Winlock () is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,472 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 2,515 in 2024. It was named after territorial army general, William Winlock Miller, who briefly resided there. Winlock is mostly famous for having the World's Largest Egg, reflecting its former status as a major producer of eggs. Early in its history, Winlock attracted many immigrants from Finland, Germany, and Sweden.
History Origin Winlock began as a Northern Pacific Railroad construction camp called Wheeler's Camp in c. 1871. The railroad was then in the process of extending its line from Kalama to Tacoma, Washington. Dr. C. C. Pagett, an early resident, donated the land for the townsite. In 1873, he named it for General William Winlock Miller of Olympia, a man of some renown in the area. Miller had promised to give a school bell to the town if it were to be named after him. The town was incorporated on February 28, 1883.
Early economy Lumbering was the initial economic driver. A number of sawmills were established beginning in the late 1800s. In the late 1920s there were four mills in operation, employing 350 men and producing over 30 million board feet of fir lumber annually.Advertising pamphlet, Winlock Commercial Club, c1928
Agriculture developed in the early 1900s with the impetus on the raising of poultry and the production of eggs. A Finnish immigrant, Impi Erving, began as a poulterer in Winlock in the 1900s, out-earning her husband Jacob's farm and cattle business. Jacob installed a kerosene-powered incubator in a bedroom of their house and the family was producing 500,000 eggs annually in a few years. Jacob Irving later constructed a 40,000 egg capacity temperature-controlled incubator system in Winlock in the early 1920s. Business entrepreneur John Marcotte opened the Cowlitz Produce Company at Winlock's Leonard Building in 1913, selling eggs from local farmers. The business reached in sales by the 1920s.
A branch of the Washington Cooperative Egg & Poultry Association (WCEPA) was opened in Winlock in 1920. The organization constructed and operated out of a large building in Winlock that remains in the present day at the north end of town near the railroad tracks. The facility housed grain storage bins and accommodated poultry processing. The WCEPA recorded 175 local farmers as part of its membership. Several other hatcheries were located in the town. More than 750,000 baby chicks were produced during the 1928 season.
In 1922, The Lewis County Advocate noted that the only American city that produced more eggs than Winlock was Petaluma, California. In a single weekend in 1923, Winlock shipped 38,400 dozen eggs to New York state. Winlock at that time was touted as the "Egg and Poultry Capital of the World" and was also known as "the egg nest of the West".
Due to an increase of raising chickens locally around the country during the 1930s, as well as more reliance on trucking for delivery, larger hatcheries, and processing facilities, Winlock's egg production began to "lose ground". By the 1950s, egg farms in the town had considerably waned. The Winlock-based Washington Cooperative Egg & Poultry Association shuttered in 1963. Three hatcheries and six producers were reported to be operational by 1971; one remaining hatchery was noted to exist in the Winlock area in 1996.
21st century A fire in Winlock's downtown area consumed the city's historic Warne's Drug Store building in late 2022. The structure was built in 1911 but burned down the following year. Rebuilt soon thereafter, the building housed the now-defunct Winlock News and Winlock Phone Company, as well as other various businesses for the next century. At the time of loss, the location was used as a hostel for six years.
An annexation proposal by the city to incorporate Winlock's urban growth area (UGA) was dismissed in 2023 by the Lewis County Supreme Court over a combination of protests from residents in the UGA and the questions of statutory and filing periods and connected legal authority. The UGA, formed from a county contract in 2006, is recorded as containing with a population of 335 residents. A citizen-led petition for the proposal to be reviewed by the Washington State Boundary Review Board for Lewis County exceeded the minimum voting requirements and a subsequent unanimous approval of the annexation by the board occurred in August of that year. The annexation was adopted by a majority vote of the Winlock city council that autumn.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.00%) is water. The city grew an additional after the 2023 UGA annexation.
Olequa Creek, a main tributary of the Cowlitz River, runs through the center of town from north to south.
The eastern edge of the Willapa Hills lie to the west. To the east are relatively flat prairies. A notable landmark about four miles west of town is Sam Henry Mountain, elevation , named for an early section superintendent of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Mt. St. Helens, about to the east can be seen from viewpoints around the area. In May 1980, Winlock was covered with about of volcanic ash from the second major eruption of this peak one week after the cataclysmic eruption of May 18.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Winlock, Washington – racial and ethnic composition Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) Pop. 2000 Pop. 2010 % 2000 % 2010 White alone (NH) 1,014 1,0851,062 86.96% 81.03%72.15% Black or African American alone (NH) 2 813 0.17% 0.60%0.88% Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 8 1424 0.69% 1.05%1.63% Asian alone (NH) 9 84 0.77% 0.60%0.27% Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 49 0.00% 0.30%0.61% Other race alone (NH) 0 06 0.00% 0.00%0.41% Mixed race or multiracial (NH) 33 44130 2.83% 3.29%8.83% Hispanic or Latino (any race) 100 176224 8.58% 13.14%15.22%Total1,1661,3391,472100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, there were 1,472 people, 523 households, and 351 families residing in the city. The median age was 34.8 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.9% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.8 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
Of the 523 households, 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Married-couple households accounted for 42.1%, while 17.8% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present and 28.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 565 housing units, of which 7.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 1,111 75.5% Black or African American 13 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native 30 2.0% Asian 4 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 9 0.6% Some other race 94 6.4% Two or more races 211 14.3% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 224 15.2%
2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 1,339 people, 475 households, and 327 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 535 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.69% White, 0.67% African American, 1.57% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 8.36% from some other races and 3.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 13.14% of the population.
There were 475 households, of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.2% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.26.
The median age in the city was 34 years. 30.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.2% were from 25 to 44; 23.9% were from 45 to 64; and 12.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.2% male and 48.8% female.
2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 1,166 people, 420 households, and 286 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 462 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.25% White, 0.17% African American, 0.77% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 6.17% from some other races and 3.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 8.58% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 22.1% were of German, 18.4% English, 12.2% American and 7.3% Irish.
There were 420 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,000, and the median income for a family was $38,875. Males had a median income of $31,667 versus $20,547 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,269. About 13.4% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.4% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.
American Community Survey As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 631 estimated households in Winlock with an average of 3.08 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $68,750. Approximately 17.6% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line. Winlock has an estimated 59.2% employment rate, with 15.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 91.7% holding a high school diploma.
The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (83.2%), Spanish (14.2%), Indo-European (2.1%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.5%), and Other (0.0%).
Arts and culture Festivals and events The first Winlock Egg Days Festival was held in 1921 after a paved road, known in the present day as State Route 505, was completed between the town and the extinct community of Cowlitz. Known at first as the "Poultry and Egg Day", the festival was held "sporadically" until it became an annual event in 1937; the first Egg Day Queen was first chosen the same year. The festivities incorporates the city's poultry history and a local resident is honored as a festival marshal.
Since 2000, the city has hosted an annual Winlock Pickersfest (formerly known as the Winlock Bluesgrass Festival) at Winolequa Park. The festival focuses on the use of stringed instruments, particularly the banjo, and are incorporated into various musical genres including Americana, bluegrass, and jazz. The three-day event is usually held on the first weekend of August.