gooA Brief Look At Entiat

Entiat is a small community on the north side of where the Entiat River flows into the Columbia River. Highway 97A runs through Entiat between Wenatchee and Chelan, and Entiat also serves as the gateway to the Entiat Valley.

Being the last community of size for travelers going north to the south shore of Lake Chelan or up the Entiat Valley, Entiat businesses not only cater to their local traffic but also to out-of-towners on their way to recreation. Groceries, espresso, gas, and access to ATM’s are all available in Entiat. Entiat is also a destination of sorts to those looking to boat, jet ski, or fish on Lake Entiat which is the part of the Columbia River that builds up behind Rocky Reach Dam.

There have actually been three incarnations of the City of Entiat. The first Entiat burned down in 1913 and was rebuilt along where the railroad had been placed, closer to the Columbia River. With the construction of Rocky Reach Dam came the rising water of the Columbia and the forming of Lake Entiat. These rising waters forced the local businesses and some residents to higher ground. The current City of Entiat has a business district that is split in two with a portion built along highway 97 and a portion built on the hills above the highway.

Entiat continues to owe much of its past, present, and future to agriculture; though it is also seeing a recent boom in property development.

Pictures of Entiat and the surrounding area can be found in our Entiat Gallery, part of our NCWpics.com’s Photo Gallery of NCW Communities.