Newport, Washington Explained

Newport, Washington
Settlement Type:City
Mapsize:250px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Washington
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Pend Oreille
Government Type:Mayor–council[1]
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Keith Campbell[2]
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[3]
Area Total Km2:3.80
Area Land Km2:3.80
Area Water Km2:0.00
Area Total Sq Mi:1.47
Area Land Sq Mi:1.47
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:2114
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Density Sq Mi:auto
Timezone:Pacific (PST)
Utc Offset:-8
Timezone Dst:PDT
Utc Offset Dst:-7
Elevation M:653
Elevation Ft:2142
Coordinates:48.1806°N -117.0475°W[4]
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:99156
Area Code:509
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:53-48820
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1512505[5]
Website:City of Newport

Newport is a city in and the county seat of Pend Oreille County, Washington, United States.[6] The population was 2,114 at the 2020 census.

History

Newport was given its name in 1890 due to its selection as a landing site for the first steamboat on the Pend Oreille River.[7] Newport was officially incorporated on April 13, 1903.[8] The first river bridge was built in 1906, and was replaced in 1926,[7] and again in 1988.[9]

In 1935, Newport City Marshall George Conniff was killed during a robbery at the Newport Creamery by multiple Spokane police officers. The case went stagnant for decades until Pend Oreille County Sheriff, Tony Bamonte took interest in the 1980s.The weapon believed to have killed Conniff was found in the Spokane River underneath the Post Street Bridge in 1989. A book was published about it in 1992 by Timothy Egan.[10]

Newport began a tourism campaign in 1987 that involved planting hundreds of national, state, and city flags to transform itself into the "City of Flags". The scheme was abandoned a decade later after issues with theft and maintenance.[11] [12] There are no remaining flag structures in Newport today.

On July 14, 2015, an explosion took place at Zodiac Aerospace.[13] Five people were injured,[14] and people were urged to stay at least 2000 feet from the facility.[15] [16]

Geography

Newport is located at an elevation of 2,160 feet (658.5 m)[4] and according to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.07sqmi, all of it land.[17]

The town of Oldtown, Idaho, is just to the east of Newport, and on the Pend Oreille River. There are no natural or physical barriers between the two towns, and it is strictly a political division, separated by the straight-line state boundary.

About one-half mile north of Newport, the Pend Oreille River enters Washington state and flows north to Canada. The watershed of the Pend Oreille in the Newport-Oldtown area west of the river is extremely limited. This is due to a small depression of no more than 50feet, which begins about one-half mile from the river. Unable to flow uphill, the waters (from natural springs, rainfall runoff, etc.) eventually form the Little Spokane River, and flow southwest towards Spokane.

Diamond Lake, WA (elevation 2,345 ft.) is about 7miles to the southwest, and is also part of the Little Spokane River watershed (outflow only) via a creek runoff from the uninhabited far west end of the lake.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census,[18] there were 2,126 people, 874 households, and 506 families living in the city. The population density was 1986.9PD/sqmi. There were 954 housing units at an average density of 891.6/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 92.3% White, 0.3% African American, 1.0% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population.

There were 874 households, of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.7% were married couples living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.1% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 3.04.

The median age in the city was 38.8 years. 27.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 22.7% were from 45 to 64; and 20.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 1,921 people, 760 households, and 471 families living in the city. The population density was 1,814.7 people per square mile (699.7/km2). There were 820 housing units at an average density of 774.6 per square mile (298.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.64% White, 0.57% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.15% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.97% of the population.

There were 760 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,709, and the median income for a family was $30,898. Males had a median income of $31,597 versus $20,469 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,900. About 22.0% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.4% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

Newport experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen Dsb/Dfb) with cold, moist winters and warm, drier summers. Compared to Spokane (the largest city in the area), on average, summer and winter temperatures are cooler at night, but very slightly warmer in daytime. The precipitation, however, is substantially heavier than Spokane, and snow depth during winter typically three-and-half times as high at around 11inches versus Spokane's 3inches. The wettest month was November 2006 with 8.34inches, and the wettest calendar year 1950 with 37.4inches, whilst the driest has been 1985 with 17.59inches. The most snowfall in a season has been from July 1955 to June 1956 with over 135.7inches (several days were missing) and the least snowy year from July 1935 to June 1936 with only 10inches.[19]

Arts and culture

Historical buildings

The historic Kelly's Bar and Grill has been operating since 1894 with only minor breaks, making it the second oldest bar in the state.[20]

Education

Newport School District operates public schools.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About. City of Newport. April 2, 2022.
  2. Web site: City Administration. City of Newport. April 2, 2022.
  3. Web site: 2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. August 7, 2020.
  4. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. 2011-04-23. 2011-02-12.
  5. 1512505. Newport.
  6. Web site: Find a County. 2011-06-07. National Association of Counties.
  7. Book: Majors, Harry M. . Exploring Washington . Van Winkle Publishing Co . 1975 . 59 . 978-0-918664-00-6.
  8. Web site: Stevens County Board of Commissioners, Meetings, 1860-1913, 2005-2009 - Stvcocommmin19030413 - Stevens County .
  9. Web site: Oldtown Bridge . Oldtown, Idaho . Bridgehunter.com . 2022-08-02.
  10. Web site: KeithShelton . Creamery Robbery Turns Deadly . 2024-07-07.
  11. News: Clark . Doug . September 3, 1991 . Flags going with wind in Newport . B1 . . . January 4, 2020.
  12. News: Craig . John . December 9, 1997 . Newport will furl tattered flags, shelf nickname along with them . B3 . The Spokesman-Review . Newspapers.com . January 4, 2020.
  13. Web site: Zodiac Aerospace says U.S. Factory blast only affects part of plant . July 17, 2015 .
  14. Web site: Five hurt in explosion at Washington state aerospace plant Fox News . www.foxnews.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150715151631/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/07/15/five-hurt-in-explosion-at-washington-state-aerospace-plant/ . 2015-07-15.
  15. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/pend-oreille/2015/07/15/explosion-at-the-zodiac-aerospace-in-newport-hurts-multiple/30175157/
  16. Web site: Aerospace Plant Explosion Rattles Homes Two Miles Away . . July 15, 2015 .
  17. Web site: US Gazetteer files 2010. United States Census Bureau. 2012-12-19. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt. 2012-01-25.
  18. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2012-12-19.
  19. http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/WRCCWrappers.py?sodxtrmts+455844+por+por+snow+msum+5+07+F NEWPORT, WA Monthly Snowfall Listings
  20. News: New owners of historic Kelly's Bar in Newport will honor the establishment's colorful past. Spokesman.com. 2018-09-05. en.