Kelso (Washington)

Cowlitz County

53-35065

Kelso is the county seat of Cowlitz County in the south of the U.S. state of Washington. The city has 12,188 inhabitants and is located east of Longview.

History

The first known inhabitants of the present city limits were the Cowlitz tribe. In 1855, the Europeans were among more than 6,000 Indians here.

The city was founded in 1884 by Peter W. Crawford, who named it after his home town of Kelso in Scotland. In the early years the city was nicknamed Little Chicago because there was a high density of bars and brothels. At the weekend, the city was visited by loggers in the region for women, alcohol and gambling.

Geography

Kelso is located on Interstate 5, 48 miles north of Portland and 125 miles south of Seattle. To the Pacific Ocean is 80 miles.

Demographic data

At the 2000 census Kelso had 11,895 inhabitants, distributed to 4,616 households and 2,991 families.

  • Place in Washington
  • Location in North America
  • Cowlitz County
  • County Seat in Washington
Washington (state) County (United States) Cowlitz County, Washington Federal Information Processing Standards Longview (Washington) Cowlitz people Kelso, Scottish Borders Portland (Oregon)
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