HISTORY
The name Cle Elum, which means “swift water” in the language of the Kittitas Indians, was given to a river, a town, and also a beautiful tranquil lake created by the construction of the Cle Elum Dam. Cle Elum was officially incorporated on February 12, 1902. The town was the birthplace of astronaut Dick Scobee, the commander of the Space Shuttle Challenger on the day of its explosion. Headed by John Bresko, Cle Elum was the first to have ‘organized’ skiing west of Denver, Colorado. Starting in 1921, 100–400 people would be on the ski hill every weekend through the winter. 1931 saw the largest crowd est. at 8,000 spectators for the ski jumping events. The depression ended the skiing and jumping events in 1934.
GEOGRAPHY
According to the 2000 United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 1.5 sq mi. However, as part of the Development Agreement with the Suncadia Master Planned Resort, the city annexed the Bullfrog Sub-Area, which were lands comprising an area of 1.72 sq mi. Therefore, as of 2006, the City of Cle Elum had a total land area of 3.22 sq mi. Cle Elum is also a neighbor to the historic mining town of Roslyn, Washington
Demographics 2010 Sensus
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,872 people, 857 households, and 500 families residing in the city. The population density was 490.1 inhabitants per square mile (189.2/km2). There were 1,105 housing units at an average density of 289.3 per square mile (111.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.1% White, 0.4% African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.7% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.8% of the population.
There were 857 households of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.7% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.76.
The median age in the city was 41 years. 22% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 27.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.
Volunteer Wanted for the Cle Elum Historic Preservation Commission The City of Cle Elum is seeking a volunteer to fill a seat on the Cle Elum Historic Preservation Commission. As a prospective member, you must have a demonstrated interest in historic preservation and possess qualities of impartiality and broad judgment.