Kittitas, Washington

Kittitas, Washington
City
Kittitas, Washington viewed from U.S. Highway 97
Kittitas, Washington viewed from U.S. Highway 97
Location of Kittitas, Washington
Location of Kittitas, Washington
Coordinates: 46°59′2″N 120°25′6″W / 46.98389°N 120.41833°W / 46.98389; -120.41833
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyKittitas
Area
[1]
 • Total
0.78 sq mi (2.02 km2)
 • Land0.78 sq mi (2.02 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
1,647 ft (502 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
1,438
 • Density1,800/sq mi (710/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code
98934
Area code509
FIPS code53-36045
GNIS feature ID1506003[2]
Websitewww.cityofkittitas.com

Kittitas (/ˈkɪtɪtæs/) is a city in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,438 at the 2020 census.[3] It is also a part of the Ellensburg micropolitan area.[4]

There are numerous interpretations of the name, which is from the language of the Kittitas American Indian Sahaptin language. According to toponymist William Bright, the name "Kittitas" comes from the Sahaptin placename [k'ɨtɨtáš], referring to a gravel bank in the Yakima River.[5] According to Jennifer Cochran, it "has been said to mean everything from 'white chalk' to 'shale rock' to 'shoal people' to 'land of beauty', and that most anthropologists and historians concede that each interpretation has some validity depending upon the particular dialect spoken."[6]

Postcard photo of a Milwaukee Road train in the Kittitas valley circa 1915. The train is either The Olympian or The Columbian.
Main Street
  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ "Kittitas". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ "Census Bureau profile: Kittitas, Washington". United States Census Bureau. May 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  4. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2018 (PEPANNRES): Incorporated Places, Washington". Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  5. ^ Bright, William (2004). Native American Placenames of the United States. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-8061-3598-4. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  6. ^ Cochran, Jennifer (2007). "Kittitas County About the County". Archived from the original on October 13, 2010.