Walla Walla is both the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, and the
county's largest city. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 29,6866. Walla Walla is in the southeastern region of Washington, approximately five
hours by car from Seattle, Washington and thirteen miles from the Oregon border.
Whitman College, Walla Walla Community College, and the Washington State Penitentiary are located in Walla Walla.
Walla Walla is famous for its sweet onions. It is considered to have many of the best
wineries in the country located in the area and is a popular vacation spot for wine
enthusiasts.
History
On September 1, 1836, Narcissa Whitman, one of the first white women to settle west of the Rocky Mountains, arrived at Walla Walla, along with her husband Marcus
Whitman. Here they established the Whitman Mission in an unsuccessful attempt to convert the local Walla Walla tribe to christianity. Both were killed by the Cayuse
following a disease epidemic believing that the missionaries were poisoning the Native Peoples. Whitman College was established in their honor. The original Fort Walla Walla, a major stopping point
for migrants moving West, has been preserved with many of the original buildings. The current Fort Walla Walla contains these
buildings, albeit in a different location from the original, as well as a museum about the early settlers' lives.
Walla Walla was officially incorporated on January 11, 1862.
As a result of a gold rush, during this decade the city became the largest community in the
territory of Washington, at one point slated to be the new state's capital. The former Governor's mansion still stands in the
southern part of the city. Following this period of rapid growth, agriculture became the city's primary industry.
Further Reading
Agriculture
Though wheat is still a big crop, vineyards and wineries have become economically important over the last two decades. In
summer 2006, there were over 100 wineries in the greater Walla Walla area. Following the wine boom, the town has developed
several top-tier restaurants and hotels. The Marcus Whitman hotel, one of Washington's finest early 1900s hotels, was recently
renovated with its original fixtures and furnitures. It is the tallest building in the city, reaching thirteen stories.
Walla Walla Farmers Market
The Walla Walla Sweet Onion is another crop with a rich tradition. Over a century ago on
the Island of Corsica, off the west coast of Italy, a French
soldier named Peter Pieri found an Italian sweet onion seed and brought it to the Walla Walla Valley. Impressed by the new
onion's winter hardiness, Pieri, and the Italian immigrant farmers who comprised much of Walla Walla's gardening industry,
harvested the seed. The sweet onion developed over several generations through the process of carefully hand selecting onions
from each year's crop, ensuring exceptional sweetness, jumbo size and round shape. The Walla Walla Sweet Onion is also protected
by the federal law of a protected agricultural crop in 1996. In 2007, the Walla Walla Sweet Onion became Washington's state
vegetable.
Walla Walla Sweet Onions get their sweetness from low sulfur content, which is half that of an
ordinary yellow onion. Walla Walla Sweets are 90 percent water. That, combined with Walla Walla’s mild climate and rich soil,
gives the onion its sweetness. The Walla Walla Sweet Onion Festival is held annually in July.
From asparagus and corn to cherries and strawberries, Walla Walla growers produce produce that’s available to the visitors of
the farmer's market throughout the late spring and through the late fall. There is also a selection of bakery treats, flowers and
plants, creative arts, and craft items on sale.
Another historic creation that occurred in Walla Walla, specifically at Whitman
College, was the birth of the trading card game known as Magic: The Gathering. Dr. Richard Garfield, the creator
of the card game, came to teach at Whitman College in 1993. He worked in his spare time
with local volunteer playtesters to help refine the game during the 1993 school year. After releasing the game publicly, he
worked with Wizards of the Coast.
In 1972, Walla Walla established sister city relationships with Sasayama, Japan.
Wine industry
-
Walla Walla has experienced an explosion in its wine industry over the last two decades. Producing some of the finest
American wines, Walla Walla is quickly becoming a destination for wine connoisseurs the
world over. Many of the wineries have received top scores from respected wine publications such as Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate and Wine and Spirits magazines. L'Ecole 41, Woodward Canyon and Leonetti
Cellars were the pioneers starting in the 1970s and 1980s. They
have been joined by many noteworthy producers like Walla Walla Vintners, Cayuse Vineyards, Spring Valley Vineyards, Waterbrook
Winery, Forgeron Cellars, Tamarack Cellars, Seven Hills Winery, and Pepper Bridge Winery as well as dozens more smaller wineries.
Although most of the early recognition went to the wines made from Merlot and Cabernet, Syrah is fast becoming a star varietal in
this appellation. Today there are over 100 wineries in the Walla Walla Valley
and a host of shops catering to the wine industry. Area businesses like wallawallawinesource.com meet consumer demand for
shipping Walla Walla Wine to consumers both in and out of the state.
Walla Walla Community College capitalizes on the opportunity to market the wine industry. The school offers an associate's
degree in winemaking through its 4-year-old Institute of Enology and Viticulture, which operates its own commercial winery.
One challenge to growing grapes in Walla Walla Valley is the risk of a killing freeze during
the winter. They average one every six or seven years and the last one, in 2004 , destroyed about 75% of the wine grape crop in
the valley.
The wineries generate over $100 million dollars to the valley annually.
Corrections industry
The largest prison in Washington is the maximum-security Washington State
Penitentiary located in Walla Walla. It houses about 2000 offenders and there are about 1000 staff members. In 2005, the
financial benefit to the local economy was estimated to be about $55 million through salaries, medical services, utilities, and
local purchases. Washington is a death penalty state, and occasional executions take
place at the state pen, though the last execution took place in 2001. The Penitentiary is undergoing an extensive expansion
project that will increase the prison population to 2,500 violent offenders and double the staff size.
Transportation
Transportation to Walla Walla includes service by air through Walla Walla
Regional Airport and highway access primarily from U.S. Highway 12. Washington
State DOT is currently (2004) beginning the long-term process of widening this road into a four-lane divided highway between
Pasco, Washington and Walla Walla. The city is also served by a local bus system.
Terminology coined in Walla Walla
Proud residents of the town often brag about it as "the town so nice they named it twice."[1] In fact it was named by the Native Americans that means "Place of Many
Waters", the original name of Walla Walla was Steptoeville named after Colonel Steptoe. [2]
Students who attend Whitman College are often referred to as "Whitties" (and the
local folks as "Townies," which means locals who attend the college are sometimes called Twitties.). "Whitties" originated as a
derogatory term but has evolved into an accepted colloquialism.
It was reported in the December 2004 issue of Golf Digest, in May 1956 the head pro, Jim Russell at the Walla Walla Country
Club, fired a shotgun to sound the start of play to golfers. This is purportedly the first time a golf tournament used such a
starting format, today termed as a "Shotgun Start".
Geography and climate
Walla Walla is located at 46°3′54″N, 118°19′49″W (46.065094w,
-118.330167e)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 28.0 km² (10.8 mi²). 28.0 km² (10.8 mi²) of it
is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.18%) is water.
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Rec High °F |
67 |
75 |
77 |
87 |
99 |
107 |
112 |
109 |
99 |
87 |
81 |
65 |
| Norm High °F |
40.6 |
46.9 |
56 |
64.1 |
72 |
80.3 |
89.9 |
89.1 |
79.3 |
65.8 |
50.1 |
40.8 |
| Norm Low °F |
28.8 |
32.5 |
36.9 |
41.3 |
47.6 |
54.3 |
60.7 |
61.2 |
52.9 |
43.6 |
36 |
29.3 |
| Rec Low °F |
-4 |
-13 |
4 |
29 |
34 |
39 |
46 |
42 |
32 |
15 |
-11 |
-14 |
| Precip (in) |
2.25 |
1.97 |
2.2 |
1.83 |
1.95 |
1.15 |
0.73 |
0.84 |
0.83 |
1.77 |
2.85 |
2.51 |
| Source: USTravelWeather.com [3] |
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000 , there are 29,686 people, 10,596 households, and 6,527 families
residing in the city. The population density is 1,059.3/km² (2,744.9/mi²). According
to the census there are 11,400 housing units at an average density of 406.8/km² (1,054.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is
83.79% White, 2.58% African American, 1.05% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 8.26% from other races, and 2.85% from two or more races. 17.42% of the population
are Hispanic or Latino of any race. It is important to note that these are not entirely
accurate numbers as the local population has a large number of Hispanic migrant workers and
undocumented workers who work on asparagus and onion farms. [citation needed]
Of the 10,596 counted households, 30.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% are married couples living together, 11.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% are
considered non-families by the U.S. government. 31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.1% have someone living
alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.44 and the average family size is 3.08.
In the city the population is spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 14.2% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from
45 to 64, and 20.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 women there are 108.4 men. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 109.1 males. About 89% of the population is Christian.
The median income for a household in the city is $31,855, and the median income for a family is $40,856. Men have a median
income of $31,753 versus $23,889 for women. The per capita income for the city is
$15,792. 18.0% of the population and 13.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out
of the total population, 22.8% of those under the age of 18 and 10.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty
line.
Noteworthy residents
- Levi Ankeny - Senator and banker[1]
- Nesmith Ankeny - professor of mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology[2]
- Burl Barer - Edgar Award winning author, broadcaster, and media consultant.[citation needed]
- Stan Barer - Seattle area shipping executive and University of Washington Regent.[citation needed]
- Marion Bauer - classical composer[citation needed]
- Dirk Benedict - Actor, best known as Starbuck on the original Battlestar Galactica and Face on The
A-Team[3]
- Drew Bledsoe - Just-retired quarterback for the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys[4]
- Tonya Cooley - castmate from The Real
World: Chicago and various editions of Real World/Road Rules
Challenge[5]
- William C. Dement - Sleep physican and author[6]
- William O. Douglas - Supreme
Court justice; attended Whitman College, B.A. 1920[7]
- Eddie Feigner, late pitcher for champion fast-pitch softball team, "The King and His
Court," was born in Walla Walla. [8]
- Gregg Gilmore - Actor / Producer[citation needed]
- Thomas Hampson - Baritone
singer[citation needed]
- Ben Kerkvliet - political science expert and scholar on Southeast Asian affairs[citation needed]
- Eric O'Flaherty - Left-handed relief pitcher for the Seattle Mariners[9]
- Charles Potts - Author, local businessman, and owner of The Temple Bookstore & The
Temple School of Poetry[citation needed]
- Don Roff - writer and filmmaker.[10]
- Peter Sirmon - Middle linebacker for the Tennessee
Titans[11]
- Connor Trinneer - actor[citation needed]
- Adam West - actor and star of the 1960s Batman TV series[citation needed]
- Hamza Yusuf - Islamic scholar[citation needed][12]
Historical Populations
External links
References
- ^ ANKENY, Levi (English). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on
29 May, 2007.
- ^ Professor Nesmith Ankeny dies (English). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved on 29
May, 2007.
- ^ Dirk Benedict Mini Biography (English). DirkBenedictCentral.com. Retrieved on
31 May, 2007.
- ^ Sirmon, Bledsoe share Walla Walla connection (English). The City Paper. Retrieved on 31 May, 2007.
- ^ Tonya Cooley (English). Internet Movie
Database. Retrieved on 31 May, 2007.
- ^ Sleep Disorders Center (English). St. Mary Medical Center.
Retrieved on 31 May, 2007.
- ^ William O. Douglas (English). Supreme Court Historical Society. Retrieved on 29 May,
2007.
- ^ Obituary (English). Washington Post.
Retrieved on 09 September, 2007.
- ^ Mariners select the contract of LHP Eric O'Flaherty from Triple-A Tacoma (English). Seattle Mariners. Retrieved on 29 May, 2007.
- ^ {{cite web | url = http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1001794/
- ^ Sirmon, Bledsoe share Walla Walla connection (English). The City Paper. Retrieved on 31 May, 2007.
- ^ {{cite web | url = http://www.deen-intensive.com/diHamza.html/
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
