- Creston, Washington
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Creston, Washington — Town — Location of Creston, Washington
Coordinates: 47°45′29″N 118°31′16″W / 47.75806°N 118.52111°WCoordinates: 47°45′29″N 118°31′16″W / 47.75806°N 118.52111°W Country United States State Washington County Lincoln Area – Total 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2) – Land 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2) – Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) Elevation 2,441 ft (744 m) Population (2010) – Total 236 – Density 590.0/sq mi (214.5/km2) Time zone Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) – Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7) ZIP codes 99117, 99147 Area code(s) 509 FIPS code 53-15710[1] GNIS feature ID 1504274[2] Creston is a town in Lincoln County, Washington, United States. The population was 236 at the 2010 census.
Contents
History
Creston sprang up with the arrival of the Central Washington Railroad in 1889. It was named so because of its high altitude, because it is the highest town in Washington state between Wenatchee and Spokane, Washington, as the railroad goes.[3] In the spring of 1890, a town site was platted by H.S. Huson and registered with the state on June 23 of that year. The first structure in town was a small store building moved to the site by Henry Verfurth from the nearby village of Sherman, 5 miles northwest of Creston. A post office was established shortly thereafter whose jurisdiction extended to the Columbia River on the North and the railroad tracks on the South with ten miles East and West. Henry Verfurth was appointed as postmaster. Following the Panic of 1893 and the bankruptcy of the town site owner, Creston remained dormant until a bumper wheat crop in 1897 gave a boost to the regional economy, bringing thousands of new settlers to the region.
The results of the strong harvest were immediate with new businesses, grain elevators, public buildings, churches and the towns first bank and newspaper. At the same time, the town was given a boost by a new road and ferry connecting it to the rich mineral belts in the nearby Colville Indian Reservation. Between 1900 and 1903, Creston's population doubled to 102. In August 1902, the last surviving member of the infamous Hole in the Wall Gang, Harry Tracy, was shot at a Creston ranch and killed himself there to avoid capture. Creston was officially incorporated on April 20, 1903.
Geography
Creston is located at 47°45′29″N 118°31′16″W / 47.75806°N 118.52111°W (47.758146, -118.521118).[4] It is located roughly 30 miles west of Davenport, the county seat.
Creston is located at the foot of Brown's Butte, a gently sloping hill in the heart of what was historically known as the Brent's country, one of the richest farming areas in Lincoln County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 232 people, 115 households, and 64 families residing in the town. The population density was 524.5 people per square mile (203.6/km²). There were 131 housing units at an average density of 296.2 per square mile (115.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.67% White, 0.86% African American, 3.45% Native American, and 3.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population.
There were 115 households out of which 20.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.5% were non-families. 40.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.71.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.4% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 26.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,417, and the median income for a family was $33,250. Males had a median income of $30,833 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,830. About 15.4% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 20.0% of those sixty five or over.
The Creston School District maintains the town's sole K-12 school, though it also draws a considerable amount of students from the Davenport, Harrington, and Wilbur school districts.
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 106. ISBN 9780918664006. http://books.google.com/books?id=CoWrPQAACAAJ.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, Embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin Counties. Spokane, WA: Western Historical Publishing Company, 1904. Print.
External links
- [1] Creston School District Website
Municipalities and communities of Lincoln County, Washington Cities 
Towns Unincorporated
communitiesCategories:- Populated places in Lincoln County, Washington
- Towns in Washington (state)
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