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 at 5,315 square miles.
The City of Okanogan seeks to develop an integrated information system that effectively communicates online with residents, citizens, businesses, and visitors.
Please visit this website regularly for current updates. If you would like to share your comments or have difficulty in finding information, please contact:
Jessica Blake - cityclerk@okanogancity.com
History
The Town site was first settled in 1888 and was called Alma, which is the name of the park where our pool is located. The town’s name was changed to Pogue in 1905, in honor of J.I. Pogue, a prominent citizen. In 1907, the town voted overwhelmingly (39 to 2) to change the name to Okanogan due to the community’s location on the Okanogan River, as well as being in Okanogan County, and its proximity to the fledgling Okanogan Irrigation Project, the first US Reclamation Service project in Washington. This decision led to Dr. Pogue withdrawing his patronage and support from the town and platting another town 5 miles upriver. That town would become Omak.
The City of Okanogan has been the county seat since 1914, which was won in a general election battle against Omak. The success of the campaign to become the county seat is attributed to the arrival of the Great Northern Railway and the prominence of Japanese American photographer Frank Matsura, whose murals you can see throughout the city. By the end of the year, the county government had moved to Okanogan. In 1915, a beautiful new courthouse with Southwestern-Mexican architectural influences was built and still stands today.
Okanogan is proud to be the site of the Okanogan County Historical Museum and Fire Hall, which includes historical exhibits, an Old West replica town, the Frank Matsura photo collection, and a research center.
A community-wide celebration commemorated the 100 year anniversary October 29, 2007.
For a more detailed and longer history, please go to: www.historylink.org/File/9592/
Population
The City covers approximately 2 square miles and has a population of 2,425 residents.
