Gilliam County, Oregon

Gilliam County, Oregon
Gilliam County Courthouse in Condon
Location in the state of Oregon
Oregon's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 25, 1885
Seat	Condon
Largest city	Condon
Area
• Total	1,223 sq mi (3,168 km2)
• Land	1,205 sq mi (3,121 km2)
• Water	18 sq mi (47 km2), 1.5%
Population (est.)
• (2014)	1,932
• Density	1.6/sq mi (1/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.co.gilliam.or.us

Gilliam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,871,^[1] making it the third-least populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Condon.^[2] The county was established in 1885 and is named for Cornelius Gilliam,^[3] who commanded the forces of the provisional government of Oregon after the Whitman Massacre.

History

Old grain elevator in Gwendolen, in Gilliam County.

The Oregon Legislative Assembly created Gilliam County on February 25, 1885, from the eastern third of Wasco County after residents complained that they were too far from their county seat in The Dalles. The first Gilliam county seat was at Alkali, now Arlington. The question of a permanent county seat was placed on general election ballots in 1886, 1888, and again in 1890, when voters chose to move the county seat to Condon, known to early settlers as "Summit Springs." Once the question of the location of the county seat was settled, voters in Gilliam County proved reluctant to provide a courthouse in Condon. The county government operated out of a two-room house until 1903, when the county court appropriated money to construct a courthouse. This courthouse burned down in 1954 and was replaced the following year with the current courthouse.

Thereafter, apparently nothing much happened until the Shepherds Flat Wind Farm, an 845 megawatt (MW) wind farm, began construction in Eastern Oregon, in both Gilliam and Morrow counties, near Arlington. Approved in 2008 by state regulators, groundbreaking came in 2009. The wind farm was being built by Caithness Energy using General Electric (GE) 2.5 MW wind turbines, and it will supply electricity to Southern California Edison. In April, 2011, Google announced they had invested $100 million in the project. The wind farm was estimated to have an economic impact of $16 million annually for Oregon.

Geography

Sunrise in Gilliam County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,223 square miles (3,170 km²), of which 1,205 square miles (3,120 km²) is land and 18 square miles (47 km²) (1.5%) is water.^[4]

Adjacent counties

• Sherman County - west
• Wasco County - southwest
• Wheeler County - south
• Morrow County - east
• Klickitat County, Washington - north

Demographics

As of the census^[10] of 2000, there were 1,915 people, 819 households, and 543 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 1,043 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.76% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.84% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 1.15% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 1.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.2% were of German, 18.1% American, 12.6% English, 12.5% Irish and 5.3% Scottish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 819 households out of which 27.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.60% were non-families. 29.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.20% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 19.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 102.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,611, and the median income for a family was $41,477. Males had a median income of $30,915 versus $20,852 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,659. About 6.70% of families and 9.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.00% of those under age 18 and 6.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility (Norcor), a short-term jail, serves Gilliam, Hood River, Sherman, and Wasco counties.^[11]

Politics

Though Gilliam County is located in central Oregon, politically it falls in line with the eastern side of the state. The majority of registered voters who are part of a political party in Gilliam County, as well as most counties in eastern Oregon, are members of the Republican Party.^[12] In the 2008 presidential election, 58.36% of Gilliam County voters voted for Republican John McCain, while 38.74% voted for Democrat Barack Obama and 2.88% of voters either voted for a Third Party candidate or wrote in a candidate. These numbers show a small but clear shift towards the Democratic candidate when compared to the 2004 presidential election, in which 66.3% of Gilliam Country voters voted for George W. Bush, while 32.5% voted for John Kerry, and 1.2% of voters either voted for a Third Party candidate or wrote in a candidate.^[13]

Economy

Gilliam County is in the heart of the Columbia River Plateau wheat-growing region. The economy is based on agriculture, and wheat, barley and beef cattle are the principal products. Properties are large, with an average farm size of about 4,200 acres (17 km²).

The largest individual employers in the county are two subsidiaries of Waste Management Inc., Chemical Waste Management of the Northwest and Oregon Waste Systems, Inc., who run two regional waste disposal landfills. By levying a fee of $1 a ton, Gilliam County receives enough money to pay the first $500 of the property tax bills of its inhabitants, an amount that covers the full tax bill for almost half of the county inhabitants, as well as funding other county projects.

Hunting, fishing and tourism are secondary industries. Transportation also contributes to the local economy; two major rivers, the John Day and Columbia, cross the area east-to-west, as does Interstate 84. Oregon Route 19 connects the county's major cities north-to-south and provides access to the John Day Valley.

Communities

Cities

• Arlington
• Condon (county seat)
• Lonerock

Unincorporated communities

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Gilliam County, Oregon

References

External links

• Entry for Gilliam County in the Oregon Blue Book

		Klickitat County, Washington
	Sherman County		Morrow County
		Gilliam County, Oregon
	Wasco County	Wheeler County

Municipalities and communities of Gilliam County, Oregon, United States County seat: Condon Cities Arlington Condon Lonerock Unincorporated communities Clem Mayville Mikkalo Olex Former communities Blalock

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Coordinates: 45°23′N 120°13′W / 45.38°N 120.21°W / 45.38; -120.21