Colfax, Washington
| Colfax | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Colfax, looking southeast
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 Location of Colfax, Washington |
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| Coordinates: 46°53′N 117°22′W / 46.883°N 117.367°WCoordinates: 46°53′N 117°22′W / 46.883°N 117.367°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Whitman |
| Government | |
| • Type | Strong Mayor |
| • Mayor | G Todd Vanek |
| • City Administrator | Vacant |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.79 sq mi (9.82 km2) |
| • Land | 3.79 sq mi (9.82 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,972 ft (601 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,805 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 2,870 |
| • Density | 740.1/sq mi (285.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 99111 |
| Area code | 509 |
| FIPS code | 53-13785 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1533329 |
| Website | http://www.colfaxwa.org/ |
Colfax is the county seat of Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,805 at the 2010 census. The population is estimated at 2,826 per the State of Washington Office of Financial Management in 2015 making Colfax the second largest city in Whitman County behind Pullman. It is situated amidst wheat-covered hills in a valley at the confluence of the north and south forks of the Palouse River. U.S. Route 195, which forms the town's main street, intersects with State Route 26 at the north end of town; in the past, Colfax also lay at the junction of three major railway lines. It was named after Schuyler Colfax, the vice president from 1869-73.
Palouse Indians were the first known human inhabitants of the Colfax area. White settlers arrived in the summer of 1870, and soon built a sawmill. A flour mill and other businesses followed, and Colfax soon grew into a prosperous town. Originally, pioneer citizen James Perkin called the settlement "Belleville" in honor of his girlfriend; when he found a new love, he changed the town's name to Colfax for then-Vice President Schuyler Colfax.
Colfax was officially incorporated on November 29, 1873. In 1889–90, the town vied with several other finalists to become the site of a new state agricultural college, present-day Washington State University. The honor ultimately fell to nearby Pullman, 15 miles (24 km) southeast.
The early history of Colfax was distinguished by prominent lynchings in 1894 and 1898.
Until passed by Pullman at the 1930 census, Colfax was the largest city in the county.
Colfax is located in southeastern Washington at 46°53′3″N 117°21′49″W / 46.88417°N 117.36361°W (46.884033, -117.363668), at an elevation of 1,962 feet (598 m). The nearest cities are Spokane, Pullman, Moscow, and Lewiston/Clarkston. The area is geologically interesting, lying in the midst of the fertile Palouse country in the middle of the Columbia River Plateau, with the Rocky Mountains to the east, the Channeled Scablands to the west, and the Snake River to the south.
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