Kittitas County, Washington

Kittitas County is a county in Washington, United States, on the eastern slope of the Cascade Range along Interstate 90. It had a population of 44,337 at the 2020 census and covers 2,333 square miles (6,040 km2) centred near 47°07′N 120°41′W.

Ellensburg is the county seat, and its postal code is 98926. The county has four incorporated cities, one incorporated town, and roughly three dozen unincorporated communities and CDPs. It observes Pacific time and has no civil townships — land here is organized directly under the county government.

Towns & Villages in Kittitas County

Kittitas County’s settled places split between five incorporated municipalities along the I-90 corridor and a scatter of smaller unincorporated communities and Census-designated places (CDPs) in the surrounding valleys and mountains. CDP = Census-designated place, an unincorporated community the Census Bureau tracks separately; Unincorp. = an unincorporated place with no official municipal government.

Two names on older lists cause confusion. Snoqualmie Pass, the ski-resort community straddling the county line at the summit of I-90, is split between Kittitas and King counties, and its 98068 ZIP also covers the North Bend side. Suncadia, a large golf-and-resort development near Cle Elum, is an unincorporated planned community rather than a historic settlement, and does not appear in this table.

ZIP Codes

• 98926 — Ellensburg
• 98922 — Cle Elum
• 98941 — Roslyn
• 98943 — South Cle Elum
• 98934 — Kittitas
• 98925 — Easton
• 98940 — Ronald
• 98946 — Thorp (also serves Teanaway)
• 98950 — Vantage
• 98068 — Snoqualmie Pass (shared with North Bend, King County)

Smaller unincorporated places such as Liberty, Cabin Creek and Whittier use the ZIP code of the nearest post office town rather than their own code.

Geography

Kittitas County sits astride the Cascade crest, running from alpine peaks and lakes in the west down through the Yakima River valley to shrub-steppe rangeland along the Columbia River in the east. Mount Daniel, at 7,959 feet (2,426 meters), is the county’s highest point. The Yakima River, joined by the Cle Elum, Teanaway and Cabin Creek, drains most of the county before crossing into Yakima County; the Columbia River forms much of the eastern boundary near Vantage. Kachess, Keechelus and Cle Elum lakes, all reservoirs, sit in the forested western third of the county.

Kittitas County borders Chelan County to the north, Douglas County to the northeast, Grant County to the east, Yakima County to the south, Pierce County to the west, and King County to the northwest.

Demographics

Kittitas County had 44,337 residents at the 2020 census. Ellensburg (18,666) and Cle Elum (2,157) are its two largest communities; together they hold under half the county’s population, with the rest spread across smaller towns, resort communities and rural land. Median household income runs below the Washington median of $94,605, reflecting the county’s mix of agricultural, student and rural-resort households. Density works out to roughly 19 people per square mile of land, well below the state average, as most of the county’s western half is undeveloped forest and mountain terrain.

Economy & Local Life

Central Washington University, based in Ellensburg, is the county’s largest single employer and drives much of the local economy alongside the Kittitas Valley’s cattle ranches, hay and timothy-grass fields, and irrigated cropland. The Cle Elum area has shifted from its coal-mining and timber roots toward tourism, anchored by the Suncadia resort and nearby lakes. The Kittitas County Fair, first held in 1885, still runs every Labor Day weekend in Ellensburg. Wind energy has also become a visible presence, with turbine rows along the ridgelines east of the Columbia River.

History

Kittitas County was created on November 24, 1883, by the Washington Territorial Legislature out of the eastern part of Yakima County. Its name comes from a Sahaptin (Yakama) word variously translated as referring to shale rock, white chalk, or a “land of plenty” — sources disagree on the precise meaning. Coal mining shaped the Cle Elum-Roslyn area from the 1880s through the mid-20th century, drawing immigrant labor from across Europe; Roslyn’s historic multi-ethnic cemeteries date to that era. Ellensburg, platted in the 1870s, lost a bid to become the Washington state capital in 1889 and instead grew as the region’s agricultural and, later, university town.

Getting There

Interstate 90 crosses the county east-west over Snoqualmie Pass and through Cle Elum and Ellensburg; Interstate 82 splits off south of Ellensburg toward Yakima; U.S. Route 97 runs north-south through the Swauk Valley toward Chelan County.

• Yakima — 35 miles south
• Seattle — 100 miles west
• Spokane — 165 miles east
• Wenatchee — 45 miles north

The nearest commercial airport is Yakima Air Terminal; Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, about two hours west over the pass, is the nearest major hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Kittitas County, Washington?
It sits on the eastern slope of the Cascade Range in central Washington, along Interstate 90 between Seattle and Yakima.

What is the population of Kittitas County?
44,337 people, according to the 2020 census.

How big is Kittitas County?
2,333 square miles (6,040 km2), the fourth-largest county in Washington by area.

What is the county seat of Kittitas County?
Ellensburg is the county seat and largest city.

How many towns and cities are in Kittitas County?
Four cities (Ellensburg, Cle Elum, Roslyn, Kittitas) and one town (South Cle Elum), plus roughly three dozen unincorporated communities and CDPs.

What ZIP codes are in Kittitas County?
Ellensburg is 98926; other ZIPs include 98922 (Cle Elum), 98941 (Roslyn), 98934 (Kittitas) and 98950 (Vantage).

What is Kittitas County known for?
Central Washington University, the Kittitas Valley’s hay and cattle ranches, the Cle Elum-Roslyn coal-mining history, and recreation around Snoqualmie Pass and the county’s Cascade lakes.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Washington.