Desert Aire is a census-designated place (CDP) in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,288 at the 2020 census up from 1,626 at the 2010 census.
History
In the late 1960s, a group of investors led by Harry Davidson, of Harry Davidson, Inc., bought of land along the Columbia River near the Priest Rapids Dam for some $1,000,000. Davidson cut in a runway and flew investors into his airport community in a Douglas DC-3. They developed a planned community of some 1,600 homes centered on the airport, a golf course and marina, which opened beginning in 1970. In 1994 the Grant County Airport District #1 was formed and now maintains the regional public-use airport in the community.
Geography
Desert Aire is located near the southwest corner of Grant County on the east bank of the Columbia River where it is part of Priest Rapids Lake. Washington State Route 243 forms the eastern edge of the CDP; the highway leads north to Mattawa and to Interstate 90 across the Columbia River from Vantage. To the southeast SR 243 leads to SR 24 at the Vernita Bridge over the Columbia.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Desert Aire CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 44.32%, are water. The CDP extends out to the middle of the Columbia River, where it is bordered by Yakima County to the west.
Climate
Desert Aire has some of the hottest temperatures in Washington during the summer and is one of the driest places in the state, being located in the rain shadow of both the Cascades and the Umtanums.
Average temperatures in July are a maximum of and a minimum of . In January, the average maximum is and the minimum is . Rainfall averages only per year, and the average snowfall is . The temperature has not been below 1 °F since before the year 2000.
Demographics
As of the census