Airway Heights

Airway Heights is a city in Spokane County, Washington, United States, just west of Spokane. The population was 6,114 at the 2010 census. The city's name was taken from its close proximity to the runways at Fairchild Air Force Base and Spokane International Airport.

History

Airway Heights was officially incorporated on June 28, 1955.

Development

Growth in the City was spurred by the opening of the Airway Heights Correction Center by the Washington State Department of Corrections in 1992 and the opening of the Northern Quest Resort & Casino by the Kalispel Indian Tribe in 2000. More recently, with the addition of a new Wal-Mart Supercenter, several new apartment buildings and housing developments, and the expansion of the Northern Quest Casino, Airway Heights is continuing to grow. Also, the Spokane County Raceway Park is located in Airway Heights, and features major automobile events, including drag racing, stock car racing, and occasional monster truck shows.

Geography

Airway Heights is located at (47.643648, -117.586491).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Vorlage:Convert, all of it land.

The community lies in the northeastern corner of the flat Columbia Plateau. While the plateau tends to be flat, the terrain locally is quite rugged as it is part of the Channeled Scablands. The "heights" in the city's name references its location at a higher elevation than the city center of Spokane. Traveling into Airway Heights along Highway 2, the main road into the city, from Downtown Spokane, one will climb over 500 feet.

Highway 2 is the main east-west thoroughfare in the city. It connects Airway Heights with Fairchild to the west and Spokane to the east. Interstate 90 runs just a few miles south of the city.

Demographics

Bevölkerungsentwicklung
Census	Einwohner		± rel.
1960	708		—
1970	744		5,1 %
1980	1.730		132,5 %
1990	1.971		13,9 %
2000	4.500		128,3 %
2010	6.114		35,9 %
2020	10.757		75,9 %
Schätzung 2014	6.545		7 %
U.S. Decennial Census 2014 Estimate

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,114 people, 1,547 households, and 1,035 families residing in the city. The population density was Vorlage:Convert. There were 1,727 housing units at an average density of Vorlage:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 78.5% White, 7.2% African American, 3.7% Native American, 3.5% Asian, 0.9% Pacific Islander, 1.8% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.3% of the population.

There were 1,547 households of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.1% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.01.

The median age in the city was 34.6 years. 17.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 40.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 5.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 67.7% male and 32.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,500 people, 958 households, and 656 families residing in the city. The population density was 923.0 people per square mile (356.0/km²). There were 1,095 housing units at an average density of 224.6 per square mile (86.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.51% White, 10.47% African American, 3.20% Native American, 1.84% Asian, 0.38% Pacific Islander, 1.56% from other races, and 3.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.93% of the population.

There were 958 households out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city the age distribution of the population shows 16.9% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 46.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 4.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 263.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 325.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,829, and the median income for a family was $31,344. Males had a median income of $26,117 versus $22,031 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,069. About 14.8% of families and 22.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The majority of the city is within the Cheney School District (No. 360). The northeastern portion is in the Great Northern School District (No. 312), grades K-6.

Notable Local Businesses

Spokane County Raceway

Spokane County Raceway is one of the largest racetracks in the Inland Northwest. They have oval track racing, drag racing, and road course racing.

Controversies

In July 2015 Mayor Patrick Rushing was asked to resign by the city council because he called President Barack Obama a "monkey man" and First Lady Michelle Obama a "gorilla" on his Facebook page. Rushing refused, stating he was not a racist. This follows an earlier incident in 2015 in which Rushing resigned his position as a school bus driver after he was charged with a misdemeanor for leaving the scene of an accident.

External links

• Official Site