Welcome to Eastern Washington Windermere

GRANT COUNTY

County Offices
35 C Street NW
Ephrata 509-754-2011
http://www.grantcountywa.gov
Chamber of Commerce
324 S Pioneer Way
Moses Lake 509-765-7888
https://www.moseslake.com/

Covering 1,680 square miles, Grant County is the fourth largest county in Washington by size. Growing more than 60 crops in its fertile fields, Grant County has long been an agricultural leader but recent years have seen an expanding base of food processing companies. Other growing industries include data centers, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and aerospace. The generous hanger space and massive runways at Grant County International Airport have made this area ideal for aerospace activity. This former military airport is now owned and operated by the Port of Moses. As one of the largest airfields in the nation, the airport can accept the world’s largest aircraft and is frequently used for military and commercial test flights.

The Columbia River plays a critical role in Grant County, where 40 percent of the area is water. Changing the face of the county forever, the Columbia Basin Project ultimately produced the Grand Coulee Dam’s irrigation and hydroelectric power grids. While Ephrata serves as the seat of government, Moses Lake is the largest city and the hub of the Moses Lake Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also part of the Moses Lake-Othello Combined Statistical Area. Major highways serving Grant County include Interstate 90, U.S. Route 2, and Washington State Routes 17 and 28. The closest airport for commercial airline services is Pangborn Memorial Airport, approximately 60 miles away in Wenatchee, Washington. The Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco is about a 75-minute drive from home.

Services

Students of all ages will find quality educational opportunities in and near Grant County, where the public school system is dedicated to the success of each student. Modern facilities combine with an abundance of extracurricular activities that keep students engaged, focused, and productive. Parents who are interested in alternative educational environments will find several options for parochial school education. Career training and an affordable start on a four-year degree is available close to home on the campus of Big Bend Community College (BBCC) Enrolling more than 4,000 students a year, BBCC confers degrees and certificates in such major areas of study as aviation, business, healthcare, industry/manufacturing/trades, STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), and the arts/education/humanities. Central Washington University (CWU) maintains a branch campus in the city of Moses Lake. With its main campus in Ellensburg, CWU maintains six regional university centers that support its status as a national leader in access to high-quality, personalized online education. Hundreds of courses are delivered each quarter for fully accredited online undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Residents of Grant County also enjoy easy access to quality healthcare resources and services, anchored by Samaritan Healthcare in Moses Lake. Expanding through the decades, Samaritan Hospital most recently doubled its size and added features including private rooms, a new Intensive Care Unit, and the new Leiv Kvamme Mother and Baby Center. Services now include orthopaedics and sports medicine, podiatry, women’s services, gastroenterology, urology, pediatrics, pain management, and a Trauma Service Level III designation. Samaritan Healthcare has joined five locally owned healthcare organizations in forming Grand Columbia Health Alliance, which allows partners to collaborate and share resources and technology. Samaritan Health also operates two clinics to meet primary and urgent care needs and maintains emergency air transport capability to better serve the residents and communities surrounding Moses Lake. Other communities have developed first-rate hospitals of their own including Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata and Coulee Medical Center, designated as a Trauma Level IV Critical Access Hospital. Quincy Valley Medical Center in Quincy combines a hospital with a wide range of medical services and specialties

Lifestyle

Newcomers to Grant County will discover friendly small communities and a surrounding countryside with open land and natural beauty on all sides. Families will appreciate developed recreational amenities like gymnastics, dance, horseback riding, free movies, outdoor concerts, and a waterpark in the center of Moses Lake. Acres of lush parkland offer sports fields and courts, host tournaments, and provide picturesque greenway trails with riverfront and lakefront views. Moses Lake is also a popular place for golfing, motorcycling, and wine-tasting. One of Washington’s finest resorts for snow skiing is located at Mission Ridge, while nearby Chelan offers an idyllic terrain for snowmobiling. During the summer months, Moses Lake and Banks Lake attract throngs of visitors for boating and kayaking. More than 100 nearby lakes and fishing areas make this area a paradise for water sports and fishing. Dune buggy enthusiasts, water skiers, anglers, and campers love Moses Lake Sand Dunes. For rock-climbing thrills, Echo Basin basalt rock formation features more than 400 routes for beginners or experienced adventurers. With Seattle to the west and Spokane to the east, countless attractions are within a day’s drive for endless getaway and vacation possibilities.

The arts are alive throughout Grant County, where residents and visitors flock to one of the world’s most scenic venues for outdoor entertainment. As a nine-time winner of Pollstar magazine’s award for Best Outdoor Music Venue, The Gorge Amphitheater invites audiences to enjoy the biggest names in music against the backdrop of breathtaking Columbia Gorge Canyon views. Centennial Amphitheater in Moses Lake’s McCosh Park is another venue for community events from festivals, celebrations, and movie nights to concerts and performances. Big Bend Community College enriches the cultural scene at the Wallenstien Performing Arts Center with musical and theatrical performances and special events. Blending historic treasures with visual arts, Moses Lake Museum and Art Center showcases the Adam East Collection of Native American artifacts, local history exhibits, and a fine art gallery. Serving the entire Central Washington, Columbia Basin Allied Arts (CBAA) provides a variety of nationally and internationally acclaimed performances along with visual arts activities and outreach programs for all ages. In addition to a high quality of life, Grant County offers attractive, affordable housing in a variety of prices ranges and settings from new construction to well-kept older homes shaded by mature greenery. Blending local amenities, colleges, and healthcare resources with a friendly, relaxed country setting, Grant County is a wonderful place to call home.

COMMUNITIES

Electric City
Municipal Offices
509-633-1510
https://electriccity.us/

Chamber of Commerce
509-633-3074
https://electriccity.us/chamber-of-commerce
The small community of Electric City was named for its close proximity to the power source at Grand Coulee Dam. Residents enjoy the slow pace, quiet life, and close-knit spirit of a town where local business people greet their customers by name. Church, school, and community events are focal points of everyday life, from outdoor concerts, seasonal festivals, and sports competitions to meeting friends at a local eatery. The local library is a popular gathering place to study, work, or attend events from lectures to learning experiences for children and adults. Residents are fortunate to have Coulee Medical Center close to home for state-of-the-art services. Designated as a Trauma Level IV Critical Access Hospital, this 25-bed facility serves a five-county rural community surrounding Grand Coulee Dam with the finest patient care and clinical expertise. Just beyond the front doorstep, residents of Electric City can enjoy one of the West’s premier destinations. Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area welcomes 1.3 million visitors each year for premier swimming, boating, hiking, camping, and fishing opportunities. The expansive North Dam Park also stretches between Electric City and Grand Coulee Dam.

Ephrata
Municipal Offices
509-754-4601
http://ephrata.org/

Chamber of Commerce
509-754-4656
http://www.ephratawachamber.com/
Often described as a small city with a big heart, the welcoming community of Ephrata serves as the seat of Grant County government and the gateway to the Columbia Basin region. This intimate community offers good schools that feature smaller classes for more individual attention, local park programs, a full-service library that sponsors activities, and a calendar of annual events around the four seasons. Residents of all ages are constantly finding reasons to gather for great food, games, fund-raising activities, and competitive events from 10K runs to mountain bike races. In addition to a medley of local businesses, boutiques, shops, eateries, and restaurants, healthcare is an economic mainstay of the local economy. Columbia Basin Hospital combines a 25-bed critical access hospital for acute care with family medicine and comprehensive services that include a nursing home, assisted living, and rehabilitation. Residents are only 25 miles from the Moses Lake campus for Big Bend Community College for transfer degrees, career training opportunities, and cultural enrichment. Moses Lake also expands the opportunities for entertainment centers, recreational facilities, and shopping and dining experiences.

Mattawa
Municipal Offices
509-932-4037
http://www.cityofmattawa.com/

Chamber of Commerce
509-754-4656
http://www.ephratawachamber.com/
The small farming town of Mattawa was named for a Native American word that means “Where is it?” The unusual moniker seems appropriate since the community is not visible from Interstate 90, even though it is 15 miles away along the Columbia River. Mattawa is also unique for a predominantly Latino population and the large majority of residents and families who speak Spanish as their home language. Overlooking the majestic Columbia River, the city is surrounded by vast acres of orchards and vineyards. From its first incorporation in the mid-20th century, civic planners began making infrastructure improvements to streets, lighting, water, and fire protection services. Mattawa celebrated another milestone in 2009 when the town gained city status, further expanding its eligibility for grants and funding. In the past 15 years, the city has seen significant growth fueled by massive irrigation projects and regional dam construction that have impacted its development. New endeavors and continued expansion throughout the area should benefit the Mattawa community for years to come.

Moses Lake
Municipal Offices
509-764-3701
https://www.cityofml.com/

Chamber of Commerce
509-765-7888
http://www.moseslake.com/
Distinguished as the largest city in Grant County, Moses Lake takes its name from the largest natural body of fresh water in Grant County. Residents enjoy the convenience of a small but well-developed community just a few miles from stunning scenic canyons and deep blue waters that make the Columbia Basin one of America’s finest recreational destinations. The city offers great public and private schools, a full-service regional hospital, a lively shopping district, and a branch campus for Central Washington University. Residents and visitors alike enjoy a lively arts community anchored by the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center, Centennial Theater, and The Gorge Amphitheater—a regional destination for big-name musical entertainment and breathtaking views. Other highlights include farm-fresh markets, four-season community events, first-rate golf courses, ATV dunes, and amenity-rich resorts. Situated along the banks of Moses Lake, Pier 4 offers a fine beach and 200 miles of shoreline for sunbathing, exploring, water-skiing, boating, sailing, and bird watching.

Quincy
Municipal Offices
509-787-3525
https://www.quincywashington.us/

Chamber of Commerce
509-787-2140
https://www.quincyvalley.org/
Serving as a gateway to the ever-popular Gorge Amphitheatre for big-name musical entertainment, the picturesque city of Quincy combines agricultural activity and technology. Attracted by abundant hydroelectricity, several technology giants have massive data centers in this area. At the same time, irrigation from the Coulee Dam project has transformed the city into a mecca for vineyards and wineries, lavender farms, and orchards along with fields of potato, wheat, and timothy grass. Local attractions include hiking the 4.6-mile Ancient Lakes Trail, basalt rock climbing at Frenchman Coulee, and nature study at Beezley Hills Preserve. Four-season outdoor adventure is available within a reasonable drive from home including boating, water skiing, hunting, fishing, snow skiing. Residents make frequent use of local parks for picnics, sports play, swimming, and skating. The city comes alive each September with Farmer-Consumer Awareness Day, from a colorful parade to produce sales, agricultural and geological displays, a tractor pull, a fun run, and activities for all ages.

Royal City
Municipal Offices
509-346-2263

https://www.royalcitywa.org/
Chamber of Commerce
509-765-7888
http://www.moseslake.com/
Located less than 40 minutes from Grant County’s leading city of Moses Lake, the small community of Royal City offers the quiet atmosphere of an agricultural center in the heart of the Columbia Basin. Situated along State Route 26 between Frenchman Hills to the North and the Saddle Mountains to the South, the city is only 17 miles from the Columbia River. Newcomers will discover a close-knit community that brings back Norman Rockwell images of caring neighbors and shopkeepers who greet customers by name. At the same time, Royal City’s location makes it ideal for the sports enthusiast and outdoor adventurer to enjoy some of the finest recreational destinations in Grant County. Highlights include Potholes Reservoir, a large earthen-filled dam that is open for water sports, boating, fishing, and old-fashioned family fun. Good local schools combine with primary care services at Confluence Health Royal City Clinic to ensure quality services. The city of Moses Lake is just a short drive away for expanded access to shopping, advanced healthcare, entertainment centers, performing arts, and a branch campus for Central Washington University.

Soap Lake
Municipal Offices
509-246-1211
https://www.soaplakewa.gov/

Chamber of Commerce
509-246-1821
http://www.visitsoaplake.com
With the slogan “Your cure for the ordinary,” the small city of Soap Lake welcomes throngs of visitors each year. This rural community nestles along the shores of a famous geological wonder, a meromictic soda lake formed by the Missoula floods at the foot of the Grand Coulee. Claiming the highest diverse mineral content of any body of water on the planet, the lake has been honored for its medicinal value through the ages. Visitors from around the region and points beyond are drawn to this welcoming small town to enjoy mud baths and spa treatments or book a stay at the Sokiam Resort. In addition to opening capillaries and increasing circulation, the buoyant lake water adds floatation for swimmers and increases the speed of water course races. The city of Soap Lake is home to an active arts community, evident in the popular Masquers Theater and the Historic Door Murals Art Walk that showcases 13 stunning works throughout the community. Residents enjoy the best of all worlds in their unusual small hometown, since the expanded services and amenities in the city of Moses Lake are less than 30 minutes from home.