Mabton, Washington
Encyclopedia
Mabton is a city in Yakima County, Washington
, United States. The population was 2,286 at the 2010 census
. Incorporated during the first few years of the 20th century, it is located at the eastern edge of the Yakama Indian Reservation
.
people, who were forced onto a reservation
in 1855. Mabton's existence as a town is due to the Northern Pacific Railway
, which arrived in the area around 1884 and built a water tower and section house on the site. Nothing else existed at Mabton until 1892 when Sam P. Flower built a store and a warehouse. He soon became the town's first postmaster. Mabton was named by Charlie Sandburg, a Swedish railworker, who proposed the name "Mabletown" for the wife (or daughter) of a railroad official who had spoken kind words to track workers during an inspection. By 1895, Mabton had several stores, a hotel, a railroad depot and a schoolhouse. The Mabton Townsite Company, formed by Sam P. Flower and J.A. Humphrey, made the first plat in 1902, and by 1904, it had more than a dozen businesses and a newspaper. The town of Mabton officially incorporated on November 7, 1905.
Today, residents primarily are employed in occupations related to agriculture, especially hop
growing and grape
growing.
The Mabton School District has been the repeated beneficiary of grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:
Perhaps the best known person from Mabton is Mel Stottlemyre
, a pitcher and later a pitching coach for the New York Yankees
. He won 164 games for them as a pitcher from 1964 to 1974, with three 20-win seasons.
A small ranch near Mabton was home to the first confirmed case of mad cow disease
in the United States on December 23, 2003.
is 98935.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ½ mi² (1.2 km²), all land.
of 2000 taken by the United States Census Bureau
are as follows:
The city's library is open six afternoons and three evenings per week. In a space of about 1260 sq ft (117.1 m²) it has over 5,000 volumes of hardback books, over 2000 paperbacks, and 26 magazine subscriptions. Many of its books and magazines are in Spanish.
Yakima County, Washington
Yakima County is the second largest county by area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Yakama tribe of Native Americans. In the 2010 census, its population was 243,231...
, United States. The population was 2,286 at the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
. Incorporated during the first few years of the 20th century, it is located at the eastern edge of the Yakama Indian Reservation
Yakama Indian Reservation
The Yakama Indian Reservation is a United States Indian reservation located on the east side of the Cascade Mountains in southern Washington. It is the homeland of the Yakama tribe of Native Americans....
.
History
The Mabton area's original inhabitants were the YakamaYakama
The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, or simply Yakama Nation , is a Native American group with nearly 10,000 enrolled members, living in Washington. Their reservation, along the Yakima River, covers an area of approximately 1.2 million acres...
people, who were forced onto a reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
in 1855. Mabton's existence as a town is due to the Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
, which arrived in the area around 1884 and built a water tower and section house on the site. Nothing else existed at Mabton until 1892 when Sam P. Flower built a store and a warehouse. He soon became the town's first postmaster. Mabton was named by Charlie Sandburg, a Swedish railworker, who proposed the name "Mabletown" for the wife (or daughter) of a railroad official who had spoken kind words to track workers during an inspection. By 1895, Mabton had several stores, a hotel, a railroad depot and a schoolhouse. The Mabton Townsite Company, formed by Sam P. Flower and J.A. Humphrey, made the first plat in 1902, and by 1904, it had more than a dozen businesses and a newspaper. The town of Mabton officially incorporated on November 7, 1905.
Today, residents primarily are employed in occupations related to agriculture, especially hop
Hops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
growing and grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
growing.
The Mabton School District has been the repeated beneficiary of grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:
- $558,000 over five years (from 2000 to 2005) to enhance student access to technology;
- In 2001, Mabton High School was one of sixteen high schools chosen to participate in the Washington State Achievers Program; the school gets a share proportional to its student population (about 330 students) of more than $9 million to support school improvement and redesign efforts and more than $100 million for college scholarships for its students;
- Over $40,000 over five years (2001–2006) to improve high school education and access to higher education; and
- Over $125,000 over 34 months (2001–2004) to support professional development programs in partnership with Heritage College.
Perhaps the best known person from Mabton is Mel Stottlemyre
Mel Stottlemyre
Melvin Leon Stottlemyre, Sr. is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and pitching coach. He played 11 years in the Major Leagues, all of them with the New York Yankees...
, a pitcher and later a pitching coach for the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. He won 164 games for them as a pitcher from 1964 to 1974, with three 20-win seasons.
A small ranch near Mabton was home to the first confirmed case of mad cow disease
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy , commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of...
in the United States on December 23, 2003.
Geography
Mabton is located at 46°12'42" North, 119°59'47" West (46.211618, -119.996520). Its ZIP codeZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 98935.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ½ mi² (1.2 km²), all land.
Statistics
Results from the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000 taken by the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
are as follows:
- There are 1,891 people, 445 households, and 381 families residing in the city.
- The population densityPopulation densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
is 4,026.3 people per square mile (1,553.4/km²). - There are 463 housing units at an average density of 985.8 per square mile (380.4/km²).
- 89% of the population are HispanicHispanicHispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or LatinoLatinoThe demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
of any race; this figure includes the 80.5% who reported themselves as Mexican. The racial makeup of the city is 21.73% White, 1% Asian, 0.48% Native American, 0.11% African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, and no Pacific Islanders, 73.88% from other races, and 2.80% from two or more races. - There are 445 households out of which 60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% are married couples living together, 17.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 14.2% are non-families. 12.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 4.22 and the average family size is 4.54.
- The median house value is $69,800; 64.7% of the housing units are owner-occupied. 77.2% of the homes were built before 1980.
- 41.9% of the population is under the age of 18, 12.9% is from 18 to 24, 25.8% is from 25 to 44, 12.9% is from 45 to 64, and 6.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. The median age is 22 years.
- There are more men than women: for every 100 females there are 104 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 104.1 males.
- The median income for a household in the city is $26,650, and the median income for a family is $26,198. Males have a median income of $18,917 versus $21,667 for females.
- The per capita incomePer capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city is $7,694. 32.7% of the population and 27.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 44.0% of those under the age of 18 and 18.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The city's library is open six afternoons and three evenings per week. In a space of about 1260 sq ft (117.1 m²) it has over 5,000 volumes of hardback books, over 2000 paperbacks, and 26 magazine subscriptions. Many of its books and magazines are in Spanish.