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Overview
Average Temperatures
Higher Education
Schools
Major Employers
Cultural Attractions
Valley Recreation
Transportation

Overview

Located at the confluence of the scenic Snake and Clearwater rivers approximately 465 river miles from the Pacific Ocean, Lewiston is the most inland seaport on the West Coast. Through the Columbia/Snake waterway and three port districts, the community serves as an economic hub for the Inland Northwest and a window to the Pacific Rim.

The cities of Lewiston and adjoining Clarkston, Washington, trace their heritage to the 1804-06 expedition of captains Meriwether Lewiston and William Clark -- a journey commissioned by the nation's third president, Thomas Jefferson, to seek and chart a new trade route to Asia. Nearly two centuries later, the Lewiston area (with a population of approximately 56,000) indeed plays an integral role in the economic and cultural link of the Pacific Northwest and Asian trading partners that include Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Russia and other developing countries.

Lewiston served as Idaho's first territorial capital in 1865 before the seat of government was spirited away to Boise in the state's southwest region. Lewiston grew seemingly overnight into a center of commerce and culture after the discovery of gold in the mountains of north central Idaho. A wave of Chinese began arriving in 1860 to work the mines, and their number reached more than 4,100 by the start of the next decade. More than one-half of Idaho's 6,579 miners at the height of the gold rush were Chinese, and at the peak of their influence, they comprised an estimated one-fourth of the state's population.

Their legacy is preserved for present and future generations in a distinctly beautiful restoration of a 19th century temple on permanent display at Lewis-Clark State College's Center for Arts & History. Included in the display are a deity plaque, altar, donor signs, ornate lanterns and a variety of worship items used in the original temple located less than three blocks from the center.

Lewiston's central business district is marked by numerous "turn of the century" buildings that shadow the Snake/Clearwater confluence. While the city supports several national chain stores around which mini-malls have developed, the historic business district remains an active center of business and commerce.

If there's one thing better than the business climate in the Lewis-Clark Valley, it's the natural climate -- temperatures that rival the Sun Belt and make the valley an increasingly popular alternative to southern winter migrations and an ideal place for permanent residency.

Although roughly the same latitude at Duluth, Minn., the Valley's low elevation (738 feet) provides temperate conditions, hence the nickname The Banana Belt. The average, year-round high in Lewiston is a balmy 63 degrees; the average minimum a comfortable 41.1. When many surrounding areas shiver in the winter, Lewiston's average day-time highs range from 47.6 in November and 41.5 in December to 38.6 in January and 46.3 in February. Annual precipitation is 12.63, relatively evenly distributed throughout the year.

The moderate, inviting climate is ideal to year-round recreational pursuits. The valley's four 18-hole golf courses remain busy throughout the year and the manicured greens often maintain their emerald shade into December. Joggers, walkers and bicyclists take advantage of the valley's extensive paved levee path throughout the winter. Spring in the Lewis-Clark Valley provides an artist's palate of colors, dominated by the reds, pinks and whites of Dogwood trees and an array of other flowering trees, shrubs and flowers.

While many nearby areas experience winter's last tirades into early April, the Lewiston and Clarkston area basks in balmy conditions that inspires gardeners to begin planting. Summers are warm and dry; autumns are filled with the hues of trees in transition. Unlike many areas in the Inland Northwest, Lewiston and Clarkston are blessed with four distinctly beautiful seasons.

Climate

Growing season......200 days
Average rainfall.....12.6 inches
Annual average clear/partly cloudy days....170
Average number of days with maximum temperature exceeding 90 F.....39
Average number of days with minimum of 0 or lower.....3
Average number of days with a minimum temperature of 30 degrees or lower...15

Higher Education

* Land grant universities located within 35 miles of each other.

Schools

Major Employers

Potlatch, pulp and paper
Lewis-Clark State College
St. Joseph Regional Medical Center
Blount, ammunition
Lewiston Independent School District
Clarkston School district
MSB-Blue Shield of Idaho, health insurance
Twin City Foods, food processor (summer)
City of Lewiston
Tri-State Hospital, Clarkston
Price-Costco
Poe Asphalt Paving, Inc.
Tribune Publishing Co.
AIA Insurance (home office)
Bennett Lumber Company

Cultural Attractions

Lewis-Clark State College
Lewiston Civic Theater
Washington/Idaho Symphony Orchestra
LCSC Center Stage performing arts series
LCSC Center for Arts & History
LCSC Centennial Mall
Community Concerts
Three art galleries
Luna House Museum Nez Perce National Historic Park, Spalding

Valley Recreation

Transportation

*A number of cruise companies also travel the Columbia/Snake River
water system with the Lewis-Clark Valley as their eastern terminus.