Newport, Washington

Newport is a city in and the county seat of Pend Oreille County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,114 at the 2020 census.

History

File:Oct 7 1913 Newport WA by Wintemuse.jpg

Newport, Washington seen in a real photo postcard mailed on October 7, 1913

Newport was given its name in 1890 due to its selection as a landing site for the first steamboat on the Pend Oreille River. The region around present-day Newport, Washington, has been inhabited for at least 10,000 years and remains part of the traditional homeland of the Kalispel people. In 1809 and 1810, fur trader and explorer David Thompson of the North West Company traveled through the area while mapping trade routes in the Inland Northwest. In the 1850s, Dr. George Suckley, commissioned by Washington Territory Governor Isaac I. Stevens, conducted surveys of the region. His work focused on assessing timber resources, documenting the terrain, and identifying possible transportation routes.

The arrival of the Great Northern Railway connected Newport to wider markets by linking river transport with the rail line. This ended much of the community’s isolation and opened the way for Pend Oreille County’s mining and timber industries to reach distant buyers. The town’s early growth is often credited to James J. Hill, president of the Great Northern Railroad. In 1900, brothers Charles Talmadge and Warren E. Talmadge created the Newport Washington Land Company and soon platted the settlement. A post office was established in 1901, and on April 13, 1903 Newport was officially incorporated as a fourth-class town, with Tom J. Kelly serving as its first mayor.

The first river bridge was built in 1906, and was replaced in 1926, and again in 1988.

In 1935, Newport City Marshall George Conniff was killed during a robbery at the Newport Creamery by multiple Spokane police officers. The case went stagnant for decades until Pend Oreille County Sheriff, Tony Bamonte took interest in the 1980s.The weapon believed to have killed Conniff was found in the Spokane River underneath the Post Street Bridge in 1989. A book was published about it in 1992 by Timothy Egan.

Newport began a tourism campaign in 1987 that involved planting hundreds of national, state, and city flags to transform itself into the "City of Flags". The scheme was abandoned a decade later after issues with theft and maintenance. There are no remaining flag structures in Newport today. During the 1990s, Newport made a number of improvements to its public amenities and appearance. In 1995, the local Chamber of Commerce opened a visitor center on land leased from the Pend Oreille County Historical Society. The museum grounds contain three historic log cabins relocated and reconstructed from their original sites, a collection of farming and logging tools, a replica logging camp bunkhouse, and a Burlington Northern caboose.

The museum complex also includes the Stuart B. Bradley Memorial Building, completed in 1994, which provides space for a research library and community use. It was named in honor of Stuart B. Bradley, a longtime local historian and supporter of the Historical Society. U.S. House Speaker Tom Foley attended the building’s dedication.

On July 14, 2015, an explosion took place at Zodiac Aerospace. Five people were injured, and people were urged to stay at least 2000 feet from the facility.

In 2024, the local Vullo Bat Company became MLB certified, with the Seattle Mariners using their bat model in the 2025 MLB season.

Geography

File:PendOreilleCtyHistMus NewportWA.jpg

Pend Oreille County Historical Museum

Newport is located at an elevation of 2,160 feet (658.5 m) and according to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, all of it land.

The town of Oldtown, Idaho, is just to the east of Newport, and on the Pend Oreille River. There are no natural or physical barriers between the two towns, and it is strictly a political division, separated by the straight-line state boundary.

About one-half mile north of Newport, the Pend Oreille River enters Washington state and flows north to Canada. The watershed of the Pend Oreille in the Newport-Oldtown area west of the river is extremely limited. This is due to a small depression of no more than Template:Convert, which begins about one-half mile from the river. Unable to flow uphill, the waters (from natural springs, rainfall runoff, etc.) eventually form the Little Spokane River, and flow southwest towards Spokane.

Diamond Lake (elevation 2,345 ft.) is about Template:Convert to the southwest, and is also part of the Little Spokane River watershed (outflow only) via a creek runoff from the uninhabited far west end of the lake.

Demographics

File:Newport Washington Sign at Entrance to the City.jpg

Newport city welcome sign

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,126 people, 874 households, and 506 families living in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 954 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 92.3% White, 0.3% African American, 1.0% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population.

There were 874 households, of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.7% were married couples living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.1% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 3.04.

The median age in the city was 38.8 years. 27.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 22.7% were from 45 to 64; and 20.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 1,921 people, 760 households, and 471 families living in the city. The population density was 1,814.7 people per square mile (699.7/km²). There were 820 housing units at an average density of 774.6 per square mile (298.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.64% White, 0.57% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.15% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.97% of the population.

There were 760 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,709, and the median income for a family was $30,898. Males had a median income of $31,597 versus $20,469 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,900. About 22.0% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.4% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

The City of Newport operates under a mayor–council form of government, with the mayor serving as the city’s chief administrative officer, while a separately elected five-member council exercises legislative authority in accordance with state law (RCW 35A.12). Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot Local elections in Newport are officially nonpartisan, and the city uses at-large council positions with four-year terms. Voter participation in municipal contests is typically modest; in the November 2, 2021 general election for mayor, 496 ballots were cast. In that race, challenger Keith W. Campbell was elected mayor and assumed office on January 1, 2022. He succeeded Shirley Sands (383–111), who had served as mayor until her defeat in that election.

At the federal level, Newport lies in Washington's 5th congressional district and is represented in the House of Representatives by Republican Michael Baumgartner, who was sworn in on January 3, 2025 following his 2024 election victory. Washington State is represented nationally in the Senate by Democrat Patty Murray and Democrat Maria Cantwell.

Newport is part of Washington's 7th legislative district which is represented in the Washington State Senate by Shelly Short. The 7th Legislative District is represented in the Washington House of Representatives by both Andrew Engell, and Hunter Abell.

Newport’s broader political environment reflects voting patterns common to much of Eastern Washington. Pend Oreille County, of which Newport is the county seat, has leaned Republican in recent federal elections; in 2020 the county favored the Republican presidential nominee with roughly two-thirds of the vote (about 67%).

Climate

Newport experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen Dsb/Dfb) with cold, moist winters and warm, drier summers. Compared to Spokane (the largest city in the area), on average, summer and winter temperatures are cooler at night, but very slightly warmer in daytime. The precipitation, however, is substantially heavier than Spokane, and snow depth during winter typically three-and-half times as high at around Template:Convert versus Spokane's Template:Convert. The wettest month was November 2006 with Template:Convert, and the wettest calendar year 1950 with Template:Convert, whilst the driest has been 1985 with Template:Convert. Average precipitation is 24.71 inches (627.634 mm). The most snowfall in a season has been from July 1955 to June 1956 with over Template:Convert (several days were missing) and the least snowy year from July 1935 to June 1936 with only Template:Convert.

Arts and culture

Historical buildings

The historic Kelly's Bar and Grill has been operating since 1894 with only minor breaks, making it the second oldest bar in the state.

Education

Newport School District operates public schools.