Cathlamet, Washington
Location of Cathlamet, Washington
Coordinates: 46°12′14″N 123°23′2″W / 46.20389, -123.38389
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Wahkiakum
Area
- Total	0.4 sq mi (1.0 km²)
- Land	0.4 sq mi (1.0 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	79 ft (24 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	565
- Density	1,426.2/sq mi (550.7/km²)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	98612
Area code(s)	360
FIPS code	53-10635[1]
GNIS feature ID	1503862[2]

Cathlamet is a town in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States. The population was 565 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wahkiakum County^[3].

History

From time immemorial, Cathlamet was the largest, or one of the largest, villages of Columbia River indians west of the Cascade Mountains.^[4] This village of cedar houses included 300-400 inhabitants when visited by Lewis and Clark.

In 1846, James Birnie became the first permanent white settler at Cathlamet, moving there after a career with the Hudson's Bay Company. He set up a trading post, remnants of which were reported still standing in 1906.

Cathlamet was officially incorporated on February 18, 1907. In 1938, the Julia Butler Hansen Bridge was built to carry what is now State Route 409 across the Columbia River's Cathlamet Channel to Puget Island.

Geography

Cathlamet is located at 46°12′14″N, 123°23′2″W (46.203767, -123.383838)^[5].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²), all of it land.

Cathlamet is connected across the Columbia River to Westport, Oregon via SR 409 and the county-operated Wahkiakum County Ferry.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 565 people, 246 households, and 138 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,426.2 people per square mile (545.4/km²). There were 278 housing units at an average density of 701.7/sq mi (268.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.16% White, 0.53% African American, 1.59% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 2.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population.

There were 246 households out of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.5% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.67.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.2% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 26.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 81.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $33,409, and the median income for a family was $47,917. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $30,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,588. About 9.6% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable Residents

• Julia Butler Hansen, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1960-1974. She represented Washington's Third Congressional District as a Democrat.

Cathlamet in Popular Culture

Films shot in Cathlamet include Come See The Paradise (1990)[1], Snow Falling on Cedars (1999) [2] and Men of Honor (2000)[3]

References

External links

• Cathlamet, Washington is at coordinates 46°12′14″N 123°23′02″W / 46.203767, -123.383838 (Cathlamet, Washington)Coordinates: 46°12′14″N 123°23′02″W / 46.203767, -123.383838 (Cathlamet, Washington)

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