CITY OF WENATCHEE GOVERNMENT The City of Wenatchee is a full-service City employing 180 employees. Departments include Public Works, Police, Community Development, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, Finance, Human Resources and Information Services. The City operates under a Strong Mayor form of government with seven council members. Active boards and commissions advise the City Council with governance. THE COMMUNITY The City of Wenatchee is home to 34,741 people with approximately 116,178 living in the greater Wenatchee area. Located in a beautiful valley at the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers and on the east slopes of the Cascade Mountain Range, the city enjoys abundant sunshine with four distinct seasons. The average rainfall is a mere 10 inches per year making the region a focal point of Washington State for outdoor recreation. Wenatchee is the largest city in rural North Central Washington and thus provides a small-town atmosphere with big city amenities striking a great balance between rural and urban qualities of life. WHY WENATCHEE IS SUCH AN ATTRACTIVE PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK The City is surrounded by the Cascade foothills. These foothills have been largely preserved as open space with trail systems for public use. The City also has a wonderful historic downtown area adjoining a world class waterfront park and trail system. Renowned resort towns of Leavenworth and Lake Chelan are a scenic 30-minute drive away. Seattle is a short scenic 3-hour drive or 30-minute flight away. Wenatchee serves as a medical, retail, technology, governmental and professional service hub for North Central Washington. Combining these core regional services with a strong fruit and wine agricultural industry yields a relatively stable economy. Many people have moved to our valley to take advantage of the outdoor recreation mecca and beautiful natural environment. Suburban sprawl is nearly non-existent and thus commute times rarely exceed 15 minutes.