Reardan is a town in Lincoln County,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, United States. The population was 637 at the 2020 census.

History

Founded in 1882 and

platted In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

in 1889, Reardan was named for Central Washington Railroad engineer C.F. Reardan. Reardan was incorporated on April 14, 1903. The town is home to the elementary/middle/high school serving the Reardan-Edwall School District, covering over in Lincoln and Spokane counties. The slough north of town, known as Audubon Lake, is well known among birders as a busy stop on the

Pacific Flyway The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading ...

and features public facilities for viewers. A

Hutterite Hutterites (; ), also called Hutterian Brethren (German: ), are a communal ethnoreligious branch of Anabaptists, who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the early 16th century and have formed intent ...

colony settled in the area in 1961. Mule Days has been celebrated on the first Saturday in June for over 50, featuring a Kiddie Parade, Main Parade, entertainment and games for kids at the park, three on three basketball in front of the high school, food and craft fair at the park, Community BBQ pork luncheon, Beer Garden, and Mule Days Dance.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

U.S. Route 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected ...

runs through Reardan, where it is also known as Broadway Avenue and serves as the town's main street. The highway connects Reardan with

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...

, the region's big city, 22 miles to the east, and

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality *Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

, the county seat, 13 miles to the west. Washington State Route 231, a north–south route, also runs through the town. The

Washington Eastern Railroad The Washington Eastern Railroad is a shortline railroad located in Eastern Washington in the United States. It runs on the CW Branch built by the Northern Pacific Railway from 1889–1890 and was previously used by the Eastern Washington Gateway ...

runs through town on its route from Cheney to Coulee City. Reardan is located on the divide between the Columbia and

river

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

s. Audubon Lake, on the northern side of town, is the headwaters of

Crab Creek Crab Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington (U.S. state), Washington. Named for the presence of crayfish, it is one of the few perennial stream, perennial streams in the Columbia River Drainage Basin, Columbia Basin of central Washingto ...

, which flows southwest for 163 miles before emptying into the Columbia. The lake and surrounding wetlands also drain into Deep Creek, which empties into the Spokane roughly 16 miles as the crow flies northeast of the lake. Spring Creek also rises from the Audubon Lake wetlands and flows north into the Spokane River just downstream from

Long Lake Dam Long Lake Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Spokane River, between Lincoln County, Washington, Lincoln County and Stevens County, Washington, Stevens County about northwest of Spokane, Washington, Spokane in eastern Washington (U.S. state), Wa ...

. State Route 231 follows Spring Creek north from town.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 571 people, 240 households, and 160 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 255 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 92.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 4.7%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 0.4% Asian, and 1.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population. There were 240 households, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the town was 43.2 . 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.6% were from 25 to 44; 32.6% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 608 people, 227 households, and 174 families living in the town. The

was 1,285.2 people per square mile (499.5/km²). There were 242 housing units at an average density of 511.6 per square mile (198.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.91%

, 0.16%

, 2.30%

, 0.66%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.16% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), ...

, and 2.80% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.32% of the population. There were 227 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were

living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.06. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 of age or older. The median age was 37 . For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,750, and the median income for a family was $44,167. Males had a median income of $32,279 versus $21,429 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $18,610. About 7.3% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Famous connections

Famous Indigenous American writer

Sherman Alexie Sherman Joseph Alexie Jr. (born October 7, 1966) is a Native American novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. His writings draw on his experiences as an Indigenous American with ancestry from several tribes. He grew up ...

attended Reardan High School, which is featured in a few of his stories and in his 2007 novel for young adults, ''

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian ''The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian'' is a first-person narrative novel by Sherman Alexie, from the perspective of a Native American teenager, Arnold Spirit Jr., also known as "Junior," a 14-year-old promising cartoonist. The book i ...

''. World War II Medal of Honor recipient PFC Joe E. Mann was born July 8, 1922, in Reardan and was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

, September 19, 1944, in

Best, Netherlands Best () is a municipality and a village in the province of North Brabant, southern Netherlands. It is situated northwest of the city Eindhoven, and is part of Brabant's city region. The headquarters of one of Europe's largest meat processors, ...

. He was a soldier assigned to the 502nd PIR, 101st Airborne Division. After Colfax and Ritzville, it is one of Washington's most infamous speed traps.

Education

Reardan is within the

Reardan-Edwall School District Reardan-Edwall School District is a school district in Washington, headquartered in Reardan. It serves a large section of eastern Lincoln County including the communities of Reardan and Edwall, as well as a section of rural western Spokane C ...

. The Inland Northwest Rail Museum opened in Reardan in 2016.

References

External links

Reardan Memorial Library.
{{Authority control Towns in Lincoln County, Washington Towns in Washington (state)