George, Washington

George Washington Bust in George, WA

A bust of the first president welcomes visitors to the only town in America called George, Washington.

In the early 1950s, 339 acres of land in Washington state was set aside by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to build a town to support the nearby agricultural areas. A pharmacist named Charlie Brown bid $100,000 for the site and with the help of a city planning instructor from the nearby University of Washington, started to build his town.

On July 4, 1957 the city of George, Washington was incorporated. The town’s website claims that the name was first suggested by a man from the Bureau of Reclamation who, in a conversation with Brown, suggested that somebody should “get smart” and name a town after the nation’s first president. (Perhaps he had never visited Washington, D.C. or another of the over 250 towns, cities, and boroughs named after Washington.)

Still, Brown took his advice to heart, and decided that George would be an appropriate name for a town in Washington. Notably, while there are other places named “Georgetown” in the country, Brown’s city is the only one named “George” in the United States.

Today, true to theme, the City of George, WA boasts a popular Fourth of July celebration (during which they bake the largest cherry pie in the world) and a grand birthday party on President’s Day.

Also, just off Interstate 90 at exit 149, a large bust of George Washington greets visitors as they pass by Shree’s Truck Stop & Gas Station. The bust is a copy of the one created by Avard Fairbanks for the nation’s bicentennial. The original bronze bust is installed at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.