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Okanogan, WA
Okanogan is a city in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,379 at the 2020 census, down from 2,552 at the 2010 census, within the Greater Omak Area. It is the seat of Okanogan County. It is the county seat of Okanogan County in north-central Washington in the productive orchard lands of the Okanogan River Valley.
The site of Okanogan was used for thousands of years as a camping ground and fishing area by the Southern Okanogan Tribe, also known as the Sinkaietk or Uknaqinx, as well as by several other tribes of the mid-Columbia. Steelhead and salmon runs were plentiful on the Okanogan River.
Welcome to the City of Okanogan!
Where "friendly" is a way of life and our mission is to provide municipal facilities and services that residents, businesses, and visitors need to sustain a safe and prosperous community.
Incorporated in 1907, the City of Okanogan (an Indian word meaning "rendezvous") is adjacent to the Okanogan River in north-central Washington state, 50 miles south of the Canadian border, 140 miles east of Seattle and 100 miles northwest of Spokane. Okanogan is centrally located in Okanogan County, the largest county in the State of Washington. 1914, the Great Northern railroad arrived and Okanogan succeeded in a spirited campaign to wrest the county seat from Conconully. One of the city's first projects was to build a steel bridge over the Okanogan River. At the time, the Okanogan River had only two bridges, both far upstream. The big steamboats that worked the Columbia River made it up the Okanogan River only during high water in spring. But shallow-draft steamers, like the one named the Charles Bureau after its builder and skipper, Capt. Charles Bureau, could navigate the river under most circumstances. By 1920, Okanogan's population had nearly doubled to 1,015. The economy had already settled into a pattern that would continue for decades. Apples were number one, followed by lumber and wood products in second place, and cattle in third place. One of the biggest of all New Deal projects -- the Grand Coulee Dam -- had a glancing impact on Okanogan in the late 1930s. It spawned so many jobs for local workers that Okanogan County's "relief" (welfare) rate was far below the state average. In 1955, the Okanogan National Forest was, along with the county government, one of the city's top employers. Outdoor recreation -- especially hunting and fishing, which is especially fine in the region -- soon became an ever more important component of Okanogan's economy.
Okanogan has continued to be an important civic, cultural, and governmental hub in Okanogan County. The city hosts the Okanogan County Fair every September at the fairgrounds north of town. Okanogan continues to take pride in its historic roots. In 2007, the town celebrated its centennial with parades, picnics, historical skits, and fireworks.
