The town of Yakima was originally founded at the south end of the Valley where Union Gap is now. In 1885 the Northern Pacific railroad situated its station a few miles north of the original settlement, prompting many businesses to relocate around the new rail hub. This new community was known as “North Yakima” at the time, but shortly after became just “Yakima.”

The original community took on the name of Old Town, eventually renamed to Union Gap, which denotes the nexus between the Yakima and Lower Valleys.

Location, Location, Location

Yakima is bordered by the Yakima and Naches Rivers, which you can follow upstream northward to the nearby Yakima River Canyon and westward to the White Pass and Chinook Pass areas within a 45-minute drive. Yakima is also within a 30-minute drive of the Yakima Valley AVA—southward to the Lower Valley communities—which is home to many of the state’s wineries.

Mixing a sunny climate with good soils and the miracle of irrigation, Yakima’s original settlers created an agricultural environment that provides a wide variety of fruits and vegetables—along with dairy—making the Valley a huge player in the national ag economy.

Agriculture, the outdoor landscape, and the abundance of sunshine inform much of what happens in Yakima, including farm-to-table dining opportunities with local wine and craft brews, fine art and music, sports for participants and spectators of all ages, outdoor recreation and more. You will find here a nice combination of down-home attitude, artistic creativity, and generational stability that comes from calling Yakima and the Yakima Valley, home.

Kate Soldano Group

United Country Real Estate-Dedicated Realty

Bowlby’s Gun & Pawn

The Findery Floral & Gift

Parry Jewelers

Ron’s Coin & Collectibles

The Range (gun shop and range)

McCormick Air Center

Tri-Cities Airport