Yakima Information
May 11, 2010
[All In A Name
Just where did Yakima get its name?
Debate persists and stories abound, but the most popular explanation draws on a native legend about a chief’s runaway daughter who made her home on the Yakima River after breaking tribal rules. According to legend, the name Yakama, or Yakima, means “runaway.”
A City on The Move
Yakima County was created in 1865. When bypassed by the Northern Pacific Railroad in December 1884, over 100 buildings were moved with rollers and horse teams to the nearby site of the depot. The new city was dubbed North Yakima and was officially incorporated and named the county seat on January 27, 1886. The name was changed to Yakima in 1918.
