Grand Coulee is a city in Grant County, in north-central Washington, set on the Columbia River in the dramatic canyon country of the Columbia Plateau. At the 2020 census its population was 972. The city is defined by its namesake landmark: Grand Coulee Dam, one of the largest concrete structures in the world, which spans the river just beyond the town. The dam was authorized under the National Industrial Recovery Act, and the Bureau of Reclamation constructed the dam and its Left Powerhouse between 1933 and 1941. It was the centerpiece of the Columbia Basin Project, supplying hydroelectric power and irrigation water that transformed agriculture across the region. The construction effort drew thousands of workers during the Great Depression and gave rise to the towns of Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, and Electric City, which remain closely connected today and share a single school district. Tourism now complements the dam's power and irrigation role. The Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center welcomes travelers from across the Northwest, and each summer a free, narrated laser light show is projected across the dam's spillway, with colorful lasers and music telling the story of the Columbia River. The show has become one of eastern Washington's most distinctive attractions. The surrounding lakes define local recreation. Banks Lake, a roughly 27-mile-long irrigation reservoir, and Lake Roosevelt, the vast impoundment stretching more than 150 miles behind the dam toward Canada, offer fishing, boating, swimming, and houseboating in a striking high-desert landscape. Students attend the Grand Coulee Dam School District, which serves the three river towns. For those drawn to an engineering landmark, wide-open lake country, and a close-knit small-town atmosphere, Grand Coulee offers a distinctive address in eastern Washington.