Chelan

Formed March 13, 1899 (36^th county)

Chelan County (79,078), Wenatchee (35,546)

A tan brick Neo-Classical structure is the 1925 Chelan County courthouse.  The facility is sited on Orondo Avenue at Washington Street.  Washington State Highway 285 is one block to the northeast of the site.  Morrison-Stimson-Solberg are the architects.  A gull statue and veteran memorials are on the grounds.  A Justice Facility has been added in 1983.  There was a 1901 courthouse previously in Wenatchee.  Chelan County was founded on March 13, 1899 from parts of Okanogan and Kittitas counties as the 36^th county and Wenatchee has always been the county seat.  The county name is Native American for “deep water.”  The county seat was named for the Native American tribe. 

Chelan County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  One Superior Court Judge and Two District Court Judges serve Chelan County.  The county is in the central part of the state.  The geographical center of Washington is 10 miles west-southwest of Wenatchee in the county.  Seattle, Washington is southwest and Spokane, Washington is east of the county.  The Columbia River forms its southeast border.  The county center is 37.8 miles North-Northwest of Wenatchee nearer Plain.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Okanogan, Douglas, Kittitas, King, Snohomish, and Skagit counties. 

The area of the county is 2920 square miles.  It is 3 out of 39 in the state.  It ranks 17 out of 39 in population in the state.  It has a density of 27.1 persons per square mile making it 23 out of 39 in the state.  Chelan County has 58.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 2 crosses east to west in the county from Douglas County to King County.  United States Highway 97 enters from the northeast, Okanogan County, exits into Douglas County, joins with United States Highway 2 to reenter, splits and continues south into Kittitas County.  United States Highway 97 Alternate originates where United States Highway 97 enters Douglas County in the northeast, and terminates when it reenters in the southeast.  The county looks like a sheep standing on its tail.  Wenatchee is located on the southeast border of the county.  Wenatchee is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 45.0% of the county population.  The county is pronounced SHEE-LAN.  The county seat is pronounced WE-NA-CHEE.  This county is in the Wenatchee-East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area.