In both 2008 and 2010, Ellensburg was just slightly more Republican than the statewide average, making it one of the most Democratic cities in Eastern Washington.

In 2008, The Great Northwest Athletic Conference reinstated football, and Central Washington along with Western Washington rejoined the conference, so the previous format of the Battle in Seattle being played at CenturyLink Field and the Cascade Cup was contested in Ellensburg.

The community was originally named Ellensburg in the 1850s, but later took the name Gold Beach after a beach near the mouth of the Rogue River where hundreds of placer mines extracted gold.

An Ellensburgh post office was established in 1863, changed to Ellensburg in 1877, and changed to Gold Beach in 1890.

Goodwin was later appointed the first sheriff of Kittitas County upon the first meeting of the county commissioners in Ellensburg on December 17, 1883.

The blaze threatened a serious conflagration, and was extinguished by state forestry crews with the assistance of a pumper from Ellensburg.

In 1967, ground was broken at the site of the 1938 fire by the Ellensburg Telephone Company which acquired the land to build a local telephone exchange office for the Thorp area.

Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel.

Washoe ( c. September 1965 Ellensburg – October 30, 2007 ) was a female chimpanzee who was the first non-human to learn to communicate using American Sign Language, as part of a research experiment on animal language acquisition.

Major fires like this were common in Washington that summer: the center of Ellensburg was destroyed by fire on July 4 and downtown Spokane burned on August 4.

He was born in Santa Maria, California, but grew up in Ellensburg, Washington.

Prior to his sixteen years in Congress, Swift was a broadcaster in several stations throughout Washington State in the towns of Walla Walla ( KUJ ), Ellensburg ( KXLE ) and Bellingham ( KVOS ).

The last paying passenger on that run was Niel G. " Peter " Peterson, who boarded around 6 am in Ellensburg, Washington, arriving a few hours later at the King Street Station ( now Amtrak ) in downtown Seattle.

Waters claimed that he lived in or near Manastash Ridge, Washington, about nine miles due west of Ellensburg, though later investigation revealed that no such person was listed as a resident.

In 1995 a nearby Tri-Cities newspaper, the Tri-City Herald, reported that Waters was not listed in the Kittitas County telephone directory or the register of taxpayers, and that authorities in Ellensburg were unable to find any evidence that he was a resident, thus calling into question whether he existed.

Ellensburg is located just east of the Cascade Range on Interstate 90 and is known as the most centrally located city in the state.

Concerns over the state of Ellensburg's historic downtown led to the formation of the Ellensburg Downtown Association to work on revitalizing the area.

* Every June, Ellensburg hosts Dachshunds on Parade, an event that draws Dachshund dog owners from all over the Northwest.

* Ellensburg hosts the annual Jazz in the Valley music festival on the last weekend in July.

* Ellensburg is a stop on the PRCA professional rodeo circuit, occurring each year on Labor Day weekend.

In 1890, the state Legislature established the Washington State Normal School ( WSNS ) in Ellensburg for “ the training and education of teachers in the art of instructing and governing in the public schools of this state .” WSNS originally opened on September 6, 1891, with classes held at the Washington Public School in Ellensburg.

In April, Susan Elaine Rancourt disappeared while on her way to a movie after an evening advisors ' meeting at Central Washington State College ( now Central Washington University ) in Ellensburg, southeast of Seattle.

Note: This automobile is now on display at the Kittitas County Historical Museum in Ellensburg, WA.

Major cities that lie on U. S. Highway 97 include Klamath Falls, Oregon ; Bend, Oregon ; Yakima, Washington ; Ellensburg, Washington ; and Wenatchee, Washington.

KYVE is rebroadcast on K17IL Channel 17 Ellensburg, owned by the Kittitas County TV Improvement District.

Mel's Hole is a supposed geographic anomaly discovered by Mel Waters on his land near Ellensburg, Washington.

The Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute ( CHCI ) is located on the campus of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington.

KAPP is rebroadcast on K20JL-D Channel 20, a low-powered digital translator in Ellensburg, Washington, which is owned and operated by the Kittitas County TV Improvement District.

KIMA-TV is rebroadcast on K50KK-D Channel 50 in Ellensburg, Washington, which is owned and operated by the Kittitas County TV Improvement District.

KNDO is rebroadcast on K32IG-D ( channel 32 ), a low-powered digital translator in Ellensburg, Washington, owned and operated by the Kittitas County TV Improvement District.

This route saves over going through Ellensburg on I-90 and US 97.

In 1883, one of the settlers, Elijah H. Price, proposed a permanent mail route by boat up the Rogue River from Ellensburg ( later renamed Gold Beach ) to Big Bend, about upstream.

Ellensburg is a city in, and the county seat of, Kittitas County, Washington, United States.

Downtown Ellensburg has many historic buildings, many of which were constructed in the late 19th century.

The state legislature selected Ellensburg as the location for the then Normal School as a consolation prize.

There were several early newspapers in Ellensburg.

* The Kittitas County Farmers Market is held every Saturday from May to October in the heart of downtown Ellensburg.

* Ellensburg hosts the annual Winterhop Brewfest in January.

The Ellensburg Rodeo has been a town tradition since 1923, and is the largest rodeo in Washington state.

The City of Ellensburg uses the Manager / Council form of government with a City Manager hired by the City Council.

On the state legislative level, Ellensburg is in the 13th district.

On the congressional level, Ellensburg is located in Washington's 4th congressional district and is represented by Republican Doc Hastings, but it is expected to be moved into Washington's 8th congressional district for the 2012 general election and beyond.

Ellensburg leans toward supporting Democrats, giving then-Senator Barack Obama of Illinois 56. 3 percent of its total vote in the 2008 presidential election to 41. 5 percent for his Republican rival, Senator John McCain of Arizona.

Public schools are operated by Ellensburg School District 401.

The district includes one high school ( Ellensburg High School ), one middle school, and three elementary schools.

" Images of America: Ellensburg ," Arcadia Press, San Francisco, 2009.

The Lewiston Round Up is a member of the Big 4 or Big Money 4 ( along with Pendleton Round-up, Walla Walla Fair and Rodeo and Ellensburg Rodeo ) and a top 50 PRCA rodeo.

The river flows through that town, skirts Ellensburg, passes the city of Yakima, and continues southeast to Richland, where it flows into the Columbia River at an elevation of.