Hermiston, Oregon

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Coordinates: 45°50′28″N, 119°17′30″W
Hermiston, Oregon
Hat Rock, located on the Columbia River near Hermiston, was one of the first landmarks noted in the journals of Lewis and Clark. ^[1]
Location in Oregon
County	Umatilla County
Incorporated	1906
Mayor	Robert E. Severson
Area
- City	16.7 km² (6.5 sq mi)
- Land	16.7 km² (6.5 sq mi)
- Water	0.0 km² (0.0 sq mi)
Elevation	196 m (643 ft)
Population
- City (2005^[2])	15,030
- Density	899.4/km² (2,326.9/sq mi)
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	Pacific (UTC-7)
Website: http://hermiston.or.us

Hermiston is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States, at the junction of I-82 and I-84. U.S. Highway 395 also goes through the center of the city. Hermiston is seven miles south of the Columbia River, Lake Wallula, and the McNary Dam. The Umatilla Chemical Depot and the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility are five miles west of the city, northeast of the intersection of I-84 and I-82.

1 Economy
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Education
5 Annual Events
6 Trivia
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Economy

Hermiston's largest employers and approximate number of employees^[3]:

Wal-Mart Distribution Center (850)
Lamb Weston (700)
Hermiston Foods (NORPAC) (500)
Marlette Homes (450)
Union Pacific Railroad (300)
Good Shepherd Health Care System (350)
Wal-Mart Supercenter Store (250)
Umatilla Chemical Depot/Washington Group (135)

[edit] Geography

Hermiston is located at 45°50′28″N, 119°17′30″W (45.840992, -119.291714)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.7 km² (6.5 mi²) and has no surface water.

Distance to major cities:

Portland, Oregon - 181 miles
Seattle, Washington - 259 miles
Spokane, Washington - 204 miles
Boise, Idaho - 259 miles
Salt Lake City, Utah - 587 miles
Missoula, Montana - 367 miles

Hermiston's recent population growth is due to its proximity to large cities in the Pacific Northwest and its location along two major freeways.^[4] ^[5]

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 13,154 people, 4,964 households, and 3,360 families residing in the city. The population density was 786.2/km² (2,035.4/mi²). There were 5,383 housing units at an average density of 321.7/km² (832.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.93% White, 0.93% African American, 0.90% Native American, 1.58% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 15.07% from other races, and 2.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.08% of the population.

There were 4,964 households out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,354, and the median income for a family was $42,881. Males had a median income of $32,100 versus $20,951 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,075. About 11.9% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

The school district is comprised of one high school, two middle schools, and five elementary schools. As of October 2006, the enrollment in K-12 schools is 4,805. The superintendent is currently Darce Driskel, although he has since announced his retirement at the end of the 2006-07 school year. ^[6]

[edit] Annual Events

Farm City Pro Rodeo, annual rodeo held in August
Cinco de Mayo

[edit] Trivia

The first Shari's restaurant, built in 1978, is located on Highway 395 in Hermiston.
It is the location where former Laker forward and NBA All-Star A. C. Green converted to Christianity. ^[7]
The world's largest wi-fi cloud is located in Hermiston.^[8]
Hermiston is well-known for the seedless watermelons grown there.^[9]
Each year, a truckload of watermelons and other local produce are distributed free of charge in Portland, Oregon's Pioneer Courthouse Square.^[10]

[edit] References

^ Lewis, Meriweather & William Clark (1805, tr. 2003). October 19, 1805 (HTML). The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Online. University of Nebraska Lincoln. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
^ Population Trends (HTML). City of Hermiston (Official Website). City of Hermiston (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
^ Major Employers. City of Hermiston (Official Website). City of Hermiston (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
^ Hutchinson-Talaski, Karen. "Hermiston growth leads the way", Hermiston Herald (Online), Hermiston, Oregon: Western Communications, November 24, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
^ Population Trends. City of Hermiston (Official Website). City of Hermiston (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
^ Minutes: Regular Meeting (PDF). Hermiston School District (Official website). Hermiston, Oregon: Umatilla County School District #8R (October 3, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
^ AC Green, Main Man of the Month (HTML). Sacred Hoops. SacredHoops.com (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
^ Associated Press (October 16, 2005). Wi-Fi Cloud Covers Rural Oregon. Wired News. CondéNet Inc.. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
^ West, Gary L. (August 22, 2006). Watermelon worth the price. Blogiculture. Capital Press Agriculture Weekly, Press Publishing. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
^ Hudson, Terry. "Hermiston melons, seeds hit in Portland", Tri-City Herald (Online), Kennewick, Washington: Tri-City Herald, August 16, 1997. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.