Posted in Washington
February 13, 2017
Blink And You’ll Miss These 11 Teeny Tiny Towns In Washington
There’s small town living, and then there’s “off the radar” living. Washington is home to some seriously tiny towns nestled in between our mid-sized places and urban areas. Don’t blink when you drive past the places on this list, or you just might miss them.
We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
Located just outside the college town of Pullman, Albion has a total area of 0.36 square miles of land and a population of 579. It’s not uncommon to see deer crossing the main streets.
Tucked away in the mountains of Eastern Washington outside Kettle Falls, Orient had a population of just 115 in 2010. Settled in 1900, this tiny town was the endpoint of a cable bucket tramway that ran from the First Thought Mine, which closed down in 1942.
Elbe was known as Brown’s Junction after the Tacoma & Eastern Railway was built in the region. But when a post office requested, the name was changed. Only 29 people lived here in 2010.
Nestled up in Northern Washington is the quiet community of Tonasket. Though it has a population of about 1,000 people, they’re so spread out that it feels minuscule. Tonasket was named after Chief Tonasket of the Okanagan people.
Baring may be located in King County, but it’s substantially smaller than many of its neighbors. It’s located on Highway 2 about 22 miles west of Stevens Pass.
Only about 200 people live in Skykomish now, though the total was estimated to be several thousand in the 1920s when it was a fueling station for the Great Northern Railway, which eventually became part of the BNSF Railway.
This tiny town of 278 in Spokane County was named after William Spangle, an early pioneer. The total area of the town is 0.36 miles, all of which is land.
You’ll find Oakville in Grays Harbor County. And while you won’t normally hear much about this city of 700, it was the site of one of our state’s greatest mysteries. In 1994 during a rainstorm, strange translucent blobs fell from the sky onto a farm home. Several people got sick shortly thereafter, and their kitten died. The blobs were proven not to be airplane waste, but no one ever figured out exactly what they were.
Prescott is a tiny town in Walla Walla County with a population of 318 as of 2010. Though the Prescott post office has been in operation since 1881, the town was officially incorporated in 1903.
This charming agricultural community is located near the Idaho border in Whitman County. Founded in 1870 by T.J. Favorite, it was the site of an 1858 battle between U.S. troops (including Nez Perce allies) and the Coeur d’Alene tribe.
Skamokawa rests on the banks of the Columbia River on State Highway 4, and it consists of a post office, a restaurant, a historical museum and a single general store. It’s also home to the beautiful Skamokawa Resort, a place where people go to truly get away from it all.
Washington has something for everyone. If you prefer a relaxing, slower paced life, move to one of these places.
