Native American cultures in the area included the Interior Salish, Wenatchi, and Okanagan. The first white settlers began to arrive in the mid-to-late-19th century, primarily with the goal of raising livestock. One government official described the area in 1879 as, "…a desolation where even the most hopeful can find nothing in its future prospects to cheer."[4]
When railroads arrived they also brought new settlers, and the economy began a shift from ranching to dryland farming. This transition required the people to have ready access to water, and irrigation became a necessity. The first large-scale irrigation attempts began in 1898, but it would be years before real success.
The Washington State Legislature officially created Grant County on February 24, 1909, naming it in the memory of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States, and a major contributor to the Union victory in the American Civil War. The county seat was located in Ephrata. The area's population at the time stood at around 8700 people.
The Columbia Basin Project, which ultimately produced the Grand Coulee Dam with its associated irrigation and hydroelectric generating grid, was an outgrowth of the 1902 creation of the United States Bureau of Reclamation. When that agency began studying feasibility of projects in the Northwestern United States, competing groups from Spokane, Wenatchee, Ephrata and elsewhere advanced competing possibilities. One idea was to dam the Columbia River at Grand Coulee. This concept was approved in 1933, and construction continued in the following decades. The project would fundamentally change the region forever.[5][6][7]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,791 square miles (7,230 km2), of which 2,680 square miles (6,900 km2) is land and 112 square miles (290 km2) (4.0%) is water.[8] It is the fourth-largest county in Washington by area.
The environmental climate of Grant County is characterized by hot summers and cold winters. Rainshadow caused by the Cascade mountains separates eastern Washington, including Grant County, from western Washington's more temperate and oceanic climate.
A sign alongside Interstate Highway I-90 where it enters Grant County welcomes travelers to Grant County and says the county is "The nation's leading potato producing county".
U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12] 1990–2000[13] 2010–2020[1]
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 99,123 people and 32,803 households in the county.[1] The population density was 37.0 people per square mile (14.3 people/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.8% White, 1.3% Asian, 2.7% American Indian, 2.2% African American, 0.3% Pacific Islander, and 2.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 43.6% of the population.[1]
28.3% of the population of the county was under 18, and 7.1% were under 5. People over 65 represented 14.7% of the population. The gender ratio was equal, with 48.9% of the population being female and 51.1% being male.[1]
The median income for a household in the county was $63,566, and the per capita income was $27,466. 11.7% of the population was below the poverty line.[1]
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 89,120 people, 30,041 households, and 21,800 families living in the county. The population density was 33.3 inhabitants per square mile (12.9/km2). There were 35,083 housing units at an average density of 13.1 per square mile (5.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 72.8% white, 1.2% American Indian, 1.1% black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 20.4% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 38.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 15.5% were German, 8.9% were English, 7.1% were Irish, and 3.9% were American.
Of the 30,041 households, 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.4% were non-families, and 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.40. The median age was 32.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,572 and the median income for a family was $50,065. Males had a median income of $39,530 versus $27,417 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,718. About 15.7% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.4% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
Grant County is a reliably Republican county in presidential elections; it has not voted for the Democratic candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide victory in 1964. It has cast at least 60% of its vote for the Republican presidential candidate in all six elections since 2000.
United States presidential election results for Grant County, Washington[15]
^Symons, Lieut. Thomas W. Report of an Examination of the Upper Columbia River and the Territory in Its Vicinity in September and October 1881, to Determine Its Navigability, and Adaptability to Steamboat Transportation: Made by Direction of the Commanding General of the Department of the Columbia. p. 121.
United States
Washington
