1859History
Chief Moses was leader of the Sinkiuse tribe from 1859 to 1899, and was forced to negotiate with white settlers who began to settle in the area in the 1880s.
1938Government
When the town was incorporated and renamed Moses Lake in 1938, the population was estimated at 302 people.
1941Military
== History ==
Before the construction of Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in 1941 and Moses Lake Army Air Base in 1942 the area was largely barren.
1942Infrastructure
The arrival of the air base in 1942 and irrigation water pumped from Grand Coulee Dam in 1955 offered newcomers a reason and a way to settle in an area that previously had littl...
1945Government
A town on the west side of Moses Lake, named Westlake, was platted in 1945 and incorporated in 1958.
1948Military
The base was closed after the war ended, but reopened in 1948 as a U.S.
1950History
In little more than a decade, Moses Lake's population grew from 300 to 2,679 in 1950.
1965History
The Secretary of Defense announced on November 19, 1965, that Larson was to be closed by June of the following year.
1968Civil Rights
Japan Airlines used the airport as a training area from November 1968 until March 2009.
1970History
The town's population peaked at 500 but later declined to 250 by 1970 as properties in its southern half were acquired by the Bureau of Land Reclamation to address seepage issue...
1972Government
Westlake was annexed into Moses Lake in 1972 due to the high cost to maintain existing municipal operations and low tax revenue.
1978Government
On August 7, 1978, the mayor of Moses Lake, Bob Hill, wrote a letter to Mayor Toshihide Cho of Yonezawa City, inviting Yonezawa to become a "Sister City" to Moses Lake.
1981History
The 1981 group to visit Yonezawa City in May became the "Official Delegation" since it was during this visit that the "Sister City Agreement" between Yonezawa City and Moses Lak...
1996Crime
==== Colleges ====
Big Bend Community College
=== 1996 Frontier Middle School shooting ===
On February 2, 1996, Frontier Middle School was the site of a school shooting.
2000History
=== 2000 census ===
As of the 2000 census, there were 14,953 people, 5,642 households, and 3,740 families residing in the city.
2008Education
The high school football team opened the completed stadium on September 12, 2008.
2010History
=== 2010 census ===
As of the 2010 census, there were 20,366 people, 7,600 households, and 4,995 families residing in the city.
2011Architecture
The plant was designed to produce 300 tons of carbon fiber per year from a single production building, and began operations in 2011.
2013Architecture
In 2013, ground was broken for a second 300-ton building, bringing projected production to 600 tons per year.
2014Architecture
In 2014, a third 300-ton building was started.
2016Infrastructure
Mitsubishi in 2016 announced that the company would use the port of Moses Lake for its new regional jet (MRJ) FAA flight testing.
2018Architecture
The testing will be completed by the end of 2018.
2020History
=== Racial and ethnic composition ===
=== 2020 census ===
As of the 2020 census, there were 25,146 people, 9,564 households, and 5,982 families residing in the city.
2023History
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 9,756 estimated households in Moses Lake with an average of 2.59 persons per household.
2024Military
Department of Energy awarded grants to fund the construction of plants for Group14 and Sila Nanotechnologies that are expected to open in 2024.
2025History
According to realtor website Zillow, the average price of a home as of May 31, 2025, in Moses Lake is $371,473.
2026Economy
Sila plans to expand from an initial workforce of 100 employees to 500 within a few years of operation at the factory, which will generate 20 gigawatts of battery capacity by 2026.