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,544.7 people per square mile (599.7/km²). There were 482 housing units at an average density of 749.0 per square mile (290.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.03% White, 0.40% African American, 1.41% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 7.75% from other races
, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.16% of the population.
There were 420 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were married couples
living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% were non-families. 40.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 27.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 80.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,523, and the median income for a family was $28,393. Males had a median income of $28,542 versus $22,250 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,293. About 22.0% of families and 23.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 994 at the 2000 census and increased 3.8% to 1,032 at the 2010 census.
History
Tonasket was officially incorporated on December 16, 1927. It is named after Chief Tonasket of the Okanogan peopleOkanagan people
The Okanagan people, also spelled Okanogan, are a First Nations and Native American people whose traditional territory spans the U.S.-Canada boundary in Washington state and British Columbia...
, a local leader from this area who assumed the status of grand chief of the American Okanogan after the drawing of the U.S.-Canada border by the Oregon Treaty
Oregon Treaty
The Oregon Treaty is a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to the Oregon Country, which had been jointly occupied by...
of 1846, assuming a leadership role in Okanogan territory formerly held by Chief Nicola
Nicola (chief)
Nicola , also Nkwala or N'kwala, was an important First Nations political figure in the fur trade era of the British Columbia Interior as well as into the colonial period...
who lived north of the border.
Tonasket is a city located along the eastern bank of the Okanogan River in north-central Okanogan County, Washington. U.S. Highway 97, the main north-south highway through central Washington, bisects the city on its way north to the Canadian border approximately twenty miles north. Washington state highway 20 breaks east of 97, running across the state. The city, with an elevation 900 feet above sea level, is bordered on the north by Siwash Creek, and the south by Bonaparte Creek. The present population is estimated to be approximately 1,000.
Tonasket, which has been the site of a U.S. Post Office since 1901, was plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted in 1910 and incorporated in 1927. It serves as a hub for agricultural and forestry industries in north central Okanogan County. It is the location of three major fruit storage and processing facilities and the offices of the Tonasket Ranger District of the Okanogan National Forest
Okanogan National Forest
The Okanogan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in northern and western Okanogan County in north-central Washington State, United States...
. Tonasket is 20 miles west of Cayuse Mountain Road, home of the Okanogan Family Faire, a local barter fair and harvest celebration.
Many descendants of pioneer families still reside in Tonasket and the surrounding areas and are interested in preserving and sharing the history of their heritage. A son of one of those pioneer families, Walter H. Brattain, grew up on a cattle ranch near Tonasket, attended Tonasket schools and shared the 1956 Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
in Physics (with William Shockley
William Shockley
William Bradford Shockley Jr. was an American physicist and inventor. Along with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain, Shockley co-invented the transistor, for which all three were awarded the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics.Shockley's attempts to commercialize a new transistor design in the 1950s...
and John Bardeen
John Bardeen
John Bardeen was an American physicist and electrical engineer, the only person to have won the Nobel Prize in Physics twice: first in 1956 with William Shockley and Walter Brattain for the invention of the transistor; and again in 1972 with Leon Neil Cooper and John Robert Schrieffer for a...
) for the invention of the transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
.
Geography
Tonasket is located at 48°42′20"N 119°26′19"W (48.705626, -119.438568). at an altitude of 1311 ft (400 m).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 city has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.7 km²), all of it land.
Tonasket Municipal Airport (W01) opened to the public in July 1990 with one paved runway of 3053 ft (931 m) in length, situated 2 mi (3 km) miles northwest of town on 100 acres (40.5 ha) of land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 994 people, 420 households, and 223 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,544.7 people per square mile (599.7/km²). There were 482 housing units at an average density of 749.0 per square mile (290.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.03% White, 0.40% African American, 1.41% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 7.75% 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 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.16% of the population.
There were 420 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% were non-families. 40.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 27.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 80.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,523, and the median income for a family was $28,393. Males had a median income of $28,542 versus $22,250 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 city was $13,293. About 22.0% of families and 23.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.