Ephrata, Washington
| Ephrata, Washington | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Grant County Courthouse in Ephrata, Washington.
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 Location of Ephrata, Washington |
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| Coordinates: 47°19′1″N 119°32′53″W / 47.31694°N 119.54806°WCoordinates: 47°19′1″N 119°32′53″W / 47.31694°N 119.54806°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Grant |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.09 sq mi (26.13 km2) |
| • Land | 10.09 sq mi (26.13 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,276 ft (389 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 7,664 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 8,047 |
| • Density | 759.6/sq mi (293.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 98823 |
| Area code | 509 |
| FIPS code | 53-22080 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1512192 |
| Website | City of Ephrata |
Ephrata (/iːˈfreɪtə/ ee-FRAY-tə) is a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,664 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grant County.
Ephrata was officially incorporated on June 21, 1909 and was given the county seat for the newly created Grant County.
Historically, the settlement of Ephrata is quite recent. There was no known settlement until 1886, just three years before Washington attained statehood. The horse rancher Frank Beezley was the first to settle near the natural springs, thus the area was known as Beezley Springs. As the climate and topography were not promising to settlement, the entire region remained sparsely populated until several federal congressional actions, including the Northern Pacific Land Grant Act, the Homestead Act, and Desert Claims Act, encouraged the settlement of this semi-arid desert. Originally, Douglas County spread over the entire territory of the Big Bend of the Columbia River. In 1909, the Washington State legislature divided it, creating Grant County. When the time came to present arguments to the state legislature regarding which town should be the county seat, someone apparently intentionally intoxicated the representative of a rival community, and Ephrata was chosen.
It is generally believed that the city was named Ephrata by a man who worked for the Great Northern Railway. The name Ephrata is derived from a biblical description of an orchard in the middle of the desert. It is also the ancient name for the town of Bethlehem.
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