Editing Hood River County, Oregon

{{short description|County in Oregon, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2007}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Hood River County
 | state                = Oregon
 | seal                 = 
 | founded date         = June 23
 | founded year         = 1908
 | seat wl              = Hood River
 | largest city wl      = Hood River
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 533
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 522
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 11
 | area percentage      = 2.1%
 | population_as_of     = 2020
 | population_total     = 23977
 | pop_est_as_of        = 2024
 | population_est       = 23764 {{decrease}}
 | density_sq_mi        = 43
 | ex image             = Hood River County Courthouse.jpg
 | ex image size        = 250
 | ex image cap         = Hood River County Courthouse in Hood River
 | web                  = hoodrivercounty.gov
 | district             = 3rd
 | named for       = [[Hood River (Oregon)|Hood River]]
 | time zone            = Pacific
}}

'''Hood River County''' is one of the [[List of counties in Oregon|36 counties]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Oregon]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 23,977.<ref name="QF">{{Cite web |title=State & County QuickFacts |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/hoodrivercountyoregon/PST045222 |access-date=May 20, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> The [[county seat]] is [[Hood River, Oregon|Hood River]].<ref name="GR6">{{Cite web |title=Find a County |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 |access-date=June 7, 2011 |publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> The county was established in 1908 and is [[Oregon Geographic Names|named for]] the [[Hood River (Oregon)|Hood River]], a tributary of the [[Columbia River]]. Hood River County comprises the Hood River, OR [[Micropolitan Statistical Area]]. The Hood River Valley produces apples, pears, and cherries. Situated between [[Mount Hood]] and the [[Columbia River]] in the middle of the [[Columbia River Gorge]], Hood River County is a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts, such as windsurfers, mountain-bikers, skiers, hikers, kayakers, and many more.

==History==
The first permanent settlers in present-day Hood River County filed a [[Donation Land Claim Act of 1850|donation land claim]] in 1854. The first school was built in 1863 and a road from [[The Dalles, Oregon|The Dalles]] was completed in 1867. By 1880 there were 17 families living in the valley. By the latter part of the nineteenth century farmers of Japanese, Finnish, German, and French ethnicity had settled in the valley.

At the turn of the twentieth century, the people of the Hood River region in the northwest portion of [[Wasco County, Oregon|Wasco County]] expressed a desire for political separation from the parent county. The passage of a statewide initiative established Hood River as the thirty-fourth county of the state. It was made official by a governor's proclamation on June 23, 1908. The [[Historic Columbia River Highway|Columbia River Highway]] was completed in 1922 from [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] to The Dalles, improving access between both those cities as well as to Hood River.

In response to controversy surrounding county approval of locating a [[destination resort]] at [[Cooper Spur ski area]] on [[Mount Hood]], on November 5, 2003, 62% of the voters approved a [[Popular initiative|measure]] requiring voter approval on residential developments of 25 units or more on land [[zoning|zoned]] for forest use. Opponents claimed that this measure was not enforceable and would end up in court.

==Geography==
Hood River County is {{convert|533|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|522|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|11|sqmi}} (2.1%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files |url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_41.txt |access-date=February 25, 2015 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> It is the second-smallest county in Oregon by area. Elevation ranges from {{convert|60|feet}} above sea level at Cascade Locks in the northwest to {{convert|11,235|feet}} at the summit of Mount Hood, the highest point in Oregon.<ref name="CHAMBER">{{Cite web |title=Hood River County Chamber of Commerce |url=http://hoodriver.org/discover-hood-river/about-hood-river-county/location}}</ref>

The County lies in a transition zone in the [[Columbia River Gorge]] between the temperate rain forest of the Cascade range and dry desert of eastern Oregon. Precipitation varies considerably by longitude and elevation. Annual precipitation averages over 76 inches in Cascade Locks, but is less than 31 inches in the City of Hood River.<ref name="CHAMBER" /> At the highest reaches of the County on Mount Hood precipitation can be up to 150 inches annually.<ref name="MHNF">{{Cite web |title=Mount Hood Wilderness |url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mthood/null/recarea/?recid=79439&actid=38/ |access-date=October 15, 2015 |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service}}</ref>

The Gorge can have a moderating effect on air temperatures in the County near the Columbia River when maritime air moves in from the west. Major easterly flows, however, can occasionally cause extreme cold conditions as cold air moves west through the Gorge. Winds are generally from the west in the summer, resulting in strong and consistent winds on the Columbia River at Hood River County, making Hood River a world-renowned wind surfing location. Winter winds can blow from either the east or the west and can be of sufficient force to result in widespread damage.<ref name="CLIMATE">{{Cite web |title=Climate of Hood River |url=http://www.ocs.oregonstate.edu/county_climate/Hood%20River_files/Hood%20River.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308215410/http://www.ocs.oregonstate.edu/county_climate/Hood%20River_files/Hood%20River.html |archive-date=March 8, 2016 |access-date=October 18, 2015 |publisher=Prepared by George Taylor, state climatologist, Cadee Hale & Sarah Joos, publication assistants}}</ref>

Hood River County contains the entirety of the {{convert|217,337|acre}} Hood River watershed, which covers nearly two-thirds of the county. This watershed includes four main sub-basins: the West Fork Hood River, the Middle Fork Hood River, the East Fork Hood River, and the Hood River Mainstem (the lower river and its tributaries).<ref name="HRWASSESS">{{Cite web |title=Hood River Watershed Assessment, December 1999 |url=https://nrimp.dfw.state.or.us/web%20stores/data%20libraries/files/Watershed%20Councils/Watershed%20Councils_300_DOC_HoodR_WSassess_1999.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://nrimp.dfw.state.or.us/web%20stores/data%20libraries/files/Watershed%20Councils/Watershed%20Councils_300_DOC_HoodR_WSassess_1999.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |publisher=Holly Coccoli, Hood River Watershed Group}}</ref>

Sixty percent, or {{convert|209,385|acres}}, of the county is federal land managed by the Mount Hood National Forest.<ref name="NFSACRE">{{Cite web |title=Table 6 - NFS Acreage by State, Congressional District and County, October 10, 2007. |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/lar/LAR07/TABLE_6.htm}}</ref> Another {{convert|31,000|acres}}, or 8.8 percent, is forestland owned and managed by Hood River County.<ref name="NFS">{{Cite web |title=Hood River County Forestry Department, Hood River County, Oregon. |url=http://www.co.hood-river.or.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BE5300B0B-0A0B-4663-B7A3-39901D1AD9FD%7D}}</ref> The State of Oregon owns {{convert|3,894|acres}} within the county.<ref name="ORLAND">{{Cite web |title=State of Oregon State Land Inventory Report. |url=http://www.oregon.gov/dsl/LW/docs/State%20Lands%20Inventory/SLIS_county.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.oregon.gov/dsl/LW/docs/State%20Lands%20Inventory/SLIS_county.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |publisher=Department of State Lands, Salem, Oregon}}</ref> Weyerhaeuser Company became a major private landowner in 2013 after purchasing Longview Timber LLC, including its forest holdings in Hood River County.<ref name="WECO">{{Cite web |title=Weyerhaeuser Completes Acquisition of Longview Timber LLC. |url=http://investor.weyerhaeuser.com/2013-07-23-Weyerhaeuser-Completes-Acquisition-of-Longview-Timber-LLC |publisher=Weyerhaeuser, Federal Way, Wash, July 23, 2013.}}</ref> {{convert|25,817|acres}}, over seven percent of the county, is managed as private farmland. As of 2012 there were 554 farms, with a medium farm size of {{convert|19|acres}}.<ref name="AGCENS">{{Cite web |title=Table 1. County Summary Highlights: 2012 Census of Agriculture. |url=http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_2_County_Level/Oregon/st41_2_001_001.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_2_County_Level/Oregon/st41_2_001_001.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |access-date=October 15, 2015 |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service}}</ref>

===Adjacent counties===
[[File:Hood River County.gif|thumb|Map of Hood River County
{{legend|#C0D8C0|U.S. Forest Service land}}
{{legend|#F8F800|Bureau of Land Management land}}
]]

* [[Skamania County, Washington]] - north
* [[Klickitat County, Washington]] - northeast
* [[Wasco County, Oregon|Wasco County]] - southeast
* [[Clackamas County, Oregon|Clackamas County]] - southwest
* [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]] - west

===National protected areas===
*[[Badger Creek Wilderness]]
*[[Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness]]
*[[Mount Hood Wilderness]]
*[[Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 8016
|1920= 8315
|1930= 8938
|1940= 11580
|1950= 12740
|1960= 13395
|1970= 13187
|1980= 15835
|1990= 16903
|2000= 20411
|2010= 22346
|2020= 23977
|estyear=2024
|estimate=23764
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2024">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 15, 2025}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Decennial Census |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |access-date=February 25, 2015 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><br />1790–1960<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Census Browser |url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu |access-date=February 25, 2015 |publisher=University of Virginia Library}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 27, 1995 |editor-last=Forstall |editor-first=Richard L. |title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/or190090.txt |access-date=February 25, 2015 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><br />1990–2000<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2, 2001 |title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226035610/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=February 26, 2015 |access-date=February 25, 2015 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> 2010–2020<ref name="QF" />
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], there were 22,346 people, 8,173 households, and 5,659 families residing in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">{{Cite web |title=DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US41027 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213020950/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US41027 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=February 23, 2016 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> The population density was {{convert|42.8|PD/sqmi}}. There were 9,271 housing units at an average density of {{convert|17.8|/sqmi}}.<ref name="census-density">{{Cite web |title=Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US41027 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213191638/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US41027 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=February 23, 2016 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 83.1% white, 1.4% Asian, 0.8% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 10.9% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 29.5% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1" /> In terms of ancestry, 16.7% were [[Germans|German]], 10.6% were [[English people|English]], 9.8% were [[Irish people|Irish]], and 3.8% were [[Americans|American]].<ref name="census-dp2">{{Cite web |title=DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US41027 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213015201/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US41027 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=February 23, 2016 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

Of the 8,173 households, 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.8% were non-families, and 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.14. The median age was 38.0 years.<ref name="census-dp1" />

The median income for a household in the county was $51,307 and the median income for a family was $57,644. Males had a median income of $37,901 versus $31,516 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,930. About 7.5% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">{{Cite web |title=DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US41027 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213032630/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US41027 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=February 23, 2016 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

===2000 census===
As of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]], there were 20,411 people, 11.8 percent of a total of 9,271 housing units were vacant. Of the 8,173 occupied housing units, 62.9 percent were owner-occupied.<ref name="CENFACT">{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census website |url=https://www.census.gov |access-date=October 15, 2015 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

Median household income was $51,307 and median income for a family was $57,644.<ref name="CENINC">{{Cite web |title=Income in the Past 12 Month, 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimate |url=https://www.census.gov/ |access-date=October 15, 2015 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> As of the 2010 census 2,235 persons, or 10.1 percent of the population, lived in [[poverty]].<ref name="CENPOV">{{Cite web |title=Decennial Census, Poverty Rates by County |url=https://www.census.gov/ |access-date=October 15, 2015 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

Of the 20,258 people in the population that are five years and older, 25.6 percent speak [[Spanish language|Spanish]] or [[Spanish Creole]], and 69 percent of this group speak English less than "very well."<ref name="CENLAN">{{Cite web |title=Language Spoken at Home, 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimate |url=https://www.census.gov/ |access-date=October 15, 2015 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
 
==Communities==

===Cities===
* [[Cascade Locks, Oregon|Cascade Locks]]
* [[Hood River, Oregon|Hood River]] (county seat)

===Census-designated places===
* [[Mount Hood, Oregon|Mount Hood]]
* [[Odell, Oregon|Odell]]
* [[Parkdale, Oregon|Parkdale]]

===Unincorporated communities===
{{div col}}
* Clifton
* [[Dee, Oregon|Dee]]
* [[Lenz, Hood River County, Oregon|Lenz]]
* Oak Grove
* [[Pine Grove, Hood River County, Oregon|Pine Grove]]
* Rockford
* Summit
* Trout Creek
* Winans
* [[Wyeth, Oregon|Wyeth]]
{{div col end}}

===Historical communities===
* [[Bloucher, Oregon|Bloucher]]
* Conway
* Dukes Valley
* Holstein
* Viento

==Government and infrastructure==
Hood River is a home rule county with an administrative style of government. The county is governed by an elected board of five commissioners. Four commissioners are elected from four geographic districts, and the chair is elected at large.<ref name="HRULE">{{Cite web |title=Hood River County Home Rule Charter |url=http://www.co.hood-river.or.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={6F200A39-4F75-49CB-A5BB-FE596DECC43E} |publisher=Hood River County, Oregon}}</ref>

The county operates two campgrounds at Toll Bridge Park and Tucker Park. The Forestry Department manages the 31,000 acre County Forest for timber sale revenue and to develop and maintain recreation trails. In fiscal year 2014 gross revenue from County timber sales was $3,851,646 while Forestry Department expenses where $1,049,648. Property taxes generated $3,071,038 in revenue in the same year.<ref name="HRBUG">{{Cite web |title=Hood River County, Oregon, Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for fiscal year ended June 30, 2014. |url=http://www.co.hood-river.or.us/ |publisher=[[Hood River County]]}}</ref>

The Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility (Norcor), a short-term jail, serves Hood River, [[Gilliam County, Oregon|Gilliam]], [[Sherman County, Oregon|Sherman]], and [[Wasco County, Oregon|Wasco]] counties.<ref>"[http://www.norcor.co.wasco.or.us/ Norcor Home] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124033718/http://www.norcor.co.wasco.or.us/ |date=November 24, 2011}}." Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility. Retrieved on November 22, 2011.</ref>

Hood River County is currently one of 11 counties in Oregon in which therapeutic psilocybin is legal.

===Presidential and statewide elections===
Hood River County is a reliable state bellwether, having voted for Oregon's statewide winner in every presidential election since 1948, along with Benton County. The county can be considered an outlier among other rural counties in the state and across the nation, partly due to its close proximity to Portland. 

Starting in 1988, Hood River County has become one of Oregon’s most reliably Democratic strongholds, supporting Democratic candidates for president and for statewide office often by wide margins.
{{PresHead|place=Hood River County, Oregon|whig=no|source1=<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leip |first=David |title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS |access-date=April 11, 2018 |website=uselectionatlas.org}}</ref>}}

In the [[Oregon House of Representatives]], Hood River County is included in the 52nd House District, represented by [[Jeff Helfrich]]. In the [[Oregon State Senate]], it is located within the 26th Senate District, which is represented by [[Daniel Bonham]]. Both Helfrich and Bonham are registered Republicans.


<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP/Whig vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|3,854|8,364|489|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|3,955|8,764|371|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|3,272|6,510|1,128|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|3,429|6,058|351|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|3,265|6,302|263|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|4,124|5,587|148|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|3,721|4,072|756|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|2,794|3,654|1,126|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|2,453|3,106|2,282|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|3,257|3,275|157|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|4,531|3,022|18|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|3,450|2,924|718|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|3,210|3,114|312|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|3,152|2,330|359|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|2,597|2,385|335|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|1,786|3,564|122|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|3,103|2,450|2|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|3,149|2,445|0|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|3,310|1,930|27|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|2,134|1,761|147|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|2,008|1,960|44|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|2,305|2,367|17|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,249|2,759|187|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,387|1,685|184|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|1,806|905|58|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|1,214|683|609|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|1,449|761|207|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|1,314|1,188|217|Oregon}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|396|519|666|Oregon}}
{{PresFoot|1908|Republican|767|359|108|Oregon}}

==Economy==
[[File:MtHoodRailroad Spring.jpg|thumb|[[Mount Hood Railroad]]]]
[[File:Mount Hood 3233.JPG|thumb|View from McCall Point across Hood River County to Mount Hood]]
Health Care and Social Assistance was the largest major [[North American Industry Classification System|NAICS industry sector]] in Hood River County in 2013, with 14 percent of earnings. Manufacturing, at 12 percent, was the second largest sector. Farm Earnings combined with Forestry, Fishing and Related Activities represented nearly 11 percent of earnings. The Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector, while accounting for seven percent of earnings in 2013, was the fastest growing sector between 2002 and 2013, growing at an average annual rate of over 11 percent, and increasing its relative share of total earnings by 6.45 percent. Earnings in the Health Care and Social Assistance sector grew at an average of over five percent per year during that period.<ref name="BEA">{{Cite web |title=Bureau of Economic Analysis |url=https://www.bea.gov/ |access-date=October 15, 2015 |publisher=United States Department of Commerce}}</ref>

Despite a relatively small share of total earnings, farming, forestry and tourism are all important economic drivers in Hood River County. In 2013, Farm Earnings and Forestry, Fishing and Related Activities had [[Economic base analysis|location quotients]] of 8.57 percent and 12.09 percent, respectively, indicating an outsized concentration of these sectors within the county. The Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation industry, while comprising less than four percent of total earnings, had a location quotient of 3.27 percent, the highest of any county in the State of Oregon, indicating a highly concentrated tourism sector.<ref name="REAP">{{Cite web |title=Oregon Regional Economic Analysis Project |url=https://oregon.reaproject.org |access-date=October 15, 2015 |publisher=Oregon Regional Economic Analysis Project}}</ref>

Agriculture, timber, lumber and recreation are important sources of revenue and industry. Fruit grown in the fertile valley is of such exceptional quality the county leads the world in Anjou pear production. A 1997 census recorded {{convert|15,553|acre|km2}} of commercial orchards growing pears, apples, cherries and peaches. Hood River County also has two ports and two boat basins, one serving local barge traffic, a steel boat manufacturing firm and Mid-Columbia yachting interests.

The [[Columbia River]], which runs right by the city of Hood River, has become a premier [[windsurfing]] destination, attracting windsurfers from throughout the United States and around the world. Cool, moist coastal air is drawn through the [[Columbia River Gorge]] as the desert to the east heats up on warm days, creating winds between 15 and 35 knots most days in the summer. With the current in the Columbia River flowing from east to west, and the wind blowing from west to east, large swells are created on the river that windsurfers enjoy riding like waves. Windsurfing has affected the local economy in many ways: windsurfing-oriented businesses and upscale restaurants catering to visiting windsurfers have reinvigorated the downtown area, many people who first visited Hood River in search of wind and waves have settled in the area and become an integral part of the community, and the local economy has been infused with much needed tourist dollars.

The Mount Hood Railroad provides freight service, connecting with the Union Pacific at Hood River, Oregon, and operates excursion trains and dinner trains on a {{convert|22|mi|km|adj=on}} rail line running from Hood River to [[Parkdale, Oregon|Parkdale]]. The line was completed in 1909, and operated as an independent company until acquired by [[Union Pacific Railroad]] in 1968. In 1987 a local group of investors purchased the line for $600,000, naming it the [[Mount Hood Railroad]]. In 2008 Mount Hood Railroad was acquired by [[Iowa Pacific Holdings]], based in [[Chicago]]. The company leases storage on its lines for excess freight cars, in addition to, or at times in place of, operating recreational rides.<ref name="IOWAPAC">{{Cite web |title=Mount Hood Railroad |url=http://www.iowapacific.com/railroads/mount-hood-railroad/ |publisher=Iowa Pacific Holdings}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Oregon}}
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Hood River County, Oregon]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.co.hood-river.or.us/ Hood River County, Oregon] (official website)
* [https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Pages/local/counties/hood-river.aspx Hood River County] listing in the [[Oregon Blue Book]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Hood River County, Oregon}}
{{Oregon}}

{{coord|45|31|03|N|121|38|58|W|region:US-OR_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki|display=title}}

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[[Category:Hood River County, Oregon| ]]
[[Category:1908 establishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1908]]
[[Category:Columbia River Gorge]]