Coulee Dam, Washington
Coulee Dam is a town of 1,595 people in Douglas County, Washington, founded in 1933.
Why visit Coulee Dam
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 3 parks and trails, 1 place to eat and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Sand Hill, Grand Coulee Bridge and Colville Tribal Museum & Gift Shop.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 88°F; January lows average 23°F.
Weather in Coulee Dam
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Coulee Dam
Coulee Dam is a town in Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan counties in the US state of Washington. The Douglas County portion of Coulee Dam is part of the Wenatchee metropolitan area. The population was 1,211 as of the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Coulee Dam, Washington (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks3
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Grand Coulee Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places
Historic bridge near Grand Coulee, Washington, United States
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Restaurants and cafes1
History
Coulee Dam was founded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1933, to serve as headquarters for the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam. The Okanogan County portion was known as Mason City, location of the head contractor. The portions in Douglas and Grant Counties were known as Engineers Town and were government-owned. In 1942, with the end of the contract in sight, CBI transferred control of Mason City to the Municipal Division of the Columbia Basin Project. In 1948, Mason City was incorporated into Coulee Dam. The government began the process of selling the town to the public in 1957, finishing in 1959. Coulee Dam was officially incorporated as a town on February 26, 1959.
It is the headquarters of Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area and home to one of the world's largest man-made piles of sand, a 12,000,000-cubic-yard (9,200,000 m3), 230-foot (70 m)-high hill remaining from dam construction.
From the History section of Coulee Dam, Washington on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship1
Shopping1
Schools, colleges and libraries4
Map of Coulee Dam
15 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33°F | 23°F | 1.1 in |
| Feb | 40°F | 25°F | 0.9 in |
| Mar | 51°F | 32°F | 1.1 in |
| Apr | 61°F | 38°F | 1.0 in |
| May | 71°F | 46°F | 1.1 in |
| Jun | 78°F | 52°F | 1.1 in |
| Jul | 88°F | 59°F | 0.5 in |
| Aug | 87°F | 58°F | 0.3 in |
| Sep | 77°F | 50°F | 0.4 in |
| Oct | 60°F | 40°F | 0.9 in |
| Nov | 43°F | 31°F | 1.2 in |
| Dec | 33°F | 24°F | 1.4 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Coulee Dam 1 Sw (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Douglas County has had 14 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2021-02-04: Wildfires And Straight-Line Winds (Fire)
- 2020-09-07: Cold Springs/Pearl Hill Fire (Fire)
- 2020-07-12: Road 11 Fire (Fire)
- 2020-03-22: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2018-08-12: Grass Valley Fire (Fire)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Omak Airport (OMK) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 42 miles away.
- Grand Coulee 2 mi southwest, about 4 min by car
- Elmer City 3 mi northeast, about 4 min by car
- Electric City 5 mi southwest, about 8 min by car
- Nespelem Community 14 mi north, about 22 min by car
- Almira 18 mi south, about 29 min by car
- Wilbur 19 mi southeast, about 31 min by car
- Banks Lake South 27 mi southwest, about 44 min by car
- Bridgeport 32 mi west, about 52 min by car
- Brewster 38 mi west, about 1 h by car
- Chelan 49 mi west, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Coulee Dam, WA from Crown Point, Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Grand Coulee Dam, Washington - Large Letter Postcard (5166663830), Steve Shook from Moscow, Idaho, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Grand Coulee Dam from bridge across Columbia at Coulee City (36865008766), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Grand Coulee Dam (36218359784), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Grand Coulee Dam (36218354044), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Water intakes for pumping station at Grand Coulee Dam (364279035), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Taking tour of Grand Coulee Dam (1457942796), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Grand Coulee Dam, Washington - Large Letter Postcard (5173954045), Steve Shook from Moscow, Idaho, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Grand Coulee Dam from Crown Point Vista - Flickr - brewbooks, brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Grand Coulee Dam Panorama from Crown Point Vista - 5 Nov. 2012, brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Coulee Dam, WA from Crown Point, looking south, Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Coulee Dam, WA from Crown Point, looking south, Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Coulee Dam, WA from Crown Point, Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Grand Coulee Dam from Crown Point, Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Grand Coulee Dam Dwarf's Man's Most Ambitious Construction Achievements of All Time - Flickr - brewbooks, brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Grand Coulee Dam viewpoint at Steamboat Rock State Park 20150412, Mark Wagner, CC BY 4.0
- Photo of Grand Coulee Dam from above, StoicShamon, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center, looking southwest, Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center, Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center, Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Grand Coulee Dam (3960357059), Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0
- Grand Coulee Dam - Feeder Cable Catenary Curve - Flickr - brewbooks, brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Grand Coulee Dam Panorama - Flickr - brewbooks, brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Third powerplant - Grand Coulee Dam - Flickr - brewbooks, brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Third powerplant - Grand Coulee Dam - Flickr - brewbooks (1), brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Grand Coulee Bridge, Jet Lowe, Public domain
- Grand Coulee (1581420438), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- For perspective, find person standing across the parking lot. (36245570023), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Waiting for the laser show (36218689414), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Inside Third Power House (1457078183), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Evevator car going down incline (1580529325), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Grand Coulee Bridge from west side, Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- GW - panoramio, Scott Thompson, CC BY 3.0
- Grand Coulee Bridge (2010), Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Steamboat Rock State Park Crown Point (2016-10-16), Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Grand Coulee, Ikiwaner, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bike Path at Grand Coulee (36218365654), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Bust of President Roosevelt (36245561343), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Water and electricity - panoramio, Scott Thompson, CC BY 3.0
- High voltage underground feeder line - Flickr - brewbooks, brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
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