Wenatchee, Washington
City in Washington, United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Wenatchee (/wɛˈnætʃiː/ weh-NA-tchee) is the county seat and largest city of Chelan County, Washington, United States.[5] The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925,[6] and has increased to 35,508 as of 2020.[7] 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.
Wenatchee | |
|---|---|
| City of Wenatchee | |
 View over the city in 2009 | |
 Flag | |
| Nickname: Apple Capital of the World | |
 | |
  Wenatchee Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 47°25′24″N 120°19′31″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Chelan |
| Established | 1892 |
| Incorporated | February 29, 1892 |
| Named for | Wenatchi tribe |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Mayor | Frank Kuntz |
| • Council | Wenatchee City Council |
| Area | |
| • City | 11.49 sq mi (29.75 km2) |
| • Land | 10.57 sq mi (27.39 km2) |
| • Water | 0.91 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 | |
| • City | 35,508 |
| • Estimate (2019)[3] | 34,360 |
| • Density | 3,249.17/sq mi (1,254.56/km2) |
| • Urban | 67,227 (US: 412th) |
| • Urban density | 210.45/sq mi (81.256/km2) |
| • Metro | 119,943 (US: 324th) |
| • Metro density | 22.90/sq mi (8.84/km2) |
| • Demonym | Wenatcheeite |
| Time zone | PST |
| ZIP codes | 98801 98807 |
| Area code | 509 |
| FIPS code | 53-77105 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1527897[4] |
| Website | www |
The city was named for the nearby Wenatchi Indian tribe. 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". The "Power Belt of the Great Northwest" 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.[8]