Malheur County, Oregon

Malheur County (Template:IPAc-en, Template:IPA) is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,571.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Vale,<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> and its largest city is Ontario. The county was named after the Malheur River, which runs through the county. The word "malheur" is French for misfortune or tragedy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Malheur County is included in the Ontario, Oregon Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Boise Combined Statistical Area. It is included in the eight-county definition of Eastern Oregon.

History

Malheur County was created Template:Date, from the southern territory of Baker County. It was first settled by miners and stockmen in the early 1860s. The discovery of gold in 1863 attracted further development, including settlements and ranches. Basques settled in the region in the 1890s and were mainly engaged in sheep raising.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert, comprising 0.4%, is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> It is the second-largest county in Oregon by area and the only county in Oregon in the Mountain Time Zone.

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Pillars of Rome, from US 95 near Rome

Adjacent counties

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Grant County - northwest/Pacific Time Border
Baker County - north/Pacific Time Border
Washington County, Idaho - northeast
Payette County, Idaho - east
Canyon County, Idaho - east
Owyhee County, Idaho - east
Humboldt County, Nevada - south
Harney County - west/Pacific Time Border

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National protected areas

Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Malheur National Forest (part)
Whitman National Forest (part)

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Highways

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Railroads

Template:MainThe main railroad in Malheur County is the Oregon Eastern Railroad. This line goes from Ontario to the Celatom Plant in Vale.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This railroad is all that remains of the Wyoming Colorado Railroad, a shot line between Colorado, Wyoming and Oregon.

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OERR locomotive at Vale

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Time zones

Map of Malheur County

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Most of Malheur County (shown in purple) is in the Mountain Time Zone; a small portion in the southern part of the county is in the Pacific Time Zone along with the rest of the state of Oregon and neighboring Nevada.

Template:Further As with many cities, Malheur County's cities had functioned with both city time and railroad time. This changed by order of the Interstate Commerce Commission on May, 13th 1923 with cities adopting train time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Malheur County is still one of the few counties in the United States with two time zones. Most of the county is in the Mountain Time Zone, but a small portion in the south is in the Pacific Time Zone, indicative of that area's proximity to its main service town, Winnemucca, Nevada.

Demographics

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 31,571 people residing in the county.<ref name="QF" />

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 31,313 people, 10,411 households, and 7,149 families living in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 11,692 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 77.5% white, 1.7% Asian, 1.2% American Indian, 1.2% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 15.5% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 31.5% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1" /> In terms of ancestry, 16.2% were German, 11.9% were English, 10.3% were Irish, and 9.9% were American.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 10,411 households, 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.3% were non-families, and 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.24. The median age was 36.2 years.<ref name="census-dp1" />

The median income for a household in the county was $39,144 and the median income for a family was $46,136. Males had a median income of $33,234 versus $27,883 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,335. About 15.2% of families and 22.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.1% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 31,615 people, 10,221 households, and 7,348 families living in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 11,233 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was:

75.78% White
1.22% Black or African American
1.02% Native American
1.96% Asian
0.08% Pacific Islander
17.38% from other races
2.56% from two or more races

25.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.2% were of German, 10.5% English, 8.4% American and 6.9% Irish ancestry. 79.4% spoke English and 19.4% spoke Spanish as their first language.

There were 10,221 households, out of which 36.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.60% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 116.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,241, and the median income for a family was $35,672. Males had a median income of $25,489 versus $21,764 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,895. About 14.60% of families and 18.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.80% of those under age 18 and 11.60% of those age 65 or over.

Malheur County is the poorest county in Oregon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2008, 21% of its residents live in poverty.<ref name="ORbiz" />

Politics

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Like most counties in eastern Oregon, the majority of registered voters who are part of a political party in Malheur County are members of the Republican Party. In the 2008 presidential election, 69.10% of Malheur County voters voted for Republican John McCain, while 28.47% voted for Democrat Barack Obama and 2.42% of voters voted for a third-party candidate. These statistics do not include write-in votes.<ref>Template:Cite web Retrieved on April 21, 2009</ref> These numbers show a small shift towards the Democratic candidate when compared to the 2004 presidential election, in which 74.9% of Malheur Country voters voted for George W. Bush, while 23.8% voted for John Kerry, and 1.3% of voters either voted for a third-party candidate or wrote in a candidate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Malheur County is one of the dominant Republican counties in Oregon when it comes to presidential elections. It was one of only two counties in Oregon to give the majority of its vote to Barry Goldwater and has favored the Republican candidate for decades.<ref>David Leip's Presidential Atlas (Maps for Oregon by election)</ref> The last Democratic candidate to carry the county was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940, and only by a margin of 29 votes.<ref>Geographie Electorale</ref> Further every Republican candidate since 1996 has received more than 60% of the county's vote.<ref>The New York Times electoral map (Zoom in on Oregon)</ref> Malheur County is also one of the most reliably Republican counties in state elections, for example in the 1998 gubernatorial election it was the only county to vote for Bill Sizemore instead of John Kitzhaber, and in the 1998 U.S. Senate election, it was the only county to vote for state senator John Lim over Ron Wyden.

As part of Oregon's 2nd congressional district it has been represented by Republican Cliff Bentz since 2021. In the Oregon Legislature, Malheur County is within Oregon's 30th Senate district, represented by Republican Lynn Findley. It's also within the 60th District in the Oregon House, which is represented by Republican Mark Owens.

Economy

The county is 94% rangeland, with the Bureau of Land Management controlling 72% of the land. Irrigated fields in the county's northeast corner, known as Western Treasure Valley, are the center of intensive and diversified farming. Malheur County's economy also depends on tourism.

The county's two largest employers are Heinz of Ontario, a potato processor branded as Ore-Ida, and the Snake River Correctional Institution, five miles northwest of Ontario.<ref name="ORbiz">Template:Cite news</ref>

Communities

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A sugar beet plant of the Amalgamated Sugar Company in Nyssa

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

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Ghost towns

Education

K-12 schools

School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite map - Text list</ref>

Adrian School District 61
Annex School District 29
- Template:As of students who graduate from Annex attend Weiser High School, of the Weiser School District, in Weiser, Idaho.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Arock School District 81
Burnt River School District 30J
Harper School District 66
Huntington School District 16J
Jordan Valley School District 3
Juntura School District 12 (elementary only)
McDermitt School District 51 (a.k.a. Malheur County School District #51) - A district with no employees, it sends all of its students to McDermitt Combined School in McDermitt, Nevada and Oregon, a school operated by the Humboldt County School District.<ref>Template:Cite web - Linked from "Schools We Serve"</ref>
Nyssa School District 26
Ontario School District 8
Vale School District 84

There is a charter school in Ontario, Four Rivers Community School (4RCC).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Private schools, both in Ontario, include:

Treasure Valley Christian School
St. Peter Catholic School of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baker<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Eldorado School, the first school in the county, was established in 1869.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Previously Crane Union High School in Harney County served sections of Malheur County.<ref name="Head">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Asof Juntura area students could choose from multiple high schools, including Crane, Harper, Ontario High, and Vale High.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Formerly there were the Vale Union High School District, Vale Elementary School District, Willowcreek School District, and the Brogan School District. A referendum was held in 1992, with the unofficial vote count pointing to an approval of the merger.<ref name=Gravesres>Template:Cite news</ref>

Previously there was a separate Brogan School District 1,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and a Rockville School District 2.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Tertiary education

Treasure Valley Community College is in Ontario.

A portion of the county is in the TVCC district. The remainder is not in any community college district.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Public libraries

Vale has the Emma Humphrey Library.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ontario Community Library of the Ontario Library District is in Ontario.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>