Tenino, Washington
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Tenino is a city located in Thurston County, Washington. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 1,447.
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History
Tenino was officially incorporated on July 24, 1906, though it existed as a rural community since the mid-1800s. Originally, yankee settlers named their first post office and school "Coal Bank," a reference to a nearby coal outcropping, The name Tenino is reputedly a Chinook Indian word, which means "fork in the trail." It refers to the site where the Cowlitz Trail between The Columbia River and Puget Sound split, branching to Budd Inlet and Commencement Bay respectively. Stories, since discredited, assert Tenino was named after either a train locomotive or a survey reference point with the number 1090: ten-nine-oh. The late Art Dwelley, former editor of the Tenino Independent and avid local historian, found no such locomotive designation or survey markers but discovered references to the area as "the tenino" in regional newspapers predating the arrival of the railroad. When the Northern Pacific arrived in 1872 they adopted Tenino as the name of the new station.
In the late 1800s a number of sandstone quarrying companies began shipping building stone, used in many regional buldings including the old Capitol building in Olympia, as well as the old Thurston County Courthouse, Denny Hall at the University of Washington, Seattle, and several post office buildings, including at The Dalles, Oregon. The quarries declined in the early 1900s when many builders switched to concrete.
Logging, sawmilling, and coal mining were also well established in the area. However, as the timber played out and railroads switched to diesel in the mid 1900s, these industries declined. While Tenino retains its historic business core, the town now serves largely as a "bedroom community," many of its citizens ccommuting by car to larger cities such as Olympia and Tacoma for work.
Geography
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Location of Tenino, Washington
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.2 km² (0.8 mi²). 2.2 km² (0.8 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 1,447 people, 575 households, and 396 families residing in the city. The population density is 665.1/km² (1,720.3/mi²). There are 615 housing units at an average density of 282.7/km² (731.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 90.53% White, 0.83% African American, 1.17% Native American, 3.11% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.94% from other races, and 2.35% from two or more races. 3.80% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 575 households out of which 37.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% are married couples living together, 15.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% are non-families. 27.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.52 and the average family size is 3.01.
In the city the population is spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $34,526, and the median income for a family is $41,208. Males have a median income of $31,058 versus $25,972 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,244. 9.1% of the population and 5.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 12.4% of those under the age of 18 and 9.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.