Ephrata, Washington
Encyclopedia
Ephrata is a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,808 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Grant County.
Historically, the settlement of Ephrata is quite recent. There was no known settlement until 1886, just three years before Washington attained statehood. The horse rancher Frank Beezley was the first to settle near the natural springs, thus the area was known as Beezley Springs. As the climate and topography were not promising to settlement, the entire region remained sparsely populated until several federal congressional actions, including the Northern Pacific Land Grant Act, the Homestead Act
, and Desert Claims Act, encouraged the settlement of this semi-arid
desert. Originally, Douglas County spread over the entire territory of the Big Bend of the Columbia River
. In 1909, the Washington State legislature divided it, creating Grant County. When the time came to present arguments to the state legislature regarding which town should be the county seat, someone apparently intentionally intoxicated the representative of a rival community, and Ephrata was chosen.
It is generally believed that the city was named Ephrata by a man who worked for the Great Northern Railway. The name Ephrata is derived from a biblical description of an orchard in the middle of the desert. It is also the ancient name for the town of Bethlehem
.
The region was known at the turn of the century for the great herds of wild horses that roamed the land. Horse trading was an important element of the local economy, and Ephrata served as the staging area for the horse round-ups. The last "Grand Horse Round-up" was held in Ephrata in 1906. Ephrata then developed as a trade and service center for cattle and sheep ranches in the area until the construction of the Columbia Basin Reclamation Project
.
In 1939 one of Washington state's longest runways was built and served the US Army Air Corps until 1945, when the field was turned into a commercial airport. The airport and hangars were used in Audrey Hepburn's final movie, Steven Spielberg's Always (1989).
Ephrata was in the national spotlight in a segment on 60 Minutes II
after the murder of Craig Sorger by Evan Savoie and Jake Eakin. The two accused were the youngest defendants in state history to be tried as adults.http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/07/22/60II/main710981.shtml
In January 2011 Jim McCullar bought his half of a $380 million Mega Millions lottery ticket at a Safeway supermarket in Ephrata. It was the second largest jackpot in US lottery history.
Grant County Public Utility District
has its headquarters located in Ephrata.
in order to irrigate the dry but fertile soils of the Big Bend country. Labeled "The Dam University", Ephrata residents persistently lobbied at the local, state, and federal levels to gather support for the project. Initial funding for the Grand Coulee Dam
was through the Public Works Administration
created under Franklin Roosevelt's promise of a "New Deal
" in 1933. However, the irrigation waters would not be released as the nation focused on ending World War II during the 1940s. During this era, Grand Coulee Dam
's main mission was to produce electricity for the Hanford Reservation
and for aluminum manufacturing, vital to military aircraft production. When the war ended, the Project returned to its original mission, to irrigate the desert.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 10.0 square miles (25.8 km²), all of it land.
Link to local weather information from the NWS Spokane Office (National Weather Service) – http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/otx/
Ephrata experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen
BSk).
, and 2.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.30% of the population.
There were 2,561 households out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 28.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,060, and the median income for a family was $43,500. Males had a median income of $38,571 versus $26,320 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,929. About 8.7% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Grant County.
History
Ephrata was officially incorporated on June 21, 1909 and was given the county seat for the newly created Grant County.Historically, the settlement of Ephrata is quite recent. There was no known settlement until 1886, just three years before Washington attained statehood. The horse rancher Frank Beezley was the first to settle near the natural springs, thus the area was known as Beezley Springs. As the climate and topography were not promising to settlement, the entire region remained sparsely populated until several federal congressional actions, including the Northern Pacific Land Grant Act, the Homestead Act
Homestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....
, and Desert Claims Act, encouraged the settlement of this semi-arid
Semi-arid
A semi-arid climate or steppe climate describes climatic regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not extremely...
desert. Originally, Douglas County spread over the entire territory of the Big Bend of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. In 1909, the Washington State legislature divided it, creating Grant County. When the time came to present arguments to the state legislature regarding which town should be the county seat, someone apparently intentionally intoxicated the representative of a rival community, and Ephrata was chosen.
It is generally believed that the city was named Ephrata by a man who worked for the Great Northern Railway. The name Ephrata is derived from a biblical description of an orchard in the middle of the desert. It is also the ancient name for the town of Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
.
The region was known at the turn of the century for the great herds of wild horses that roamed the land. Horse trading was an important element of the local economy, and Ephrata served as the staging area for the horse round-ups. The last "Grand Horse Round-up" was held in Ephrata in 1906. Ephrata then developed as a trade and service center for cattle and sheep ranches in the area until the construction of the Columbia Basin Reclamation Project
Columbia Basin Project
The Columbia Basin Project in Central Washington, USA, is the irrigation network that the Grand Coulee Dam makes possible. It is the largest water reclamation project in the United States, supplying irrigation water to over of the large project area, all of which was originally intended to be...
.
In 1939 one of Washington state's longest runways was built and served the US Army Air Corps until 1945, when the field was turned into a commercial airport. The airport and hangars were used in Audrey Hepburn's final movie, Steven Spielberg's Always (1989).
Ephrata was in the national spotlight in a segment on 60 Minutes II
60 Minutes II
60 Minutes II was a weekly primetime news magazine television program that was intended to replicate the "signature style, journalistic quality and integrity" of the original 60 Minutes series.It aired on CBS on Wednesdays, then later moved to Fridays at 8 p.m...
after the murder of Craig Sorger by Evan Savoie and Jake Eakin. The two accused were the youngest defendants in state history to be tried as adults.http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/07/22/60II/main710981.shtml
In January 2011 Jim McCullar bought his half of a $380 million Mega Millions lottery ticket at a Safeway supermarket in Ephrata. It was the second largest jackpot in US lottery history.
Grant County Public Utility District
Grant County Public Utility District
Public Utility District No. 2 of Grant County, or Grant County PUD, is a public utility district in north central Washington state. It is owned by its customers and governed by a Board of Commissioners elected by the customer-owners. Though it is not regulated by another governmental unit, a PUD...
has its headquarters located in Ephrata.
Columbia Basin Irrigation Project
Beginning in July 1918, several prominent Ephrata residents started the promotion of a plan to redirect waters of the Columbia RiverColumbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
in order to irrigate the dry but fertile soils of the Big Bend country. Labeled "The Dam University", Ephrata residents persistently lobbied at the local, state, and federal levels to gather support for the project. Initial funding for 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...
was through the Public Works Administration
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...
created under Franklin Roosevelt's promise of a "New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
" in 1933. However, the irrigation waters would not be released as the nation focused on ending World War II during the 1940s. During this era, 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...
's main mission was to produce electricity for the Hanford Reservation
Hanford Site
The Hanford Site is a mostly decommissioned nuclear production complex on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, operated by the United States federal government. The site has been known by many names, including Hanford Works, Hanford Engineer Works or HEW, Hanford Nuclear Reservation...
and for aluminum manufacturing, vital to military aircraft production. When the war ended, the Project returned to its original mission, to irrigate the desert.
Population growth
The construction of the Irrigation Project and the military activity increased the population of Ephrata by a factor of eight between 1940 and 1960. As the federal projects phased out, the town experienced a devastating population decrease of 22% between 1960 and 1975. The population stabilized between 1975 and 1982, with a slight decrease between 1980 and 1990. The city has seen steady population growth since 1990. The present population is 7,110.Geography & weather
Ephrata is located at 47°19′1"N 119°32′53"W (47.316971, -119.548059).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 10.0 square miles (25.8 km²), all of it land.
Link to local weather information from the NWS Spokane Office (National Weather Service) – http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/otx/
Ephrata experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
BSk).
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,808 people, 2,561 households, and 1,776 families residing in the city. The population density was 683.0 people per square mile (263.6/km²). There were 2,788 housing units at an average density of 279.7 per square mile (108.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.64% White, 0.40% African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 5.32% from other racesRace (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 2.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.30% of the population.
There were 2,561 households out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 28.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,060, and the median income for a family was $43,500. Males had a median income of $38,571 versus $26,320 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 $17,929. About 8.7% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- City of Ephrata
- History of Ephrata at HistoryLinkHistoryLinkHistoryLink is a website that is an encyclopedia of Washington State history. The site has more than 4,500 stories. There are 500 biographies and more than 14,000 images....