Wasco County, Oregon
Wasco County | |
---|---|
UTC−7 (PDT) | |
Congressional district | 2nd |
Website | co |
Wasco County is one of the
History
The Dalles initially served as a way station on the
The Oregon Territorial Legislature created Wasco County on January 11, 1854, from the parts of Clackamas, Lane, Linn and Marion counties, that were east of the Cascade Range. At the time of its creation, it was the largest county in the United States, consisting of 130,000 square miles (340,000 km2) that stretched clear to the Rocky Mountains. Its northern border was the Washington Territory line (the Columbia River). When Dakota Territory (including present-day Wyoming) was created in 1861, Idaho Territory in 1863, and Montana Territory in 1864, the parts of Wasco County east of the present Oregon boundaries were ceded to those territories. Other Oregon counties were split away, and Wasco was reduced to its current size.
Dates of Secession of Other Eastern Oregon Counties | |
County | Secession Date |
Baker | 1862 |
Umatilla | 1862 |
Grant | 1864 |
Lake | 1874 |
Crook | 1882 |
Morrow | 1884 |
Gilliam | 1885 |
Sherman | 1889 |
Hood River |
1908 |
The Dalles was designated the county seat with the creation of the county, and has been its only location.
The river traffic on the Columbia River was profoundly affected in 1935 by the building of Bonneville Dam in Multnomah County and by The Dalles Dam in 1957 in Wasco County (which submerged Celilo Falls).
Wasco County attracted international attention in the 1980s, when
Rajneesh was arrested as he was fleeing the U.S. in 1985 and he was subsequently indicted along with seven followers for immigration crimes by a federal grand jury. A separate grand jury in Wasco County charged three Rajneeshees of attempted murder, while Rajneesh entered an Alford plea and was given a suspended sentence on condition that he leave the country.
The former Rajneesh ranch is now known as "Washington Family Ranch". It is owned and operated by Young Life Ministries, a Christian organization providing camp services for youth.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,395 square miles (6,200 km2), of which 2,382 square miles (6,170 km2) is land and 14 square miles (36 km2) (0.6%) is water.[3] The northern boundary with Washington is the Columbia River (the state line).
Adjacent counties
- Klickitat County, Washington - north
- Sherman County, Oregon - east
- Gilliam County, Oregon - east
- Wheeler County, Oregon - southeast
- Jefferson County, Oregon - south
- Marion County, Oregon - southwest
- Clackamas County, Oregon - west
- Hood River County, Oregon - west
National protected area
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1860 | 1,689 | — | |
1870 | 2,509 | 48.5% | |
1880 | 11,120 | 343.2% | |
1890 | 9,183 | −17.4% | |
1900 | 13,199 | 43.7% | |
1910 | 16,336 | 23.8% | |
1920 | 13,648 | −16.5% | |
1930 | 12,646 | −7.3% | |
1940 | 13,069 | 3.3% | |
1950 | 15,552 | 19.0% | |
1960 | 20,205 | 29.9% | |
1970 | 20,133 | −0.4% | |
1980 | 21,732 | 7.9% | |
1990 | 21,683 | −0.2% | |
2000 | 23,791 | 9.7% | |
2010 | 25,213 | 6.0% | |
2020 | 26,670 | 5.8% | |
2023 (est.) | 26,333 | [4] | −1.3% |
U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790–1960[6] 1900–1990[7] 1990–2000[8] 2010–2020[1] |
2010 census
As of the
Of the 10,031 households, 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.8% were non-families, and 28.8% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 41.7 years.[9]
The median household income was $42,133 and the median family income was $50,279. Males had a median income of $40,658 versus $27,996 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,922. About 11.1% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the
2000 census
As of the
The age distribution was 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.10 males.
The median household income was $35,959 and the median family income was $42,412. Males had a median income of $36,051 versus $21,575 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,195. About 10.30% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the
Government and infrastructure
The Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility (Norcor), a short-term jail, serves Wasco, Gilliam, Hood River, and Sherman counties.[13]
Politically, Wasco is a swing county. No presidential candidate has won more than 55% of the county's vote since Ronald Reagan in 1984, and none has won an absolute majority since Barack Obama in 2008. From 1972 to 2008, it voted for the election's national winner every time except the drought and farm crisis-influenced 1988 election; Obama lost here by just 18 votes or 0.2% of the popular vote in 2012.
Wasco County is currently one of 11 counties in Oregon in which therapeutic psilocybin is legal.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 7,035 | 49.79% | 6,604 | 46.74% | 491 | 3.47% |
2016 | 5,833 | 48.75% | 4,781 | 39.96% | 1,350 | 11.28% |
2012 | 5,229 | 48.09% | 5,211 | 47.93% | 433 | 3.98% |
2008 | 5,103 | 44.84% | 5,906 | 51.90% | 371 | 3.26% |
2004 | 6,119 | 50.98% | 5,691 | 47.42% | 192 | 1.60% |
2000 | 5,356 | 50.23% | 4,616 | 43.29% | 692 | 6.49% |
1996 | 3,662 | 36.80% | 4,967 | 49.91% | 1,323 | 13.29% |
1992 | 3,242 | 29.55% | 4,663 | 42.50% | 3,068 | 27.96% |
1988 | 4,462 | 45.37% | 5,141 | 52.28% | 231 | 2.35% |
1984 | 6,905 | 55.36% | 5,526 | 44.31% | 41 | 0.33% |
1980 | 4,703 | 45.95% | 4,336 | 42.36% | 1,196 | 11.69% |
1976 | 4,258 | 46.08% | 4,560 | 49.35% | 422 | 4.57% |
1972 | 4,537 | 51.70% | 3,749 | 42.72% | 489 | 5.57% |
1968 | 3,842 | 46.26% | 3,918 | 47.17% | 546 | 6.57% |
1964 | 2,695 | 31.35% | 5,890 | 68.51% | 12 | 0.14% |
1960 | 4,355 | 49.58% | 4,426 | 50.39% | 3 | 0.03% |
1956 | 4,332 | 50.98% | 4,165 | 49.02% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 4,362 | 63.09% | 2,517 | 36.40% | 35 | 0.51% |
1948 | 2,740 | 51.74% | 2,438 | 46.03% | 118 | 2.23% |
1944 | 2,429 | 50.75% | 2,313 | 48.33% | 44 | 0.92% |
1940 | 2,553 | 45.79% | 3,001 | 53.82% | 22 | 0.39% |
1936 | 1,278 | 24.65% | 3,573 | 68.92% | 333 | 6.42% |
1932 | 1,740 | 37.31% | 2,776 | 59.52% | 148 | 3.17% |
1928 | 2,746 | 60.85% | 1,699 | 37.65% | 68 | 1.51% |
1924 | 2,409 | 51.46% | 1,185 | 25.32% | 1,087 | 23.22% |
1920 | 2,698 | 62.25% | 1,434 | 33.09% | 202 | 4.66% |
1916 | 2,243 | 47.53% | 2,287 | 48.46% | 189 | 4.01% |
1912 | 775 | 29.88% | 929 | 35.81% | 890 | 34.31% |
1908 | 1,309 | 57.14% | 764 | 33.35% | 218 | 9.52% |
1904 | 2,092 | 67.33% | 536 | 17.25% | 479 | 15.42% |
Economy
The county's economy is based upon agriculture (orchards, wheat farming, livestock ranching), lumber, manufacturing, electric power, transportation, and tourism. Aluminum production was previously a major support of the local economy, but electrical price fluctuations and a slump in global aluminum prices has forced the closing of a number of local aluminum foundries.
Communities
Incorporated cities
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Wasco County, Oregon
- 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack
References
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
- ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
- ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- ^ "Norcor Home Archived November 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility. Retrieved on November 22, 2011.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
Further reading
- Bruce Harris, The Wasco County History Book. The Dalles, OR: Bruce Harris, 1983.
- John Lundell, Governmental history of Wasco County, Oregon. n.c: n.p., 1970.
- William H. McNeal, History of Wasco County, Oregon. The Dalles, OR: William H. McNeal, 1953.
- Rodger Nichols and Dan Spatz, A Sesquicentennial History of Wasco County. The Dalles, OR: Dalles Chronicle, 2004.
- An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Embracing Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, Wheeler, Crook, Lake, and Klamath Counties, State of Oregon. Spokane, WA: Western Historical Publishing Co., 1905.