Tag: Sunnyside

Sunnyside is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 15,858.
On September 16, 1902, residents voted 42 to one to incorporate as the town of Sunnyside. By state law a town needed to have 300 citizens in order to legally incorporate. With 314 residents, Sunnyside was just eligible to legally vote for incorporation.
The first mayor of Sunnyside was the town druggist James Henderson.
The settlement was originally founded by Walter Granger in 1893. The name “Sunnyside” was coined by a merchant named W. H. Cline. Granger was involved in the financing and construction of the Sunnyside Canal which would allow Yakima River water to irrigate the area. However, due to the Panic of 1893, Granger’s creditors foreclosed on the canal, and the town’s population dwindled to seven families. However, by the end of 1901, the population had doubled, finally exceeding 300 people. The townsite contained “1 bank, 11 stores, 3 hotels, 1 newspaper, 2…