Toppenish Washington, where History meets Tomorrow

Toppenish is one of the great tourist destinations you've never heard about. Toppenish is a town of nine thousand people located in Washington State. For a small town there are many attractions hiding within.

Toppenish is the home to Legend's Casino which is run by the Yakama Indian Nation. This is a fully operational, Vegas-style, casino. Legend's Casino is one of the largest employers in the town. Legend's Casino offers first class amenities in American West.

There is more than just a casino to enjoy in town however. The town's main street is covered in over seventy murals depicting scenes form the old West. The murals were done by local artists and are the pride of downtown Toppenish. From May to December a narrated tour of the murals can be taken in a horse drawn wagon.

There are also three museums in within the town. The American Hops museum provides information about the history of hops in the area. Hops are essential to the beer making process and have provided financial stimulus to the local economy for decades. The American Hop Museum is believed to be the only museum dedicated to hops in the entire world.

The Yakima Valley Rail & Steam Museum pays tribute to the essential function the train played in the expansion of the American West. The Yakima Valley Rail and Steam Museum is housed in a fully restored train depot. Since 2005 the Museum also hosts an annual toy train event where enthusiasts set up their classic toy trains around Christmas trees.

The National Yakama Cultural Center is the last of three major museums located in Toppenish and it focuses on the history of the Yakama people and the essential role they have played, and continue to play, in the development of Toppenish, Washington.

The homes are very in the area with the median home price of $129,900 being reported in 2007. The median income in the area is $26,950 dollars. Roughly thirty percent of Toppenish residents are at, or below, the poverty line.

There is a small town feel and there are many families who reside within the town. The average age of a resident is twenty-five and the average household has slightly more than four members.

Toppenish is far enough away form the big cities to have a rural feel, but is less than two hours, by car, from Seattle. It is a place most of the residents have chosen to live and this gives the town a sense of pride and community that would be lost in a larger city.

The rural community has over three hundred days of sunshine a year and plenty of open space to enjoy them. The Toppenish wildlife Reserve hosts many outdoor activities and is one of the last places in the country where the endangered Columbia River Steelhead reproduces in strong numbers.