Editing Wilbur, Washington

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Wilbur, Washington
| official_name      = Town of Wilbur
| settlement_type    = [[Town]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = Wilbur, WA.jpg
| imagesize          = 250px
| image_caption      = Downtown Wilbur
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map          = Lincoln_County_Washington_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Wilbur_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of Wilbur, Washington
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Washington (state)|Washington]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Washington|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Lincoln County, Washington|Lincoln]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2022">{{cite web|title=2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2022_Gazetteer/2022_gaz_place_53.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=April 9, 2023}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 3.42
| area_land_km2      = 3.42
| area_water_km2     = 0.00
| area_total_sq_mi   = 1.32
| area_land_sq_mi    = 1.32
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.00

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_est     = 914
| pop_est_as_of      = 2021
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="Est2021"/>
| population_total   = 895
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = auto

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific (PST)]]
| utc_offset         = -8
| timezone_DST       = PDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -7
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 662
| elevation_ft       = 2172
| coordinates        = {{coord|47.758132|-118.71194|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 99185
| area_code          = [[Area code 509|509]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 53-78680<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1509502<ref name="GR3">{{cite gnis|id=1509502|name=Wilbur}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|wilburwa.com}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Wilbur''' is a town in [[Lincoln County, Washington|Lincoln County]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], United States. The population was 895 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].

==History==
Just prior to the construction of the Central Washington Railroad line in 1889, no towns existed west of Davenport in Lincoln County. One place along the line, "Wild Goose Bill's Ranch," run by Samuel Wilbur Condit, was assigned a post office by the Federal government. Condit was 62 years old and known throughout the region as Wild Goose Bill when he and another man shot each other to death on January 21, 1895. The town was originally named "Goosetown" in his honor, however, after the local blacksmith's wife complained that she would never live somewhere with such a silly name, the town was christened "Wilbur" in 1889.<ref>{{cite web |last=Craig |first=John |date=May 18, 1995 |title=Wilbur Revels In Its Legacy Wild Goose Bill Days Can't Beat Real Thing |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/may/18/wilbur-revels-in-its-legacy-wild-goose-bill-days/ |access-date=January 20, 2023 |website=The Spokesman-Review}}</ref><ref name="Hitchman">{{Cite book |last=Hitchman |first=Robert |title=Place Names of Washington |publisher=[[Washington State Historical Society]] |year=1985 |isbn=0-917048-57-1 |pages=332}}</ref>

It had been located on the stage line between Davenport and the Mines in northern Washington and with the speculation of the railroad arriving soon seemed a likely place for a town. The town grew in earnest and was platted in April 1889. With the arrival of the railroad later that year, Wilbur's growth increased rapidly with the establishment of bigger hotels, a bank, a lumber mill and countless other businesses. After several failed attempts to incorporate in 1889, Wilbur was officially incorporated on August 11, 1890. The boom had slowed by 1891 and came to a halt with the [[Panic of 1893]].<ref name="history"/> A fire in October 1891 caused damage to the town, killing 4.

Wilbur was brought out of the hard times of the 1890s during a record wheat harvest in 1897 which brought over $1,000,000 to circulation in the town. The construction of a road to [[Republic, Washington|Republic]] then a flourishing mining camp in what was to become [[Ferry County]] was expected to increase traffic to Wilbur, but the expected benefit never materialized. After a July 5, 1901, fire destroyed several city blocks, causing $155,000 in damage ($3.9 million in 2017 dollars), a water works was established in 1903. Wilbur was electrically lighted in October 1903 by the Wilbur Electric Company.<ref name="history">''An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, Embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin Counties''. Spokane, WA: Western Historical Publishing Company, 1904. Print.</ref>

Wilbur gained news coverage in July 2007 as a result of [[crop circle]]s found roughly 10 miles north of town, just off of Highway 2.  The origin of these depressions in the wheat crop of local farmer Jim Llewellyn is unknown, and the phenomenon was covered by new stations as well as newspapers. More crop circles were discovered in August 2009. On July 31, 2012, crop circles appeared for the third time in wheat fields near the town.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

==Geography==
[[File:Wilbur, Washington aerial 01A.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial view of Wilbur]]

Wilbur is located in northwestern Lincoln County on [[U.S. Route 2 in Washington|U.S. Route 2]] approximately {{convert|14|mi|km}} south of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake]] on the [[Columbia River]]. The town is connected by additional highways: [[Washington State Route 21|State Route 21]] continues north to the [[Keller Ferry]] and south to [[Interstate 90 in Washington]]; and [[Washington State Route 174|State Route 174]] travels northwest to the [[Grand Coulee Dam]].<ref>{{cite WSDOT map |year=2014 |accessdate=September 4, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Park Brochure: Lake Roosevelt |url=https://www.nps.gov/laro/planyourvisit/park-brochure.htm |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |accessdate=September 4, 2024}}</ref>

Wilbur is situated in an oblong basin with Goose Creek, also named for Wild Goose Bill, running through the center of the town, and abrupt, basaltic cliffs, not of very great elevation, on the north and south. At one time this spot was, evidently, a lake. During the construction of U.S. Route 2, the course of Goose Creek was altered, moving its flow southward as it flows to the west, part of the  Wilson Creek watershed.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|1.37|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all of it land.<ref name ="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=December 19, 2012}}</ref>

==Climate==
Wilbur has a [[semi-arid climate]] (BSk) closely bordering a [[humid continental climate]] (Dsb), according to the [[Köppen climate classification]] system.

{{Weather box
|location = Wilbur
|single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 53
| Feb record high F = 61
| Mar record high F = 75
| Apr record high F = 90
| May record high F = 96
| Jun record high F = 110
| Jul record high F = 110
| Aug record high F = 106
| Sep record high F = 100
| Oct record high F = 87
| Nov record high F = 69
| Dec record high F = 56
| year record high F = 110
| Jan high F = 31.6
| Feb high F = 38.2
| Mar high F = 49.0
| Apr high F = 59.6
| May high F = 68.7
| Jun high F = 76.0
| Jul high F = 85.1
| Aug high F = 83.9
| Sep high F = 74.6
| Oct high F = 60.7
| Nov high F = 42.9
| Dec high F = 33.5
| year high F = 58.7
| Jan low F = 17.6
| Feb low F = 21.9
| Mar low F = 28.1
| Apr low F = 32.8
| May low F = 39.2
| Jun low F = 44.8
| Jul low F = 49.5
| Aug low F = 48.6
| Sep low F = 41.9
| Oct low F = 33.6
| Nov low F = 26.9
| Dec low F = 20.9
| year low F = 33.8
| Jan record low F = -27
| Feb record low F = -30
| Mar record low F = -4
| Apr record low F = 10
| May record low F = 19
| Jun record low F = 25
| Jul record low F = 25
| Aug record low F = 25
| Sep record low F = 14
| Oct record low F = 1
| Nov record low F = -18
| Dec record low F = -23
| year record low F = -30 | precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 1.4
| Feb precipitation inch = 1.11
| Mar precipitation inch = 0.98
| Apr precipitation inch = 0.89
| May precipitation inch = 1.2
| Jun precipitation inch = 1
| Jul precipitation inch = 0.52
| Aug precipitation inch = 0.49
| Sep precipitation inch = 0.59
| Oct precipitation inch = 0.99
| Nov precipitation inch = 1.62
| Dec precipitation inch = 1.63
| year precipitation inch = 12.42
| Jan precipitation days = 8
| Feb precipitation days = 6
| Mar precipitation days = 6
| Apr precipitation days = 5
| May precipitation days = 6
| Jun precipitation days = 5
| Jul precipitation days = 3
| Aug precipitation days = 3
| Sep precipitation days = 4
| Oct precipitation days = 6
| Nov precipitation days = 8
| Dec precipitation days = 8
| Jan snow inch = 8.4
| Feb snow inch = 4.6
| Mar snow inch = 1.3
| Apr snow inch = 0.3
| May snow inch = 0
| Jun snow inch = 0
| Jul snow inch = 0
| Aug snow inch = 0
| Sep snow inch = 0
| Oct snow inch = 0.1
| Nov snow inch = 3.1
| Dec snow inch = 8.1
| year snow inch = 25.9

|source 1 = <ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?wa9238 |title=WILBUR, WASHINGTON (459238) |accessdate=July 4, 2021 |publisher=Western Regional Climate Center }}</ref>
|date=July 2021
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1890 = 410
| 1900 = 595
| 1910 = 757
| 1920 = 870
| 1930 = 737
| 1940 = 1011
| 1950 = 1043
| 1960 = 1138
| 1970 = 1074
| 1980 = 1122
| 1990 = 863
| 2000 = 914
| 2010 = 884
| 2020 = 950
| estyear = 2021
| estimate = 914
| estref = <ref name="Est2021">{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2021/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2021-POP-53.xlsx|date=July 1, 2021|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Washington: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=April 9, 2023}}</ref>
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|author=United States Census Bureau|author-link=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 8, 2014}}</ref><br>2020 Census<ref name="2020 Census">{{cite web |date=May 2023 |title=Census Bureau profile: Wilbur, Washington |url=https://data.census.gov/all?q=Wilbur%20town,%20Washington |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=May 14, 2024}}</ref>
}}

{{update|section|date=April 2023|reason=Newer information is available from the 2020 census reports}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]],<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=December 19, 2012}}</ref> there were 884 people, 404 households, and 243 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|645.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 468 housing units at an average density of {{convert|341.6|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 93.4% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.3% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 2.7% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.5% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.2% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], and 2.8% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 404 households, of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.9% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.81.

The median age in the town was 50.2 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.2% were from 25 to 44; 31.1% were from 45 to 64; and 25.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]],<ref name="GR2" /> there were 914 people, 396 households, and 266 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was 680.2 people per square mile (263.4/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 480 housing units at an average density of 357.2 per square mile (138.3/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the town was 96.50% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.20% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.22% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.11% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.55% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.42% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.75% of the population.

There were 396 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,563, and the median income for a family was $37,431. Men had a median income of $32,440 versus $20,417 for women. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $16,535. About 14.4% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 24.6% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Wilbur, Washington}}
* {{official website|www.wilburwa.com}}
* [http://www.wilbur.wednet.edu/ Wilbur High School]
* [http://www.wilbur.lib.wa.us/ Hesseltine Public Library (Wilbur Public Library)]

{{Lincoln County, Washington}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Lincoln County, Washington]]
[[Category:Towns in Washington (state)]]