1845Government
== History ==
The area was first settled by the Upper Chehalis people with the first non-indigenous settlers arriving in 1845.
1850History
The family feared Washington would be forced into slavery if they stayed in Missouri after the passage of the Compromise of 1850.
1856Military
The blockhouse is a log structure that was built in 1856 and was used as grain storage during local wars with Native Americans.
1857History
The new community was connected to the Columbia and Puget Sound regions via the first major road in the area in 1857.
1883History
Responding to new settlers' concern about a town in Klickitat County with the same name, the town was renamed Centralia by 1883, as suggested by a recent settler from Centralia,...
1891Economy
=== Utilities ===
==== Communications ====
The first telephone operations in Centralia began in 1891 when the city was connected to the Sunset Telephone and Telegraph Company ...
1893Disaster
The town's population boomed, then collapsed in the Panic of 1893, when the NP went bankrupt; entire city blocks were offered for as little as $50 with no takers.
1894Education
Situated southeast of the city on a donated land claim from the Salzer family, it was built in 1894 and existed as school until 1944.
1905History
When Washington died in 1905, all businesses in the town closed, and 5,000 mourners attended his funeral.
1908Disaster
A large fire on June 26, 1908, part of a string of arson attempts spanning between the Twin Cities that month, decimated a block in the city's downtown district.
1910History
=== Landforms ===
Located off Interstate 5 is Plummer Lake, a small body of water caused by the excavation of glacial rock for gravel purposes beginning in 1910.
1911Sports
The ballclub won the 1911 Washington State League championship.
1912Architecture
Centralia Union Depot was built in 1912 and features red brick architecture, vintage oak benches, and internal and external woodworking throughout.
1913Architecture
=== Historic buildings and sites ===
The Carnegie Library is located in Washington Park and was originally built in 1913 followed by a remodel in 1977–78.
1915Architecture
Originally constructed near the confluence of the Chehalis and Skookumchuck rivers, the building was moved twice, in 1915 due to an alteration of the Chehalis River's course, an...
1919Crime
On November 11, 1919, the Centralia Massacre occurred.
1924History
It was placed in 1924 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1925Government
=== Centralia College ===
Centralia College is the oldest continuously operating junior college in the state of Washington, and was founded on September 14, 1925.
1927Architecture
Opened in August 1927 to 10,000 spectators and an aerial performance, the airport quietly folded by the mid-1930s reportedly due to hardships caused by the Great Depression.
1933Culture
It began in 1933 as a single-screen outdoor theater, with a reopening in 1961 after a transfer of ownership.
1951Architecture
Begun from a Washington Department of Ecology loan that eventually cost almost $27 million, the facility replaced an at-capacity treatment plant built in 1951 near Mellen Street.
1959Culture
=== Theater ===
The city has been home to the Evergreen Playhouse since 1959.
1960History
Surrounding the homestead is the Borst Park Arboretum, created in 1960.
1961History
The city, beginning in 1961, was once a co-owner of the airfield but withdrew from the joint operating agreement in 2004 due to concerns over contract violations, liability, and...
1972Culture
The organization eventually purchased its own theater in 1972 for $16,000.
1980Disaster
Helens on May 18, 1980, devastated the local lumber industry, as 12 million board feet of stockpiled lumber and 4 billion board feet of salable timber was damaged or destroyed.
1983History
The land, originally developed by a local rotary club, was donated to the city in 1983.
1986Infrastructure
The Port of Centralia, created in 1986 and located northwest of the city center near Fords Prairie, is a complex of industrial and mixed-use economic development in the municipa...
1988Architecture
In 1988, London Fog opened the first factory outlet store in the Northwest, choosing the location because it was the midpoint between major northwest cities.
1993Military
The Freedom Walk was built in 1993 and presents the individual names of veterans who perished in military combat since the First World War.
1994Military
It won an award for port of the year in 1994 and became part of a foreign-trade zone in conjunction with other local counties in western Washington.
2000History
=== 2000 census ===
As of the 2000 census, there were 14,742 people, 5,943 households, and 3,565 families residing in the city.
2001Architecture
Centralia built a wastewater treatment facility beginning in 2001 that is located on 300 acres (120 ha) in the Ford's Prairie neighborhood near the Discovery Trail.
2002Infrastructure
In 2002, a prior resident of Chehalis purchased the neon entrance sign to the drive-in with plans to display it as a highway memorial to graduates from the area; he would donate...
2003Infrastructure
The port expanded into a second phase in 2003.
2005History
=== Music ===
Seattle-based rock band Harvey Danger used Centralia as a metaphor in its song "Moral Centralia," found on the 2005 album Little by Little.
2008Infrastructure
Begun in 2008, the event supports the downtown economy while raising funds for local charities.
2009History
The Centralia Lighted Tractor Parade has been an annual winter holiday event since 2009.
2010History
=== 2010 census ===
As of the 2010 census, there were 16,336 people, 6,640 households, and 3,867 families residing in the city.
2011History
Since its 2011 cessation, various city and community groups have made improvements to the recreation parcel by adding a playground and spray park.
2014Architecture
Officially opened in 2014, the 76,500-square-foot (7,110 m2) complex is owned by a various group of Centralia government bodies and businesses.
2015Architecture
The drive-in had a train ride for children on the property; the ride was purchased by a local enthusiast and rebuilt for use at the 2015 fair.
2016Infrastructure
As of 2016, the Port of Centralia is composed of a mix of three zones with 30 tenants that employed 800 people.
2017History
As of 2017, Plummer Lake is privately owned.
2018Government
In 2018, the city investigated the use of lead pipes in the municipal water system, specifically for homes built from the 1920s through the 1940s.
2020Architecture
The first phase of the shutdown was completed in 2020.
2021Education
The park contains the original Borst Home, a reproduced schoolhouse, and a replicated pioneer church from the 1860s that was completed in 2021.
2022Government
The energy produced until its closure is used by Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and according to 2022 figures, 14.5% of PSE's electric load came from the TransAlta coal plant, enough ...
2023History
The city bestowed an honor to Washington in 2023 by declaring August 15, his recognized birthday, as Centralia's Founder's Day.
2024Government
In the 2024 election, there were 35 votes cast for write-in candidates and 175 votes were tallied for Robert F.
2025Economy
The plant is situated on 11,000 acres (4,500 ha) and is expected to permanently close in 2025 based on an agreement reached with the state in 2011.