15 Things You May Not Know About Chelan County

15 Things You May Not Have Known About Chelan County, Washington

Chelan County is located in the center of Washington State. Chelan County is home to Lake Chelan, a large tree fruit industry, and tons of recreational opportunities. Whether you once called Chelan County home, live there now, or are traveling through, here are some juicy tidbits that may entertain you. Some people call this trivia and some call this useless information, we call it 15 Things You May Not Know About Chelan County.

1. As of the year 2000, Chelan County had approximately 23 persons per square mile in it.

2. In Chelan County, three rivers drain into the Columbia River; the Wenatchee, the Entiat, and the Chelan River (which is less than 2 miles in length).

3. The creation of the Chelan County PUD was approved by voters in 1937.

4. In the year 2000, approximately 12% of Chelan County residents had been born in foreign countries.

5. Between the years 2000 and 2005 the population of Chelan County rose from 66,616 to 69,791.

6. The Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) built its plant in Malaga in 1952 to take advantage of the affordable hydroelectric power. At one time ALCOA was the largest employer in Chelan County.

7. There are three communities in Chelan County that do not have roads that access the outside world; Stehekin, Lucerne, and Holden Village. All three are only accessible by trail, boat, or plane.

8. Almost 90% of the land in Chelan County is owned by the state and federal governments.

9. There are six State Parks within Chelan County’s borders; Squilchuck State Park, Wenatchee Confluence State Park, Peshastin Pinnacles State Park, Lake Wenatchee State Park, Lake Chelan State Park, and Twenty-Five Mile Creek State Park.

10. In 1899, the Washington State Legislature created Chelan County out of the northern part of Kittitas County and the southern part of Okanogan County, Wenatchee is the county seat.

11. One of the world’s longest train tunnels (and the longest in the Western Hemisphere) is located in Chelan County near Stevens Pass. The Cascade Tunnel was completed in 1929.

12. All of the early hydroelectric properties in Chelan County were originally owned by Puget Sound Power & Light Co and were not purchased by the Chelan County PUD until the 1940s and 50s.

13. Chelan County is home to the drainages of the Wenatchee River, the Entiat River, Lake Chelan, and the Chelan River which have a combined area of 2,920 square miles.

14. Chelan County has four bridges that cross the Columbia River; the Beebee Bridge near Chelan, The Odabashian and George Sellar Bridges in Wenatchee, and a railroad bridge between Malaga and Rock Island.

15. With Pangborn Airport located across the Columbia River in East Wenatchee, there are only four airports located in Chelan County, and none of them are major. Cashmere, Chelan, near Lake Wenatchee, and near Stehekin.

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