Mount Vernon is known for its annual Tulip Festival, where the climate is similar to that of northern France. In 1870 Jasper Gates and Joseph Dwelley first settled on the banks of the Skagit River, where the City of Mount Vernon now lies. Harrison Clothier, a school teacher, join in business with a former student, E.G. English, together they are recognized as the city's founders. The city was named after Mount Vernon, the plantation estate of George Washington and was officially incorporated on July 5, 1893.