Editing Granite Falls, Washington (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Stillaguamish River 9331.JPG|thumb|left|The eponymous waterfall on the [[Stillaguamish River|South Fork Stillaguamish River]]]]

Granite Falls is located in Snohomish County, approximately {{convert|17|mi|km}} east of [[Everett, Washington|Everett]], the county seat, and {{convert|45|mi|km}} northeast of [[Seattle]].<ref name="PI-1998"/> It lies on a plateau in the western foothills of the [[Cascade Range]] between the [[Stillaguamish River|South Fork Stillaguamish River]] to the north and the [[Pilchuck River]] to the south.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> Granite Falls is also the southern entrance to the [[Mountain Loop Highway]], a scenic highway that continues into the Cascades to [[Darrington, Washington|Darrington]].<ref>{{cite news |last=McQuaide |first=Mike |date=September 29, 2010 |title=Monte Cristo just one treasure among Mountain Loop Highway's fall colors |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/monte-cristo-just-one-treasure-among-mountain-loop-highways-fall-colors/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=June 1, 2020}}</ref>

The [[city limits]] are defined to the north by the Stillaguamish River, to the east by Iron Mountain, to the south by the Pilchuck River, and to the west by 174th Avenue Northeast.<ref>{{cite map |date=December 2018 |title=City of Granite Falls Future Land Use Map |url=http://ci.granite-falls.wa.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/LANDUSE-Dec-2018.pdf |publisher=City of Granite Falls |access-date=June 1, 2020}}</ref> According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|2.20|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which, {{convert|2.18|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.02|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Census-Gazetteer">{{cite web |title=2018 U.S. Gazetteer Files |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2018_Gazetteer/2018_gaz_place_53.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=February 16, 2020}}</ref>

It is situated where the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River leaves its narrow mountain valley, which includes the namesake Granite Falls. The falls has a {{convert|540|ft|m|adj=mid}} [[fishway]] and a {{convert|280|ft|m|adj=mid}} tunnel that were built in 1954, at the time the longest fish tunnel in the world.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fiege |first=Gale |date=July 17, 2014 |title=From hikes to history and the falls, Granite Falls a worthy destination |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/life/from-hikes-to-history-and-the-falls-granite-falls-a-worthy-destination/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=May 31, 2020}}</ref> The area where the city was founded was called the "portage" by native tribes in the area, who used the flat area between the two rivers to portage their canoes when traveling.{{sfnp|Whitfield|1926|pages=525–526}} Iron Mountain, which sits at {{convert|1240|ft|m}} above sea level, lies east of downtown and is home to a [[quarry]].<ref name="USGS-Map">{{cite map |year=2017 |title=Granite Falls Quadrangle |type=Topographic map |scale=1:24,000 |url=https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/ht-bin/tv_browse.pl?id=7d72fb75448f81d046b2884b48f8a589 |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |accessdate=December 25, 2021}}</ref> The [[Puget Sound faults|Rogers Belt]], a series of local faults, runs northwest from Granite Falls towards [[Mount Vernon, Washington|Mount Vernon]].<ref>{{cite map |first1=J. D. |last1=Dragovich |first2=S. P. |last2=Mavor |first3=M. L. |last3=Anderson |first4=S. A. |last4=Mahan |first5=J. H. Jr. |last5=MacDonald |first6=J. H. |last6=Tepper |first7=D. T. |last7=Smith |first8=B. A. |last8=Stoker |first9=C. J. |last9=Koger |first10= R. |last10= Cakir |first11=A. |last11=DuFrane |first12=S. P. |last12=Scott |first13=B. J. |last13=Justman |date=November 2016 |title=Geologic Map of the Granite Falls 7.5-minute Quadrangle, Snohomish County, Washington |page=39 |journal=Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources |volume=Map Series 2016&ndash;03 |scale=1:24,000 |url=http://www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/ger_ms2016-03_geol_map_granite_falls_24k.zip |publisher=Washington State Department of Natural Resources |access-date=May 31, 2020}}</ref>

===Climate===
The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and most of the rainfall occurs between October and May. Temperatures in the summer can be up to 10 degrees warmer than nearby Everett, due to its slightly inland location. According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Granite Falls has a [[marine west coast climate]], abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=299154&cityname=Granite+Falls%2C+Washington%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Granite Falls, Washington]</ref>