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District 6 Detachments
District 6 covers the largest geographical area of any district, encompassing a five-plus county area. The district headquarters is located in Wenatchee (pictured below), with detachments located in Okanogan, Ephrata, Moses Lake, and Ellensburg. Select a link below for more information on each detachment.
District Headquarters Wenatchee is the headquarters for District 6. Two detachments housed at the district office patrol all of Chelan and Douglas Counties, an area of approximately 4,840 square miles. Except for a 20-mile stretch of SR-2 between its junction with SR-97 and Wenatchee, state highways within the two-county area are two-lane rural roads. The terrain varies from high mountain passes (SR-2, Stevens Pass at 4,061 feet elevation and SR-97, Blewett Pass at 4,102 feet) to winding river valleys and windswept plateaus. The population in the greater Wenatchee area (including Wenatchee, East Wenatchee, and surrounding communities) is approximately 60,000, with an additional 40,000 people scattered throughout the two-county area. The economic base in the Wenatchee area is predominantly agricultural.
World famous varieties of apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and apricots are grown in a nurturing climate of warm sunny days and cool nights and are processed in state of the art processing and storage facilities.
The district boasts of numerous recreational spots and tourist attractions, including the Columbia River, Lake Chelan, Peshastin Pinnacles State Park, Mission Ridge Ski Area, Rocky Reach Dam, Ohme Gardens, Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail, and the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth (pictured above).
The Ellensburg Detachment covers the entire 2,317 square miles of Kittitas County with a population of 33,362 people. Interstate 90 bisects the county east to west for a length of 83 miles. Interstate 82 and SR-97 are the main north-south highways. The patrol area includes two mountain passes: Snoqualmie at 3,022 elevation and Blewett at 4,102 feet.
While the county is primarily rural agricultural, the Kittitas Valley produces top quality beef cattle and Timothy Hay. The nearby Yakima River Canyon is home to a variety of game birds, Bighorn sheep, deer, and elk. Kittitas County has many well known attractions and events, such as the Ellensburg Rodeo (pictured right), Central Washington University, the National Western Art Show, Snoqualmie Pass ski area, Roza Dam, and four state parks: Gingko, Lake Easton, Wanapum, and Olmstead.
Grant County has a population of 75,000 residents and is home to the Moses Lake detachment office, which includes the northern panhandle of Adams County as part of the detachment's patrol area. The county is primarily rural agricultural, with tourism and outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the Columbia Basin area.
While agriculture is the primary industry in the Moses Lake area, there are some manufacturing companies who provide local employment opportunities. The Grant County Airport is capable of supporting large jet aircraft traffic and serves as a training area for various airlines. SR-17 is a major arterial highway between Moses Lake and the Tri-Cities. Disabling and fatal collisions occur at rates significantly higher on this two-lane highway between Bench Road (approximately one mile south of the intersection with SR-26) and where SR-17 crosses Interstate 90. As a result, this 23.5-mile stretch of SR-17 has been designated as a Washington Traffic Safety Corridor Project in an effort to improve public safety.
This detachment covers the entire Okanogan County with over 5,300 square miles of mountain wilderness, river valleys, and five mountain passes: Disautel, Loup Loup, Rainy, Washington, and Wauconda. There are eight different towns with a combined population of 38,400 in the county: Oroville, Tonasket, Omak, Okanogan, Brewster, Pateros, Twisp, and Winthrop.
Some of the primary industries that support Okanogan county are mining, logging, agriculture, tourism, and outdoor recreation. The average annual income in the county is $28,400 per household. The Colville Indian Reservation is 1.3 million acres, much of which is within Okanogan county. A few of the area attractions include the scenic North Cascades Highway (SR-20), the western theme town of Winthrop, the scenic Methow Valley, the Sun Mountain Lodge resort, and the annual Omak Stampede (pictured above). is available on our District Contacts and Resources page.
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