Due to its strategic location halfway between the Columbia River and Puget Sound, Centerville, now known as Centralia, quickly become a popular site for settlers. George Washington, the son of a slave, was one of the early residents in the area.
The community that he helped to found is located in the southwestern area of the Evergreen State, at the junction of the Chehalis River and the Skookumchuck River.
For thousands of years, people have relied on the natural resources of the area — timber, fish, fertile soil, coal, and a level plain surrounded by rolling hills — to support their lives and establish their communities on a foundation of natural riches. In spite of the fact that the region is relying less on its natural resources today, the town's key location on the plain that weaves its way through the hills between Seattle and Portland has allowed it to maintain its importance.
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