2019_KittitasCountyHMP_Volume2_For Adoption

Home Browse Search

1 Chapter 4. City of Ellensburg Annex 4.1. HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN POINT OF CONTACT Primary Point of Contact Alternate Point of Contact Kirsten Sackett, Community Development Director 501 N. Anderson Ellensburg, WA 98926 Telephone: 509-962-7232 Email: sackettk@ci.ellensburg.wa.us Ryan Lyyski, Public Works & Utilities Director 501 N. Anderson Ellensburg, WA 98926 Telephone: 509-962-7230 Email: lyyskir@ci.ellensburg.wa.us 4.2. JURISDICTION PROFILE The following is a summary of key information about the jurisdiction and its history: – Date of Incorporation —1883 – Current Population — 18,174 as of 2010 Census. The American Community Survey estimated a population of 18,957 in 2016. – Population Growth — The population growth rate for the City of Ellensburg has remained low but consistent throughout the past few decades, with clear correlation to changes in student population at Central Washington University (CWU). The highest percent increase occurred between the 1990 and 2000 Census, at 19.8%. The decade between the 2000 and the 2010 Census, saw the City population increase by 2,760, an 18 percent increase and an average annual growth rate of 1.8 percent. During the seven years after the 2010 census, the City population increased by 2,152, a 10.3 percent increase and an average annual growth rate of 1.47%. – Location and Description — The City of Ellensburg is in central Kittitas County at the intersection of Interstate 90, Interstate 82, and US Highway 97 and is near the center of Washington State. The elevation is approximately 1,500 feet with topography sloping gradually from northeast to southwest and the Yakima River. The City is located in a fertile plateau valley adjacent to the Yakima River, with ridges and mountains associated with the Cascade mountain range surrounding it. The surrounding area is primarily composed of irrigated agricultural land or semi-arid desert lands that are not irrigated. Six perennial creeks that convey runoff and snow melt water from the mountain range watersheds to the north run through the developed City from the northeast to the southwest where they flow into the Yakima River which t hen flows into the Columbia River some 130 miles to the south. In addition, three large irrigation canals traverse the City from the northwest to the southeast and provide irrigation water to the surrounding agricultural lands. Interstate 90, Interstate 82 and US Highway 97, which all intersect at Ellensburg, provide direct access to the Puget Sound area in the west, Canada to the north, and the greater US to the south and east. BNSF Railway has a main line that runs through the City. Central Washington University is located in Ellensburg and as of 2018 has a student population of approximately 11,500, in addition to the associated staff. The City has two national historic districts—the Downtown National Historic District and the First Railroad Historic District—which consist of commercial and residential structures from the late 1800s and help make the City a regional historic preservation destination.