CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Places & Architecture

Omak, Washington

city in north-central Washington, United States

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 14, 2026
Entity authorityQ1509671 ↗
Source-derived summary

Omak ( o-MAK) is a city located in the foothills of the Okanogan Highlands in north-central Washington, United States. With a population of 4,860 as of 2020, distributed over a land area of 3.43 square miles (8.9 km2), Omak is the largest municipality of Okanogan County and the largest municipality in Central Washington north of Wenatchee. The Greater Omak Area has around 8,229 inhabitants as of the 2010 census. This makes the largest urban cluster in the Okanogan Country region, encompassing most of its twin city of Okanogan.

The land that is now Omak had been inhabited by various Native American tribes before the arrival of non-indigenous settlers in the early 19th century. The city began to develop after the completion of the Okanogan Irrigation Project affecting the Grand Coulee Dam and other nearby electric facilities. The housing and municipal infrastructure, along with regional infrastructure connecting the new town to other municipalities, were built simultaneously in 1908 supported by the local agricultural industry. The name Omak comes from the Okanagan placename [umák], or the Salishan term Omache—which is said to mean "good medicine" or "plenty", referring to its favorable climate, with an annual high of around 88 °F (31 °C). Omak acts as the gateway to the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest and consists of a central business district and residential neighborhoods.

Omak is a code city governed by a seven-member council and located in the state's 4th congressional district.

Editorial summary

“Omak, Washington” enters the record as city in north-central Washington, United States. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Omak, Washington and city can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA strong orientation record where physical form, institutional use and historical geography need to be read together. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2020, 2010, 1908—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1907. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Omak, Washington and city.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Omak, Washington” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Omak, Washington and city provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1509671. VIAF identifies the subject as 159479165. The Library of Congress control number is n82273866. Authority coordinates are 48.413, -119.537. 2 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 2010 and 1908.

Critical limits

Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Omak, Washington”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Omak, Washington primary sources, Omak, Washington archive and Omak research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Omak, Washington”?
  2. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Omak, Washington” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.