Kittitas, WA

Kittitas is an eastern Kittitas County city on the edge of the Yakima River valley, part of the Ellensburg micropolitan area. The 2020 census counted 1,438 residents. The city began in 1883 as a railroad settlement and incorporated in 1931, so its street grid and business center grew around a transportation link that connected farmers and merchants with other parts of the region. Interstate 90 now passes the south side with Exit 115, giving the old rail town a modern highway connection. The Yakima River and the John Wayne Pioneer Trail keep the surrounding landscape in the local map, while city services, shops, and school routines remain centered in town.

The trail follows the former Milwaukee Railway bed, adding another layer to the railroad story. Kittitas is an agricultural and transportation community. The railroad set the town's origin, I-90 gives it regional access, and the river valley shapes the landscape outside the streets. The local scoop is that Kittitas has a compact center with several layers of movement running through it: railroad history, interstate traffic, river country, and trail access.