ZIP Code 98626

Kelso was founded by Peter W. Crawford, a Scottish surveyor, who, in 1847, took up the first donation land claim on the Lower Cowlitz River. The economy continues to be based largely on wood products. In the late 19th century and into the first part of the 20th century, Kelso was the center for commercial smelt fishing on the Cowliz River. A military aircraft carrying suspicious slag-like material, supposedly from a UFO, crashed in southeast Kelso in 1947. In 1998, the Aldercrest-Banyon landslide began shifting the foundations of 64 homes and local infrastructure in the east Kelso neighborhood. The landslide was the second worst landslide disaster (in cost) in the United States, following the 1956 Portuguese Bend Landslide on Palos Verdes Hills in Southern California. In 1910, according to the Oregonian Newspaper, 5,000 tons of fish were caught. The Kelso Chamber of Commerce created the slogan in 1956 and became known as the Smelt Capital of the World. The city has a total area of 8.14 square miles (21.2 square km), which is land and 0.36 square km (0.93 km²) water. It is located on Interstate 577, about 48 miles (77 km) north of Portland, Oregon, and 125 miles (201 km) south of Seattle, Washington. Kelso shares its long western border with Longview and is near Mount St. Helens.

History

Kelso was founded by Peter W. Crawford, a Scottish surveyor, who, in 1847, took up the first donation land claim on the Lower Cowlitz River. In its early days, Kelso obtained the nickname "Little Chicago" as it became famous for its large number of taverns and brothels that catered to local loggers. The economy continues to be based largely on wood products. In 1998, the Aldercrest-Banyon landslide began shifting the foundations of 64 homes and local infrastructure in the east Kelso neighborhood. It was the second worst landslide disaster (in cost) in the United States, following the 1956 Portuguese Bend Landslide on Palos Verdes Hills in Southern California. A military aircraft carrying suspicious slag-like material, supposedly from a UFO, crashed in southeast Kelso on May 18, 1980, being only 24 miles (39 km) away from Mount St. Helens. In the late 19th century and into the first part of the 20th century, Kel so was the center for commercial smelt fishing on the Cowliz River. The Kelso Chamber of Commerce created the slogan in 1956 and became known as the Smelt Capital of the World. In 1910, according to the Oregonian Newspaper, 5,000 tons of fish were caught. In October 1998, President Bill Clinton declared this slide a federal disaster. It led to stricter city zoning ordinances and oversight over geological surveys. The town is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Kelso is situated on the east side of the Cowlitz River near the Columbia River, opposite from its twin city of Longview on the west bank. It is located on Interstate 5 approximately 48 miles (77 km) north of Portland, Oregon, and 125 miles (201 km) south of Seattle. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.50 square miles (22.01 km²) of which 8.14square miles (21.08 km²), is land and 0.36square miles(0.93km²) is water.The Columbia, Cowliz, and Coweeman rivers were used as part of a historical transportation route from Portland to the Puget Sound. Cowlazet steamboats were used until 1918. The city is home to the Kelso High School, a public high school, and the University of Kelso, a private college. The Kelso School District was founded in the early 1900s. It was the first high school in the state of Oregon. The school district has a history of more than 50 years of continuous enrollment. It has a population of 2,000. It also has a high school that opened in the mid-1960s. The high school has an enrollment of 1,100 students. The university has a track and field team that competes in the Oregon High School League and the Oregon Interscholastic Athletic Association. The town has a community center that was established in the late 1970s.

Government

Kelso operates under a city charter and is classified as a code city with a councilmanager form of government. The city council has seven members elected by residents, from which a mayor is chosen by its members every two years. Council positions are filled on an at-large basis and are held for four years, with council elections being held to fill either three or four positions in odd-numbered years. The council also selects a city manager; former Kelso police chief Andrew Hamilton was hired as city manager in 2019 after the departure of Steve Taylor. He will be in charge until the end of the year, when he will be replaced by the current city manager, who will be sworn in in January. He was hired by the city council to replace Steve Taylor, who left in the summer of 2013 after more than 20 years with the Kelso Police Department.

Economy

With access to the Columbia River, Interstate 5, and several railways, Kelso supports a manufacturing base. The largest employer is the Kelso School District, followed by Foster Farms and Safeway. Other large employers are Target, ALS Environmental laboratory, Western Fabrication, PAPE Machinery, and DSU Peterbilt.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 11,925 people, 4,720 households, and 2,949 families residing in the city. There were 5,139 housing units at an average density of 631.3 per square mile (243.7/km²) The racial makeup of the city was 85.2% White, 0.8% African American, 2.1% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0,1% Pacific Islander, 5.1%. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.3% of the population. The median income for a household in theCity was $29,722, and the median income. for a family was $36,784. The per capita income for the City was $15,162. About 16.4% of families and 19% of. those under age 18 were below the poverty line, including 25.1 per cent of those under 18 and 11.2 per cent over the age of 65. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05. The city has a population of 11,895 people, with 5,067 housing units. The population density was 1,471.6 people per squaremile (568.4/ km²). The city's population is expected to rise to 11,945 by the end of the year. The estimated population of the City in 20 years time will be 11,900.

Education

The Kelso School District has an enrollment of 4,715 students. It has three high schools, two middle schools, and seven elementary schools. The district manages public schools in Kelso and surrounding areas. It also manages the city's public library system. The school district has a budget of $1.2 million. It manages the Kelso High School, Kelso Middle School, and Kelso Elementary School. It runs seven elementary and high schools in the district, as well as a middle school and a high school in the town of Kelso. It managed the city school system until the 1970s, when it was taken over by the district. It now manages the school district's public schools and the city library system, which has an annual budget of more than $1 million.

Transportation

Interstate 5, the main northsouth highway on the West Coast of the United States, runs through Kelso. Two highways, State Route 4 and State Route 432, connect Kelso to Longview via crossings of the Cowlitz River. Kelso is served by Southwest Washington Regional Airport, formerly known as Kelso-Longview Regional Airport. The cities of Kelso and Longview are served by RiverCities Transit. Greyhound Bus Lines provides intercity bus service at the Kelso Multimodal Transportation Center. The national passenger rail system, Amtrak, provides service to the twin cities. The Amtrak station is located in the Kel so Multimotial Transportation Center along the COWLITZ River. The city is also served by the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which is located on the east side of the city. The town has a population of about 2,000 people, the majority of whom live in the city of Longview. The population of the town is about 1,200 people, with the majority living in the central part of the community. The majority of the population lives in the southeastern part of town, which includes the towns of Long View and Kelso, as well as the town of West Point, in the eastern portion of the county. The community is home to a number of non-profit organizations, such as the Western Washington Center for Women and Girls, which provides services to women and girls in the area. It is also the home of the Washington State College of Arts and Sciences, which offers classes in English and Spanish.

Sports and recreation

Within the city limits, there are eight city parks totaling 50 acres (200,000 m2) and 6 miles (10 km) of bicycle and multi-use paths. The largest park is Tam o'Shanter Park, aMulti-use park comprising 38 acres (150,000m2) along the Coweeman River. The park hosts the annual Kelso Hilander Festival which includes Scottish Highland games. The Cowlitz Black Bears baseball team play at David Story Field on the Lower Columbia College campus. The team plays in the West Coast League, an independent summer baseball league with teams from Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. The park is named after a Scottish bonnet, theTam o' shanter. The Black Bears are a member of the Pacific Northwest Baseball Association (PBA) and play in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) The team is based in Longview, Washington, but also has a base in Kelso and an off-field training facility in the nearby town of Longview. It is the only team in the PCL that is not based in Seattle or Portland, Oregon. It plays in a league that also includes teams from Oregon, British Columbia, and Washington state. It was founded in 1996 and is one of the first summer leagues in the U.S. to feature a professional baseball team. The PBA has since expanded to include more teams in Washington and Oregon. The league also has teams in California, Oregon and Idaho.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Kelso, Cowlitz County, Washington = 84. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 98. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Kelso = 3 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 12,720 individuals with a median age of 34.1 age the population grows by 0.11% in Kelso, Cowlitz County, Washington population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,526.37 residents per square mile of area (589.32/km²). There are average 2.55 people per household in the 4,581 households with an average household income of $32,661 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 12.40% of the available work force and has dropped -5.96% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 15.68%. The number of physicians in Kelso per 100,000 population = 181.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Kelso = 46.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 174. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 142. 77 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 33 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 69, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Kelso, Cowlitz County, Washington which are owned by the occupant = 47.33%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 47 years with median home cost = $129,000 and home appreciation of -3.59%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $10.42 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,506 per student. There are 20.2 students for each teacher in the school, 557 students for each Librarian and 419 students for each Counselor. 7.96% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 5.43% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.72% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).