Airway Heights, Washington
Airway Heights, Washington | ||
---|---|---|
City | ||
FIPS code 53-00905 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 1511953[4] | |
Website | cawh.org |
Airway Heights is a city in
History
Airway Heights was founded in 1942 and officially incorporated on June 28, 1955.[7]
Growth in the city was spurred by the opening of the
Geography
Airway Heights is located at 47°38′37″N 117°35′11″W / 47.64361°N 117.58639°W (47.643648, -117.586491).[8] Downtown Spokane is located eight miles by road east of Airway Heights. In 2012, the City of Spokane incorporated the Spokane International Airport and surrounding area,[9] since which the city Spokane has bordered the city of Airway Heights to the east and south.[10]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.63 square miles (14.58 km2), all of it land.[11]
The community lies in the northeastern corner of the flat Columbia Plateau. While the plateau tends to be flat, the terrain locally is quite rugged as it is part of the Channeled Scablands. The "heights" in the city's name references its location at a higher elevation than the city center of Spokane. Traveling into Airway Heights along U.S. Route 2, the main road into the city, from Downtown Spokane, one will climb over 500 feet.[12]
Climate
Climate data for Airway Heights, Washington (Spokane Int'l), 1981–2010 normals | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 62 (17) |
63 (17) |
74 (23) |
90 (32) |
97 (36) |
105 (41) |
108 (42) |
108 (42) |
98 (37) |
87 (31) |
70 (21) |
60 (16) |
108 (42) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 34.4 (1.3) |
39.6 (4.2) |
48.9 (9.4) |
57.2 (14.0) |
66.4 (19.1) |
73.8 (23.2) |
83 (28.3) |
83 (28.3) |
72.9 (22.7) |
58.0 (14.4) |
41.6 (5.3) |
32.2 (0.1) |
57.6 (14.2) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 29.55 (−1.36) |
33 (1) |
40.25 (4.58) |
47 (8) |
55.1 (12.8) |
62.1 (16.7) |
69.65 (20.92) |
69.4 (20.8) |
60.3 (15.7) |
47.6 (8.7) |
35.7 (2.1) |
27.35 (−2.58) |
48.08 (8.95) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 24.7 (−4.1) |
26.4 (−3.1) |
31.6 (−0.2) |
36.8 (2.7) |
43.8 (6.6) |
50.4 (10.2) |
56.3 (13.5) |
55.8 (13.2) |
47.4 (8.6) |
37.2 (2.9) |
29.8 (−1.2) |
22.5 (−5.3) |
38.6 (3.7) |
Record low °F (°C) | −30 (−34) |
−24 (−31) |
−10 (−23) |
14 (−10) |
24 (−4) |
33 (1) |
37 (3) |
35 (2) |
22 (−6) |
7 (−14) |
−21 (−29) |
−25 (−32) |
−30 (−34) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.79 (45) |
1.33 (34) |
1.61 (41) |
1.28 (33) |
1.62 (41) |
1.25 (32) |
0.64 (16) |
0.59 (15) |
0.67 (17) |
1.18 (30) |
2.30 (58) |
2.29 (58) |
16.55 (420) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 12.0 (30) |
7.2 (18) |
3.7 (9.4) |
1.0 (2.5) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
7.2 (18) |
14.9 (38) |
46.2 (117) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 13.4 | 10.4 | 11.6 | 10.1 | 10.2 | 7.9 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 7.8 | 13.7 | 13.2 | 112.2 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 8.9 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 4.7 | 9.8 | 34.2 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
62.0 | 81.5 | 75.0 | 66.5 | 60.5 | 58.0 | 50.5 | 45.5 | 49.0 | 57.0 | 68.0 | 81.5 | 80.5 |
Percent possible sunshine | 28 | 41 | 55 | 61 | 65 | 67 | 80 | 78 | 72 | 55 | 29 | 23 | 55 |
Source: NOAA (extremes 1881–present, percent sunshine through 2009)[13][14] |
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1960 | 708 | — | |
1970 | 744 | 5.1% | |
1980 | 1,730 | 132.5% | |
1990 | 1,971 | 13.9% | |
2000 | 4,500 | 128.3% | |
2010 | 6,114 | 35.9% | |
2020 | 10,757 | 75.9% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[3] |
2020 census
At the
2010 census
At the
Of the 1,547 households, 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.1% were non-families. 25.1% of households were one person and 5.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.01.
The median age was 34.6 years. 17.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 40.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 5.6% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 67.7% male and 32.3% female.
2000 census
At the
Of the 958 households, 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 25.3% of households were one person and 6.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.02.
The age distribution was 16.9% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 46.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 4.5% 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 263.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 325.0 males.
The median household income was $29,829 and the median family income was $31,344. Males had a median income of $26,117 versus $22,031 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,069. About 14.8% of families and 22.0% of the population were below the
Education
The majority of the city is within the Cheney School District (No. 360).[16] The northeastern portion is in the Great Northern School District (No. 312), grades K–6.
Airway Heights joined the
Healthcare
The closest hospital to the city is Deaconess Medical Center, located in Downtown Spokane. Healthcare services located in the city itself include the Airway Heights Dental Center, West Plains Chiropractor, and APEX Physical Therapy.[18]
Transportation
U.S. Route 2 is the main east-west thoroughfare in the city, which lacks a traditional
Public transportation is managed by the Spokane Transit Authority. Bus route 61, which serves Airway Heights, begins at the transit authority's main hub in Downtown Spokane, and extends to Fairchild Air Force Base.[20]
Notable local businesses
Controversies
In July 2015 Mayor Patrick Rushing was asked to resign by the city council because he called President Barack Obama a "monkey man" and First Lady Michelle Obama a "gorilla" on his Facebook page. Rushing initially refused, stating he was not a racist.[21] This follows an earlier incident in 2015 in which Rushing resigned his position as a school bus driver after he was charged with a misdemeanor for leaving the scene of an accident.[22]
In August 2015 Rushing submitted his resignation. He stated, "I find it difficult to continue due to my declining health issues." He was succeeded by then-Deputy Mayor Kevin Richey.[23]
References
- ^ "City Government". City of Airway Heights. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "QuickFacts Airway Heights city, Washington". census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ISBN 0-295-95498-1.
- ^ Sullivan, Julie (March 16, 1989). "Architect builds historical interest with trivia". Spokane Chronicle. pp. S9. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- ^ "Feature Detail Report for: Airway Heights". U.S. Geological Survey. U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Annexation History". arcgis.com. City of Spokane. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ a b "Municipal Boundaries". spokanecounty.org. Spokane County. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
- ^ "Spokane, Washington; Idaho; Montana" (1:250,000 Topographical Map). usgs.gov. U.S. Geological Survey. 1955. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ "Average Percent Sunshine through 2009". National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
- ^ "Boundary Map" (PDF). Cheney Public Schools. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 1, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
- ^ Tiernan, Colin (August 1, 2023). "Airway Heights to join Spokane County Library District". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ "City of Airway Heights : Healthcare". cawh.org. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ McDermott, Ted (April 5, 2021). "Getting There: Airway Heights could finally get a downtown as major changes to Highway 2 are considered". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ "City of Airway Heights : Transportation". cawh.org. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ "Mayor in Washington Refuses to Resign over Alleged Racist Post about Obamas". Q13Fox News. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
- ^ "Airway Heights Mayor Says Bus Incident Tied to Politics". The Spokesman Review. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- ^ "Embattled Airway Heights Mayor Patrick Rushing resigns". The Spokesman Review. August 18, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2015.