White Salmon is a city in Klickitat County, Washington, United States. It is located in the Columbia River Gorge. The population was 2,193 at the 2000 census, increased 1.4% to 2,224 at the 2010 census, and increased 11.7% to 2,485 at the 2020 census.
History
White Salmon was first settled in 1852 by Erastus Joslyn and his wife. White Salmon was officially incorporated on June 3, 1907.
White Salmon was part of the home of the Klickitat Tribe, now a part of the Yakama Confederated Nations. The Klickitat Tribe sold some land to the Joslyns. They were generally Native advocates for the time. The area was thrown open on October 31, 1858, for white settlement after the Klickitat and Yakama lost the fight for their homelands in the Yakama War. Within the same year, the region was very rapidly and heavily settled by white immigrants making land claims. The Klickitat were forced to relocate to the Yakama Reservation.
White Salmon was named after the White Salmon River.
Government
White Salmon's current city government includes Mayor Marla Keethler, first elected in 2019 and re-elected to a four-year term in November 2023.
Current city council members, elected to four-year terms, include Patty Fink (Position 1), David Lindley (Position 2), Jason Hartmann (Position 3), Jim Ransier (Position 4) and Ben Giant (Position 5).
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.
The city is located opposite Hood River, Oregon on the Columbia River.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, White Salmon had a population of 2,485. The median age was 42.0 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.0 males age 18 and over.
There were 1,082 households in White Salmon, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.9% were married-couple households, 19.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 1,920 || 77.3%
|-
| Black or African American || 2 || 0.1%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 26 || 1.0%
|-
| Asian || 22 || 0.9%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 2 || 0.1%
|-
| Some other race || 224 || 9.0%
|-
| Two or more races || 289 || 11.6%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 419 || 16.9%
|}
2010 census
At the 2010 census there were 2,224 people in 921 households, including 559 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 1,039 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.8% White, 0.3% African American, 1.4% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 14.7% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.4%.
Of the 921 households 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.3% were non-families. 33.1% of households were one person and 14.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.09.
The median age was 38.1 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.
2000 census
At the 2000 census there were 2,193 people in 887 households, including 590 families, in the city. The population density was 1,759.2 people per square mile (677.4/km). There were 948 housing units at an average density of 760.5 per square mile (292.8/km). The racial makeup of the city was 83.08% White, 0.23% African American, 1.14% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 12.04% from other races, and 2.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.83%.