Yakima (IPA: ) is a city in central Washington and the county seat of Yakima County, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 71,845 and a metropolitan of 229,094. Yakima is situated in the Yakima Valley, which is noted for being one of the best apple-producing areas in the world, as well as a prime location for the production of hops. The name originates from the Yakama Native American tribe. The Yakama Indian Reservation is located to the south and southeast of the city of Yakima.

History

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The Yakama people were the first inhabitants of the Yakima Valley. In 1805 the Lewis and Clark Expedition came to the valley and discovered abundant wildlife and rich soil, prompting the settlement of homesteaders. A Catholic Mission was established in Ahtanum, southwest of present-day Yakima, in 1847. The arrival of settlers and their conflicts with the natives resulted in the Yakama Indian War of 1855. The U.S. Army established Fort Simcoe in 1856 near present-day Toppenish as a response to the uprising. The Yakamas were defeated and forced onto the Yakama Indian Reservation.

Yakima County was created in 1865. When bypassed by the Northern Pacific Railroad in December 1884 over 100 buildings were moved with rollers and horse teams to the nearby site of the depot. The new city was dubbed North Yakima and was officially incorporated and named the county seat on January 27, 1886. The name was changed to Yakima in 1918. Union Gap, Washington was the new name given to the original site of Yakima.

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