Map of Yelm city

Yelm (/jɛlm/) is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. Its population was 10,617 at the 2020 census. At the beginning of the 21st century, Yelm was the 10th fastest growing city in the state in regard to population.

Yelm city overview:
Name:	Yelm city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Washington
County:	Thurston County
Elevation:	354 ft (108 m)
Total Area:	5.72 sq mi (14.81 km²)
Land Area:	5.71 sq mi (14.79 km²)
Water Area:	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km²)
Total Population:	10,617
Population Density:	1,655.75/sq mi (639.23/km²)
ZIP code:	98597
Area code:	360
FIPS code:	5380220
GNISfeature ID:	1512817
Website:	ci.yelm.wa.us

Online Interactive Map

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Yelm online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Yelm location map. Where is Yelm city?

Yelm location on the U.S. Map. Where is Yelm city. — Yelm location on the U.S. Map.

Yelm location on the Washington map. Where is Yelm city. — Location of Yelm in Washington.

History

The word “Yelm” is said to come from the Coast Salish word shelm or chelm, meaning “heat waves from the sun”, referring to heat mirages.

The Yelm Prairie was originally inhabited by the Nisqually and provided good pasture for their horses. The first permanent non-indigenous settlers came in 1853 to join the Hudson’s Bay Company sheep farmers who already conducted business in the area.

James Longmire, one of the first American settlers, said upon arriving in Yelm:

With the coming of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1873, Yelm began to prosper, having found an outlet for its agricultural and forestry products. Its economic base was further enhanced when an irrigation company was formed in 1916, making Yelm a center for commercial production of beans, cucumbers and berries.

Yelm was officially incorporated on December 8, 1924.

During the Great Depression, high maintenance costs and an unstructured water distribution plan bankrupted the Yelm Irrigation Company.

Yelm Road Map

Yelm city Satellite Map

Geography

Yelm is located in southeastern Thurston County, adjacent to its border with Pierce County, along the Nisqually River. The city is near the Nisqually Indian Reservation (located to the northwest on State Route 510), and Joint Base Lewis–McChord on the northeast side of the river. Another major highway, State Route 507, connects Yelm to Centralia and Spanaway near Tacoma.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.69 square miles (14.74 km), of which, 5.68 square miles (14.71 km) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km) is water.