Crime Scene & Biohazard Cleanup Near Chelan Bay Chelan, WA

Chelan is a city in Chelan County, Washington — the city and the county share the same name — at the southeast end of Lake Chelan, where the lake flows into the Chelan River.

The city is named for the Salish-speaking Chelan people who lived along the lake long before non-Native settlement.

The first non-Native settlers, William Sanders and Henry Dumke, arrived in 1886; a post office followed in 1890, a school in 1892, and the town's first bank in 1893.

Chelan was officially incorporated on May 7, 1902, and gained electric lights and water service the following year.

The neighboring community of Lakeside merged into Chelan in 1956.

The 2020 census counted 4,222 people in Chelan, up from 3,890 people in 1,602 households in 2010.

Lake Chelan is the largest natural lake in Washington, stretching more than 50 miles and plunging nearly 1,500 feet deep, making it the third-deepest lake in the United States.

Tourism swells Chelan's year-round population of roughly 4,000 to about 25,000 people in the summer months, according to the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce.

Don Morse Park, the city's flagship waterfront park, offers more than 40 acres and about 2,000 feet of Lake Chelan shoreline, while Chelan Riverwalk Park covers 12 acres along the river.

Campbell's Resort began as the Campbell Hotel, built in 1901, and the Ruby Theatre is a historic downtown landmark.