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CHAPTER 2. UNINCORPORATED KITTITAS COUNTY ANNEX <br />2 <br />Brief History— The County was organized in November 1883 by the Washington Territorial <br />Legislature. It was partitioned from what was then the northern part of Yakima County. There <br />are numerous interpretations of the name, which is from the language of the Kittitas American <br />Indians. According to one source, it “has been said to mean everything from ‘white chalk’ to <br />‘shale rock’ to ‘shoal people’ to ‘land of plenty.’ Most anthropologists and historians concede <br />that each interpretation has some validity depending upon the particular dialect spoken.” <br />Climate— Kittitas County has a wide range of annual precipitation: from 147 inches in western <br />Kittitas County to 6 inches in eastern Kittitas County. The average seasonal snowfall varies <br />from 434 inches each season at Snoqualmie Pass to less than 30 inches in eastern Kittitas <br />County. <br /> Countywide, the average winter maximum temperature is around 30 degrees F and the average <br />daily minimum temperature is around 20 degrees F. The lowest temperature on record, which <br />occurred at Snoqualmie Pass on February 1, 1922, is –48 degrees F. In summer, the average <br />maximum temperature is around 65 degrees F and the average daily minimum temperature is <br />around 50 degrees F. The highest temperature, which occurred in Ellensburg on July 26, 1928, <br />is 110 degrees. <br />Governing Body Format— Kittitas County has three elected Commissioners who are empowered <br />to set county policy, adopt laws, implement them, and, except for the responsibilities of other <br />elected officials, carry out day-to-day operations of the County. <br />Development Trends— With its proximity to the Seattle metropolitan area and vast supply of <br />recreational land, Kittitas County has been called “Seattle’s backyard.” Most development in <br />the Cle Elum area has been for recreation or second homes. Most of the development has <br />occurred in mountainous and forested areas, and many hillsides have been cleared and roads <br />constructed to provide access to these lands. The County has also seen a rise over the past <br />decade of families buying houses in the Cle Elum area and commuting daily to the Seattle area. <br />In the Ellensburg area, growth and development have been steady. Much development has been <br />on the flat lands of the Kittitas Valley on what was previously farmland. <br />2.3. JURISDICTION-SPECIFIC NATURAL HAZARD EVENT HISTORY <br />Table 2-1 lists all past occurrences of natural hazards in the county. Repetitive loss records are as follows: <br />– Number of FEMA Identified Repetitive Flood Loss Properties: 14 in Kittitas County, 3 of <br />which are in unincorporated areas. <br />– Number of Repetitive Flood Loss Properties that have been mitigated: 0 <br />2.4. HAZARD RISK RANKING <br />Table 2-2 presents the ranking of the hazards of concern. <br />2.5. CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT <br />The assessment of the jurisdiction’s legal and regulatory capabilities is presented in Table 2-3. The <br />assessment of the jurisdiction’s administrative and technical capabilities is presented in Table 2-4. The <br />assessment of the jurisdiction’s fiscal capabilities is presented in Table 2-5. Classifications under various <br />community mitigation programs are presented in Table 2-6.