Goldendale is a city in Klickitat County, Washington, and the county seat, set on a high plateau above the Columbia River Gorge in the south-central part of the state. The 2020 census counted about 3,450 residents, making it a small but important regional center for a large, lightly populated county. The town was chosen as the county seat in 1878 and incorporated the following year, and it has long served the surrounding agricultural economy of wheat, cattle, sheep, orchards, and timber. Goldendale sits on the drier, sunnier east side of the Cascade Range, which gives it a climate distinct from the rainy west side of Washington and clear skies that are prized for stargazing. The city is best known for Goldendale Observatory State Park, home to one of the nation's largest public telescopes, which draws sky-watchers from across the Northwest. Just down the hill toward the Columbia River sits the Maryhill Museum of Art and the nearby Stonehenge Memorial, a full-scale replica built as a World War I memorial. These attractions give the town a cultural and scientific profile unusual for its size. The local school district, Goldendale School District 404, serves the city and surrounding rural area. U.S. Highway 97 runs through town, connecting Goldendale to the Gorge and to Yakima. Daily life is quiet and rooted in agriculture, with the open high-desert landscape, views of Mount Adams, and access to the Columbia River shaping both recreation and a strong sense of place. Residents value the small-town pace, the open space, and the clear, dry climate, which set Goldendale apart from the more crowded and cloudier communities farther west.