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Leavenworth, Washington
City
Leavenworth's main street reflects its modelling on a Bavarian village
Location of Leavenworth, Washington
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Chelan
Government
• Mayor	Cheri Kelley Farivar
Area
• Total	1.25 sq mi (3.24 km)
• Land	1.23 sq mi (3.19 km)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km)
Elevation	1,171 ft (357 m)
Population
• Total	1,965
• Estimate	1,989
• Density	1,597.6/sq mi (616.8/km)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98826
Area code	509
FIPS code	53-38845
GNIS feature ID	1521981Template:GR
Website	www.cityofleavenworth.com

Leavenworth is a city in Chelan County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee−East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,965 at the 2010 census. The population was 1,970 at 2012 Estimate from Office of Financial Management. The entire town center is modeled on a Bavarian village.

History

The first route across Stevens Pass was built by the Great Northern Railway in 1892. The townsite was across the Wenatchee River from Icicle and was named Leavenworth the same year the rail construction began. Captain Charles Leavenworth, president of the Okanogan Investment Company, purchased the land in the present-day downtown and laid the streets parallel to the new railroad tracks.

The railroad construction was completed during the winter of 1893. Lafayette Lamb and his brother, Chauncery Lamb arrived in 1903 from Iowa to build the second largest sawmill in Washington state.

Leavenworth was officially incorporated on September 5, 1906. A small timber community, it became the headquarters of the Great North Railroad in the early 1900s. The railroad relocated to Wenatchee in the 1920s, greatly affecting Leavenworth's economy.

The city struggled until 1962, when the Project LIFE (Leavenworth Improvement For Everyone) Committee was formed to transform the city into a mock Bavarian village to revitalize its economy. Owen and Pauline Watson, owners of a business on Front Street, formed the committee after visiting Solvang, California in 1958 and thought it was an excellent idea for Leavenworth.

Leavenworth is home to the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, which opened in 1995 and contains more than 5,000 nutcrackers dating from prehistoric to modern. Leavenworth hosts an annual Oktoberfest celebration. Leavenworth's transformation into a theme town was inspired, and assisted, by Solvang, California. Later the Washington town of Winthrop followed Leavenworth's example and adopted a town theme.

In November 2007 Good Morning America went to Leavenworth for Holiday Gifts for the Globe where GMA helped light up the town for the Christmas Holiday. Leavenworth was also named the Ultimate HolidayTown USA by A&E.

Geography

Leavenworth's geographic coordinates are 47°35′47″N 120°39′55″W / 47.59639°N 120.66528°W / 47.59639; -120.66528.Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.25 square miles (3.24 km), of which, 1.23 square miles (3.19 km) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km) is water.

Climate

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,965 people, 908 households, and 500 families residing in the city. The population density was about 1,598 inhabitants per square mile (617.0/km). There were 1,241 housing units at an average density of about 1,009 per square mile (389.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 92.9% White, 0.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.9% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.8% of the population.

There were 908 households of which about 24% had children under the age of 18 living with them, about 42% were married couples living together, about 10% had a female householder with no husband present, 3% had a male householder with no wife present, and about 45% were non-families. About 37% of all households were made up of individuals and about 20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.84.

The median age in the city was about 42 years. About 20% of residents were under the age of 18; about 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; about 27% were from 45 to 64; and about 20% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

Transportation

• Leavenworth has Amtrak rail service at Leavenworth "Icicle" Station which recently re-opened with a new station in September 2009.
• Leavenworth also has a stop for Northwestern Trailways bus at SR2 & Icicle Road. This bus can be cross-ticketed with Amtrak Thruway. This Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach service operates as redundant service along the Empire Builder route between Seattle and Spokane to add extra capacity and provide service during other times of the day. The route also serves Stevens Pass, Skykomish, and Monroe. The thruway motorcoach service is used when normal rail service encounters disruptions. E.g. a closure of Cascade Tunnel.
• The Leavenworth Free Trolley that circulates between SR2 & Icicle Road and the Safeway ended in September 2011.
• Link Transit has a Dial-a-Ride service. The service requires at least a one-day advance notice.
• Leavenworth Taxi also has a shuttle that operates within the greater Leavenworth area. It stops at both the Northwestern Trailways/Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach bus stop and the Amtrak rail station.

See also

• Tudorbethan architecture

Notes

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
3. "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
4. "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
5. More on the transformation and challenges on Leavenworth's Chamber of Commerce site.
6. About Us
7. LeavenworthOktoberfest.com
8. Kirk, Ruth (1990). Exploring Washington's Past: A Road Guide to History. University of Washington Press. pp. 80, 105. ISBN 0-295-97443-5. Retrieved 2009-09-13. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
9. ABC News: Holiday Gifts for the Globe
10. "Monthly Averages for Leavenworth, WA". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2013-08-19.
11. U.S. Decennial Census
12. Historical Decennial Population 1890-2000
13. "Table 3. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Washington: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011 (SUB-EST2011-03-53)" (CSV). United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2012-09-23. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
14. "Icicle Kwik Stop". Northwestern Trailways. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
15. "Leavenworth - LEA". Retrieved 2009-10-16.
16. "Trolley Service in Leavenworth Washington". Retrieved 2009-10-13.
17. "Leavenworth DART". Retrieved 2009-10-10.
18. "Leavenworth Shuttle & Taxi". Retrieved 2009-10-10.

External links

• City of Leavenworth website
• Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce
• Template:Dmoz

v t e Municipalities and communities of Chelan County, Washington, United States
County seat: Wenatchee
Cities	Cashmere Chelan Entiat Leavenworth Wenatchee
CDPs	Chelan Falls Manson South Wenatchee Sunnyslope
Other communities	Ardenvoir Coles Corner Dryden Lucerne Malaga Merritt Monitor Peshastin Plain Stehekin Telma Wenatchee Heights West Wenatchee Winton
Indian reservation	Colville Indian Reservation‡
Ghost towns	Blewett Moore Winesap
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Washington portal United States portal

• Cities in Washington (state)
• Cities in Chelan County, Washington
• Wenatchee – East Wenatchee metropolitan area
• Populated places established in 1906
• 1906 establishments in Washington (state)