[caption id="attachment_20573" align="aligncenter" width="574"]
Columbia County Flag (image courtesy of the Washington State Archives)[/caption]
The Palouse region of Washington is a landscape of gentle hills, rural towns, and wheat fields in the southeastern corner of the state. Eliciting a Van Gogh painting, Palouse starkly contrasts the mountains and forests of Western Washington. Columbia County is found in this golden part of Washington, and is the seventh county in our series.
Columbia County is named after the Columbia River, which winds through Washington and serves as a vein of commerce, irrigation, and recreation for the entire state. Columbia was established in 1875, fourteen years before Washington was granted statehood. It occupies 860 square miles, and is the ninth smallest county in Washington. Its population is 4,000 people, making it one of the least populated counties in the state. Columbia’s seat is in Dayton, a small community of about 2,500 in the center of the county.
The economy of Columbia mainly relies on agriculture, and in particular wheat. Wheat fields stretch out on the hills in ochre and yellow blankets, making for some particularly beautiful farmland. If someone requires affirmation of the importance of wheat farming to Columbia County, they only need to look at their flag.
[caption id="attachment_20574" align="aligncenter" width="512"]
Image
A wheat harvest in Columbia County (image courtesy of pinterest) [/caption]
Image
The Washington Office of the Secretary of State’s blog provides from-the-source information about important state news and public services.
This space acts as a bridge between the public and Secretary Steve Hobbs and his staff, and we invite you to contribute often to the conversation here.
The comments and opinions expressed by users of this blog are theirs alone and do not reflect the opinions of the Secretary of State’s Office or its employees. The agency screens all comments in accordance with the Secretary of State’s blog use policy, and only those that comply with that policy will be approved and posted. Outside comments will not be edited by the agency.
