Colton, Washington Explained

Colton
Official Name:Colton, Washington
Settlement Type:Town
Mapsize:250px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Washington
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Whitman
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:1.60
Area Land Km2:1.60
Area Water Km2:0.00
Area Total Sq Mi:0.62
Area Land Sq Mi:0.62
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:401
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Density Sq Mi:auto
Timezone:Pacific (PST)
Utc Offset:-8
Timezone Dst:PDT
Utc Offset Dst:-7
Elevation M:781
Elevation Ft:2562
Coordinates:46.5667°N -125°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:99113
Area Code:509
Area Code Type:Area code
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:53-13890
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1504078[2]

Colton is a town in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 401 at the 2020 census.[3]

History

Colton was first settled in 1879 by J.A. Cole,[4] and was founded in 1882 by J.B. Stanley.[5] Colton was incorporated in 1890 however it was not recorded until 1893.

Plans for the formation of Colton were made in 1879. Several residents of the town of Uniontown, which was settled a few years earlier, found dissatisfaction with the proprietor of that town. In June 1879, the town of Colton was surveyed and platted on the 480 acre farm of Gregor Kosher. That month L.J, Wolford moved his hotel to Colton and Chris Adamson moved his blacksmith shop. Dr. Cole erected the first new building on the corner of Steptoe and Broadway (now Main Street); J.B. Standley moved his small supply of merchandise into the new building. The town took its name from the first three letters of Cole, and the last three from Clinton, a son of Mr. Wolford, whose family was the first to live in Colton.

On October 10, 1879, John Standley was appointed postmaster and opened a post office in his own store. During the summer of 1880 a petition was granted from the county seat, at Asotin to separate Colton from the school district of Uniontown. The first school was opened in the Cole Building. Mrs. Viola Flowers was the first teacher.

Colton was a filming location for country artist Kenny Chesney in his 1995 hit song Me and You.

Notable natives

Geography

Colton is located along U.S. Route 195 in the Palouse region of southeastern Washington, just west of the Idaho border.[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.59sqmi, all of it land.[7]

Distances

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Colton has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[8]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census,[9] there were 418 people, 164 households, and 126 families living in the town. The population density was 708.5PD/sqmi. There were 167 housing units at an average density of 283.1/mi2. The racial makeup of the town was 95.5% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population.

There were 164 households, of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.9% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 23.2% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.91.

The median age in the town was 44.2 years. 26.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.9% were from 25 to 44; 33.3% were from 45 to 64; and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.0% male and 49.0% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 386 people, 148 households, and 108 families living in the town. The population density was 655/mi2. There were 152 housing units at an average density of 257.9/mi2. The racial makeup of the town was 97.41% White, 1.04% Native American, 0.78% Asian, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.78% of the population.

There were 148 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the town, the age distribution of the population shows 29.0% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $47,500, and the median income for a family was $56,875. Males had a median income of $38,125 versus $28,611 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,506. About 3.5% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. August 7, 2020.
  2. Web site: US Board on Geographic Names. January 31, 2008. United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007.
  3. Web site: May 2023 . Census Bureau profile: Colton, Washington . May 11, 2024 . United States Census Bureau.
  4. News: A town built on celebration . Idahonian . (Moscow) . Hyde . Susan M. . June 3, 1989 . 1B.
  5. Book: Majors, Harry M. . Exploring Washington . Van Winkle Publishing Co . 1975 . 143 . 978-0-918664-00-6.
  6. News: Collingwood . Ryan . August 27, 2020 . Colton's merger with Genesee, Idaho, lets six Washington students play football this fall . . February 29, 2024.
  7. Web site: US Gazetteer files 2010 . . December 19, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt . July 2, 2012 .
  8. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=420954&cityname=Colton%2C+Washington%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Colton, Washington
  9. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. December 19, 2012.