Almira, Washington
| Almira | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
| Almira, Washington | |
Downtown Almira in 2008
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 Location of Almira, Washington |
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| Coordinates: 47°42′38″N 118°56′30″W / 47.71056°N 118.94167°WCoordinates: 47°42′38″N 118°56′30″W / 47.71056°N 118.94167°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Lincoln |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.52 sq mi (1.35 km2) |
| • Land | 0.52 sq mi (1.35 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,919 ft (585 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 284 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 269 |
| • Density | 546.2/sq mi (210.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 99103 |
| Area code(s) | 509 |
| FIPS code | 53-01500 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1503007 |
Almira is a town in Lincoln County, Washington, United States. The population was 284 at the 2010 census.
In the 2004 US presidential election, Almira cast 62.22% of its vote for Republican George W. Bush [1].
The area that would become Almira was first settled in the 1880s by Charles C. Davis purchased land and erected a small store to serve the few settlers living in the area. With the imminent construction of the Central Washington Railroad (later acquired by the Northern Pacific) through the area in 1889, Davis was approached by land developers Odgers and Reed who were looking to start a town on the site. The developers and Davis agreed to christen the new town Almira, after Davis' wife's given name. His farm had previously been called "Davisine".
– Wilbur Register, July 26, 1889
With the railroad assured, Almira was platted and lots begin to sell quickly. Contractors and businessman began to build temporary buildings for their stores. The railroad reached Almira in the Fall of 1889, where it would serve as the line's temporary terminus before being extended to Coulee City the following summer. Until the road was completed to the Grand Coulee Almira remained the terminus. All trains ran to this point, connections by stage being made to points westward. These factors made the town furiously active but a harsh winter prevented any building boom from taking place, leaving Almira as a collection of temporary shacks until the weather improved.
Despite the end of Almira as a rail terminal, it continued to thrive through 1890 with the establishment of a newspaper and the construction of many new buildings. The town's population was 156. In November 1890, Almira citizens voted for prohibition and the city temporarily became the only dry town in the Big Bend Country. After the Panic of 1893, growth in Almira like all across the country, came to a standstill. Most of the undeveloped lots in town were either in foreclosure or completely worthless. This changed in 1900 when the economy began to improve following several years of prosperous wheat harvests.
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