Recently Indie Auto posted a photo essay about the old cars of Goldendale, Washington. If you were intrigued by a small town that functions as a veritable automobile museum, let’s explore other aspects of this place.
On a summer afternoon the rolling fields surrounding Goldendale alight in a magnificent golden glow, but that’s not the reason for the city’s name. There was actually a guy named John Golden who was one of the area’s early homesteaders (Wikipedia, 2025a).
Why would Mr. Golden move out here, in the middle of nowhere? Perhaps the weather suited his clothes. Or perhaps he saw a golden opportunity to raise cattle and grow crops such as alfalfa and wheat.
A plant closing sparked a struggle for survival
In more recent decades an aluminum plant brought quite a few good-paying jobs to the area, but in 2003 it was closed (Wikipedia, 2025a). Since then locals have have had to work hard to bring in new economic development. That has included building wind farms in the hills south of town.
In our previous story we talked about how the Chamber of Commerce has tried to drum up interest in automotive events. However, locals have also capitalized on the presence of a state-run observatory (Goldendale Observatory, 2025).
Meanwhile, the county’s historical society has opened a museum to cultivate interest in the area’s past (Presby Museum, 2025).
Interpretive signs scattered around the area emphasize its geologic features, such as the proximity of four volcanoes.
A community that franchises (mostly) forgot
The 2020 census counted 3,453 residents within the city limits. That was up slightly from 2010 but below the peak of 3,760 residents in 2000 (Wikipedia, 2025a).
Goldendale is the biggest city in Klickitat County — and the county seat (Wikipedia, 2025c). Yet the economic base is so small that the area has a McDonald’s but little else in the way of franchised businesses besides a Chevron station and a Quality Inn motel.
If you prefer to shop at locally owned establishments, Goldendale is the place for you. It even has a traditional community newspaper — the oldest one on the east side of the state (Wikipedia, 2025b).
The local architecture tends to be pretty modest, but it can vary in its styles. Compare the austerity of the high school to the county courthouse’s art deco look.
One advantage of Goldendale’s small size and fairly remote location is that it can be an exceptionally quiet place. As night falls, one of the few sounds you may hear is the occasional rumble of a lonely semi driving up Highway 97 on the edge of town.
Goldendale faces an uncertain future
Despite the community’s successes in diversifying its economy, it is still grappling with major challenges. A case in point is the potential closure of the only local hospital. Klickitat Valley Health is among 14 rural hospitals in Washington state that are at risk of shutting down due to impending Medicaid cuts in a budget bill just passed by the Republican-controlled Congress (Hoang, 2025).
The hospital’s closure could make it even more difficult to get medical care because the closest larger city is Yakima — more than 70 miles away.
Goldendale can sometimes look like it has seen better times. For example, in the photos below, a busy grain silo stands near an abandoned building whose roof has caved in. And trucks rust away in a field.
Driving around Goldendale, I find myself wondering what this community will be like in 10 or 20 years. While it can be an interesting place to visit, I would be hesitant to move here as a retiree — particularly if the hospital does end up closing. Sometimes staying in the rat race can have advantages.
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RE:SOURCES
- Goldendale Observatory; 2025. “Welcome to the new Goldendale Observatory.” Page accessed Aug. 24.
- Hoang, Mai; 2025. “14 rural WA hospitals deemed at risk of closure from Medicaid cuts.” PBS Cascade. Posted July 25.
- Presby Museum; 2025. “Welcome to the Presby Museum!” Page accessed Aug. 24.
- Wikipedia; 2025a. “Goldendale, Washington.” Page last edited June 29.
- ——; 2025b. “Goldendale Sentinel.” Page last edited Feb. 25.
- ——; 2025c. “Klickitat County, Washington.” Page last edited Aug. 5.
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