Moving to Wenatchee, Washington

About Wenatchee, Washington
Wenatchee

Wenatchee ( weh-NA-tchee) is the county seat and most populous city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and has increased to 35,508 as of 2020. Located in the north-central part of the state, at the confluence of the Columbia and Wenatchee rivers near the eastern foothills of the Cascade Range, Wenatchee lies on the western side of the Columbia River, across from the city of East Wenatchee. The Columbia River forms the boundary between Chelan and Douglas County. Wenatchee is the principal city of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Chelan and Douglas counties (total population around 110,884). However, the "Wenatchee Valley Area" generally refers to the land between Rocky Reach and Rock Island Dam on both banks of the Columbia, which includes East Wenatchee, Rock Island, and Malaga.

The city was named for the nearby Wenatchi Native American people. The name is a Sahaptin word that means "river which comes [or whose source is] from canyons" or "robe of the rainbow". Awenatchela means "people at the source [of a river]". The city of Wenatchee shares its name with the Wenatchee River, Lake Wenatchee and the Wenatchee National Forest.

Wenatchee is referred to as the "Apple Capital of the World" due to the valley's many orchards. The city is also sometimes referred to as the "Buckle of the Power Belt of the Great Northwest" which is a metaphor for the series of hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River. Rock Island Dam is located nearest to the middle of this "belt", and so was labeled the "Buckle". This saying is printed at the top of every issue of Wenatchee's newspaper, The Wenatchee World, but is no longer in common use elsewhere.

Gender
Gender Wenatchee Washington Country
Female 49.2% 50% 50.8%
Male 50.8% 50% 49.2%
Gender

Household Income


Income Wenatchee Washington Country
Less than $10,000 3.3% 4.4% 5.8%
$10,000 to $14,999 2.3% 3.1% 4.1%
$15,000 to $24,999 14.1% 6.5% 8.5%
$25,000 to $34,999 10.2% 6.9% 8.6%
$35,000 to $49,999 14.7% 10.8% 12.0%
$50,000 to $74,999 18.6% 17.1% 17.2%
$75,000 to $99,999 15.2% 13.6% 12.8%
$100,000 to $149,999 13% 18.2% 15.6%
$150,000 to $199,999 4.4% 8.9% 7.1%
$200,000 or more 4.2% 10.5% 8.3%
Education


Education Wenatchee Washington Country
< 9th Grade 8% 3% 5.0%
9-12th Grade 9% 5% 7.0%
High School or GED 25% 22% 27.0%
Other College 22% 23% 20.0%
Associate's Degree 11% 10% 9%
Bachelor's Degree 16% 23% 20.0%
Master's Degree 6% 10% 9.0%
Professional Degree 2% 2% 2.0%
Doctorate Degree 1% 2% 1.0%
Household Income
Education
Race / Ethnicity


Ethnicity Wenatchee Washington Country
White 61.2% 67.5% 60.1%
African American 0.6% 3.7% 12.2%
American Indian 0.5% 1% 0.6%
Asian 0.7% 8.7% 5.6%
Hawaiian 0.1% 0.7% 0.2%
Other 0.1% 0.3% 0.3%
Multiracial 4.2% 5.2% 2.8%
Hispanic 32.5% 12.9% 18.2%
Race / Ethnicity