Wapato, Washington

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Wapato, Washington
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Wapato, Washington


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Washington
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Yakima

government_footnotes =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 2.5
area_land_km2 = 2.5
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 1.0
area_land_sq_mi = 1.0
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 4582
population_density_km2 = 1824.4
population_density_sq_mi = 4725.2

timezone = Pacific (PST)
utc_offset = -8
timezone_DST = PDT
utc_offset_DST = -7
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 261
elevation_ft = 856
latd = 46 |latm = 26 |lats = 44 |latNS = N
longd = 120 |longm = 25 |longs = 19 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 98951
area_code = 509
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 53-76125GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1512774GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Wapato is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,582 at the 2000 census.

History

The town was originally founded in 1885 by Indian Postmaster Alex McCredy as a railroad stop on the Northern Pacific Railroad as Simcoe, Washington. The Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 made it legal for the Yakama Indian Nation to sell their lands, and began to draw settlers into the area. With the construction of the Irwin Canal in 1896, agriculture became the big business in town. In response to persistent confusion with nearby Fort Simcoe, the town changed it's name to Wapato in 1903. The 1906 Jones Act further encouraged Anglos to purchase land from the Yakamas. Wapato was officially incorporated on September 16, 1908 with a population of around 300 people.

As early as 1905, many Japanese people also began to migrate to the town, mainly from Hawaii. From 1916 to 1918, "Japanese Town" developed around present-day West 2nd Street. With more than 1000 Japanese then living in the Yakima Valley, the community soon became a center of Washington's Japanese population, second only to Seattle. The Yakima Buddhist Bussei Kaikan (1936-1941), on West 2nd Street, was an architecturally noteworthy building built by members of the congregation. [http://historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=139] Unfortunately it was not to last, as Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 forced the Japanese to evacuate from Wapato in 1942, many residents headed for internment camps.

During World War II, much of the labor in the orchards and fields around Wapato came from either Germans hald in a POW camp between Wapato and Toppenish, or from Japanese still being hed in internment camps. At the end of the war, a labor shortage created a void readily filled by Hispanic migrant workers, and the Bracero Program (a guest-worker program agreed to by the US and Mexico during WWII). These events significantly changed Wapato's cutural history.

Today, Wapato boasts one of the most Hispanic populations in Washington State (76% in the 2000 census, but a number of undocumented residents is estimated to put the number over 85%). In recent times both Anglo and Hispanic residents have described Wapato as a “Mexican Town.” [http://historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7937]

Geography

Wapato is located at coor dms|46|26|44|N|120|25|19|W|city (46.445521, -120.421822)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.5 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 4,582 people, 1,198 households, and 971 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,725.2 people per square mile (1,823.8/km²). There were 1,267 housing units at an average density of 1,306.6/sq mi (504.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 25.51% White, 0.50% African American, 9.34% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 57.57% from other races, and 5.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 76.21% of the population.

There were 1,198 households out of which 53.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 19.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 15.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.73 and the average family size was 4.10.

In the city the population was spread out with 38.2% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 14.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 104.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,804, and the median income for a family was $26,378. Males had a median income of $18,333 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,451. About 32.2% of families and 34.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.6% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* [http://www.wapato-city.org/ City of Wapato]