Biohazard and Pathogen Disinfection in White Salmon, WA

White Salmon is a city in Klickitat County perched on the Washington bluffs of the Columbia River Gorge, directly across the Columbia River from Hood River, Oregon (ZIP code 98672).

The area was the homeland of the Klickitat Tribe, now part of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation; it was thrown open to white settlement on October 31, 1858, after the Yakama War, and the Klickitat were removed to the Yakama Reservation.

Erastus Joslyn and his wife, who bought land from the Klickitat in 1852 and were known for their era as advocates for Native people, were the city's first settlers.

White Salmon was officially incorporated on June 3, 1907, and took its name from the White Salmon River.

The city's motto, 'The Land Where the Sun Meets the Rain,' reflects its perch at the Gorge's climatic transition: summers are dry and annual precipitation averages only about 31 inches, far less than in the western Gorge.

The 2020 census counted 2,485 residents and 1,082 households in White Salmon, with 1,214 housing units; the city has the most residents of any urban area on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

Tourism now drives much of the economy — the Association of Washington Cities notes the city draws tens of thousands of visitors a year, dwarfing its year-round population, to a main street of cafes, bakeries, and tasting rooms.

Together with Hood River, reached by the Hood River Bridge just west of town, White Salmon shares in the Gorge's international reputation for windsurfing and kiteboarding on the Columbia River.

The White Salmon River ran free again after the 2011–2012 removal of Condit Dam downstream, reopening historic salmon habitat on the river that gave the city its name.

Students attend the White Salmon Valley School District, whose Columbia High School is located in the city, and The Enterprise has long served as the community's newspaper.