1871Government
Ellensburg, originally named Ellensburgh for the wife of town founder John Alden Shoudy, was founded in 1871 and grew rapidly in the 1880s following the arrival of the Northern ...
1872Culture
Shoudy named the new town after his wife, Mary Ellen, thus officially starting the city of Ellensburgh around 1872.
1883Government
Ellensburgh was officially incorporated on November 26, 1883.
1885History
The Kittitas County Fair officially began in 1885, and has been held at its current location since 1923.
1889Disaster
The city was once a leading candidate to become the state capital of Washington, but its campaign was scuppered by a major fire in 1889.
1891Government
It was established in 1891 as the Washington State Normal School, a teachers' college, and later renamed as it expanded to offer bachelor's and master's degrees in various progr...
1894History
In 1894, the final -h was dropped under standardization pressure from the United States Postal Service and Board of Geography Names.
1909Culture
The Daily Record, which started in 1909, is the publication which serves the city and county today.
1910Architecture
The city maintains its own public library, which opened on January 20, 1910, using funds donated by Andrew Carnegie.
1923History
The Ellensburg Rodeo has been a town tradition since 1923, and is the largest rodeo in Washington state.
1928History
The hottest temperature recorded in Ellensburg was 110 °F (43.3 °C) on July 26, 1928, while the coldest temperature recorded was −31 °F (−35.0 °C) on December 12, 1919.
1990History
ISBN 0-7385-7154-7'
Kirk, Ruth, and Carmela Alexander (1990, revised edition 1995).
2000History
=== 2000 census ===
As of the 2000 census, there were 15,414 people, 6,249 households, and 2,649 families living in the city.
2009History
== References ==
== Further reading ==
Caveness, Andrew (2009).
2010History
=== 2010 census ===
As of the 2010 census, there were 18,174 people, 7,301 households, and 2,889 families living in the city.
2019Culture
Central Transit also partners with HopeSource, a non-profit organization, to operate the Kittitas County Connector, which launched in 2019 and connects Ellensburg to outlying co...
2020History
== Demographics ==
=== 2020 census ===
As of the 2020 census, there were 18,666 people, 8,110 households, and 3,541 families residing in the city.
2024Architecture
== Economy ==
In 2024, WinCo Foods, a regional supermarket chain, began construction of a distribution center and cold storage facility in Ellensburg.