Cedonia (pronounced sĕh-dōn-ya) is a very small unincorporated community in Stevens County, Washington, United States. [1] Formerly a town, [2] it lies in the valley of the Columbia River, on the western slope of hills known as Summit Mines, [3] at a river section known as Lake Roosevelt, a reservoir created by Grand Coulee Dam.
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not governed by a local municipal corporation; similarly an unincorporated community is a settlement that is not governed by its own local municipal corporation, but rather is administered as part of larger administrative divisions, such as a township, parish, borough, county, city, canton, state, province or country. Occasionally, municipalities dissolve or disincorporate, which may happen if they become fiscally insolvent, and services become the responsibility of a higher administration. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. In most other countries of the world, there are either no unincorporated areas at all, or these are very rare; typically remote, outlying, sparsely populated or uninhabited areas.
Stevens County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington along the Canada–US border. As of the 2014 United States Census, its population was 43,650. As of July 2016, the population was estimated to be 44,439. The county seat and largest city is Colville. The county was created in 1863 and named after Isaac Stevens, the first governor of Washington Territory.
The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.
The area surrounding it is primarily a farming and ranching community with some logging activity. Cedonia comprises the Ye Olde Country Store, a veterinary clinic, and seven homes. There are a few farms surrounding it, and The Cedonia Community Church lies just outside the city limits. The church tends to be seen as the focal point of the community, hosting many community events as well as events from neighboring communities. The church is also the source of the name Cedonia. When it was built in 1897, the settlers searched for a name for their community. They settled on the name Cedonia, a shortened version of Macedonia [2] from the plea to the apostle Paul in Acts Ch. 16 vs. 9 that says, "Come over here to Macedonia and help us."
Education services are provided by Columbia High School in Hunters, Washington, about 3 miles due south of Cedonia.
