Pasco, Washington
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Image:WindTurbinesWallaWallaRiver.JPG Pasco (IPA: Template:IPA) is a city located in Franklin County, Washington, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 32,066. It is the county seat of Franklin CountyTemplate:GR. Pasco is part of the Tri-Cities region along with Kennewick and Richland. Pasco is also the birthplace of Chicago Bears Pro Bowl linebacker, Brian Urlacher, and Chuck Palahniuk, a novelist. The town hosts the Tri-City Dust Devils baseball club of the Northwest League.
According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management[1], Pasco ranked 9th of 279 eligible incorporated communities in population growth between 2000 and 2005. Pasco is, in terms of net growth, the fastest-growing city in Washington.
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History
On October 16th, 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped in the Pasco area, at a site now commemorated by Sacagawea State Park. The area was frequented by fur trappers and gold traders. In the 1880s, the Northern Pacific Railway was built near the Columbia River, bringing many settlers to the area. Pasco was officially incorporated on September 3, 1891. It was named by Virgil Bogue, a construction engineer for the Northern Pacific Railway, after Cerro de Pasco, a city in the Peruvian Andes, where he had helped build a railroad. In its early years, it was a small railroad town, but the completion of the Grand Coulee Dam in 1941 brought irrigation and agriculture to the area, as well as determining the site of a nuclear power plant at the nearby Hanford Site.
Geography
Image:WAMap-doton-Pasco.pngPasco is located at 46°14'19" North, 119°6'31" West (46.238507, -119.108534)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 78.3 km² (30.2 mi²). 72.7 km² (28.1 mi²) of it is land and 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 7.08% water.
Pasco is part of the Tri-Cities, the other two cities being Kennewick and Richland. Unlike its counterparts, Pasco lies to the east of the Columbia River.
Demographics
Image:Courthouse-PascoWashington.JPG Image:LampsonCranesPascoWashington.JPG As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 32,066 people, 9,619 households, and 7,262 families residing in the city. The population density was 440.9/km² (1,141.9/mi²). There were 10,341 housing units at an average density of 142.2/km² (368.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 52.76% White, 3.22% African American, 0.77% Native American, 1.77% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 37.44% from other races, and 3.90% from two or more races. 56.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 9,619 households out of which 45.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.30 and the average family size was 3.79.
In the city the population was spread out with 35.5% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 15.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 106.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,540, and the median income for a family was $37,342. Males had a median income of $29,016 versus $22,186 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,404. 23.3% of the population and 19.5% of families were below the poverty line. 31.4% of those under the age of 18 and 9.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
