Spray, Oregon

Spray, Oregon
—  City  —
Spray City Hall in 2011
Nickname(s): The City by the River
Location in Oregon
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Oregon
County Wheeler
Incorporated 1958
Named for John Fremont Spray and Mary E. Spray, early settlers[1]
Government
 • Mayor Bobby Adams
Area
 • Total 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
 • Land 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation 1,772 ft (540.1 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 160
 • Density 800/sq mi (308.9/km2)
  [2]
Time zone Pacific (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) Pacific (UTC-7)
ZIP code 97874
Area code(s) 541
FIPS code 41-69450[3]
GNIS feature ID 1127403[4]
Website www.sprayoregon.us

Spray is a city in Wheeler County, Oregon, United States. The population was 160 at the 2010 census.[2]

Contents

Geography

Spray is located along the John Day River in north-central Oregon.[5] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2), all land.[6]

Oregon Route 19 and Oregon Route 207, which meet 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Spray, overlap as they pass through the city. Spray is about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Fossil along Route 19 and about 55 miles (89 km) south of Heppner along Route 207.[5]

History

Spray was named for John Fremont Spray, the community's founder and first postmaster, and his wife, Mary E. Spray. The post office was established in 1900.[1] In that same year, John Spray established a ferry to carry people across the John Day River, and he helped establish a school and a store in the community.[7]

After formation of Wheeler County in 1899, Spray was suggested as a possible county seat. A county-wide election held in 1900 produced 436 votes for Fossil, 267 for Twickenham, and 82 for Spray.[8] In 1958, Spray became the last Wheeler County community to incorporate as a city.[9] John Butler was the first mayor.[9]

Demographics

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 140 people, 67 households, and 39 families residing in the city. The population density was 618.7 people per square mile (235.0/km²). There were 88 housing units at an average density of 388.9 per square mile (147.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.86% White, 0.71% Asian, and 1.43% from two or more races.

There were 67 households out of which 14.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples living together, 3.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.55.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.6% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 17.9% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 32.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 112.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,250, and the median income for a family was $24,500. Males had a median income of $19,250 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,955. There were 11.4% of families and 21.0% of the population living below the poverty line, including 43.5% of under eighteens and 13.2% of those over 64.

Education

Spray School and the Spray School District headquarters are located in the city. In the 2011–12 school year, 44 students were enrolled in grades kindergarten through 12.[10]

Annual cultural events

Spray features an annual half marathon and rodeo on Memorial Day weekend. The half marathon begins at Service Creek on Saturday and finishes in downtown Spray. The rodeo parade begins roughly three hours later, followed by the rodeo which continues on Sunday.[11] High school graduation also occurs the week before, and the school year ends the week of the rodeo.

Climate

The average temperature in Spray in January is 33 °F (1 °C), and in July it is 72 °F (22 °C). The highest recorded temperature for Spray was 116 °F (47 °C) in 2007, and the lowest recorded temperature was −26 °F (−32 °C) in 1962. The average wettest month is May.[12]

Climate data for Spray, Oregon
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 43
(6)		 50
(10)		 58
(14)		 65
(18)		 74
(23)		 81
(27)		 92
(33)		 92
(33)		 83
(28)		 68
(20)		 52
(11)		 42
(6)		 66.7
(19.3)
Average low °F (°C) 23
(−5)		 25
(−4)		 30
(−1)		 35
(2)		 41
(5)		 47
(8)		 51
(11)		 50
(10)		 42
(6)		 33
(1)		 29
(−2)		 23
(−5)		 35.8
(2.1)
Precipitation inches (mm) 1.38
(35.1)		 1.22
(31)		 1.46
(37.1)		 1.44
(36.6)		 1.75
(44.5)		 1.35
(34.3)		 0.59
(15)		 0.61
(15.5)		 0.61
(15.5)		 1.08
(27.4)		 1.54
(39.1)		 1.63
(41.4)		 14.66
(372.4)
Source: [12]

References

  1. ^ a b McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 904. ISBN 0-87595-277-1. 
  2. ^ a b "2010 Census profiles: Oregon cities alphabetically R-S" (PDF). Portland State University Population Research Center. http://www.pdx.edu/sites/www.pdx.edu.prc/files/media_assets/2010_PL94_cities_R-S_updated.pdf. Retrieved 1 September 2011. 
  3. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  5. ^ a b Rand McNally & Company (2008). The Road Atlas (Map). pp. 84–85. ISBN 0-528-93961-0. 
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  7. ^ Stinchfield, Janet L.; Stinchfield, McLaren E., eds. (1983). The History of Wheeler County, Oregon. Dallas, Texas: Taylor Publishing Company. pp. 9–10. OCLC 10948544. 
  8. ^ Stinchfield, Janet L.; Stinchfield, McLaren E., eds. (1983). The History of Wheeler County, Oregon. Dallas, Texas: Taylor Publishing Company. pp. 5–6. OCLC 10948544. 
  9. ^ a b Fussner, F. Smith, ed. (1975). Glimpses of Wheeler County's Past: An Early History of North Central Oregon. Portland, Oregon: Binford & Mort. pp. 56–57. ISBN 0-8323-0249-X. 
  10. ^ "About Us". Spray School District. 2011. http://www.spray.k12.or.us/about-us. Retrieved December 6, 2011. 
  11. ^ "Spray Rodeo and East Oregon Half Marathon". Spray Rodeo. 2011. http://www.sprayrodeo.org/5701.html. Retrieved December 5, 2011. 
  12. ^ a b "Monthly averages for Spray, OR". The Weather Channel. 2011. http://www.weather.com/outlook/driving/interstate/wxclimatology/monthly/USOR0329. Retrieved December 5, 2011. 

External links

Municipalities and communities of Wheeler County, Oregon, USA
Cities
Unincorporated
communities