Kelso, Washington
Encyclopedia : K : KE : KEL : Kelso, Washington
Kelso is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. The population was 11,895 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cowlitz County[Geographic references#6GR6].
Kelso was founded by Peter Crawford, of Kelso, Scotland, in 1884. It was known as "little Chicago" early in its history because of the large number of taverns and whorehouses that catered to local loggers. The economy continues to be based largely on wood products. Kelso shares a long border with Longview, Washington, and is near Mount St. Helens. Areas of the town, notably the local shopping mall, are built on volcanic ash that was dredged from the Cowlitz River after the mudflow from the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens clogged the river's channel. Kelso currently is known as the "smelt capital of the world" because of the large smelt run that the Cowlitz River has in the winter months.
In March, 1998, 64 houses in the Aldercrest development began to shift their location; eventually 129 houses were destroyed by this landslide. Investigation showed that these houses had been built on top of an active landslide area, and heavy rains had set the earth into motion. This disaster at Aldercrest led to stricter city zoning ordinances and oversight over geological surveys.
Kelso High School's football team is called the "Hilanders", after the town's Scottish heritage. The successful football team is often referred to as "The Scotties."
Kelso's primary newspaper is The Daily News, which won a 1981 Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the St. Helens eruption.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.7 km² (8.4 mi²). 20.9 km² (8.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (3.46%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 11,895 people, 4,616 households, and 2,991 families residing in the city. The population density was 568.4/km² (1,471.6/mi²). There were 5,067 housing units at an average density of 242.1/km² (626.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.14% White, 0.82% African American, 2.05% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 3.12% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.93% of the population.There were 4,616 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,722, and the median income for a family was $36,784. Males had a median income of $36,271 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,162. About 16.4% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.
Sister Cities
Kelso has the two sister cities, according to [link] and [link]:
External links
- [The Daily News] (Kelso's local newspaper)
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