The following is a list of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The Oregon Constitution does not explicitly provide for county seats; Article VI, covering the "Administrative Department" of the state of Oregon, simply states that:
- All county and city officers shall keep their respective offices at such places therein, and perform such duties, as may be prescribed by law.[1]
More details on the etymologies of Oregon county names and place names in general are documented in Oregon Geographic Names. Oregon's postal abbreviation is OR and its FIPS state code is 41.
County information[]
The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.
County |
FIPS code [2] |
County seat [3] |
Established [3] |
Origin [4] |
Etymology [4] |
Population [5] |
Area [3] |
Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baker County | 001 | Baker City | 1862 | Wasco County, Union County and Malheur County | Edward Dickinson Baker, a senator from Oregon who was killed at Ball's Bluff, a battle of the American Civil War | 16,134 | ( 7,946 km2) |
3,068 sq mi|
Benton County | 003 | Corvallis | 1847 | Polk County | Thomas Hart Benton (1782 - 1858), a U.S. senator who advocated U.S. control over the Oregon Country | 85,579 | ( 1,751 km2) |
676 sq mi|
Clackamas County | 005 | Oregon City | 1843 | One of the original four districts of the Oregon Country | The Clackamas Indians, a Native American tribe living in the area. | 375,992 | ( 4,838 km2) |
1,868 sq mi|
Clatsop County | 007 | Astoria | 1844 | Northern and western portions of the original Twality District | Clatsop tribe of Native Americans, who lived along the coast of the Pacific Ocean prior to European settlement | 37,039 | ( 2,142 km2) |
827 sq mi|
Columbia County | 009 | Saint Helens | 1854 | Northern half of Washington County | Columbia River, which forms the county's eastern and northern borders | 49,351 | ( 1,702 km2) |
657 sq mi|
Coos County | 011 | Coquille | 1853 | Western parts of Umpqua and Jackson Counties | The Coos Tribe of Native Americans who lived in the region | 63,043 | ( 4,144 km2) |
1,600 sq mi|
Crook County | 013 | Prineville | 1882 | Southern part of Wasco County | George Crook (1828 - 1890), a U.S. Army officer who served in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars | 20,978 | ( 7,718 km2) |
2,980 sq mi|
Curry County | 015 | Gold Beach | 1855 | Coos County | George Law Curry (1820-1878), a governor of the Oregon Territory | 22,364 | ( 4,214 km2) |
1,627 sq mi|
Deschutes County | 017 | Bend | 1916 | Southern part of Crook County | "Riviere des Chutes", French for "River of the Falls". | 157,733 | ( 7,817 km2) |
3,018 sq mi|
Douglas County | 019 | Roseburg | 1852 | Portion of Umpqua County which lay east of the Coast Range summit | Stephen A. Douglas (1813 - 1861), a U.S. Senator who supported Oregon statehood | 107,667 | ( 13,046 km2) |
5,037 sq mi|
Gilliam County | 021 | Condon | 1885 | Eastern third of Wasco County | Cornelius Gilliam (1798 - 1848), a pioneer who commanded the forces of the Provisional Government of Oregon after the Whitman Massacre | 1,871 | ( 3,118 km2) |
1,204 sq mi|
Grant County | 023 | Canyon City | 1864 | Parts of old Wasco and old Umatilla counties | Ulysses S. Grant (1822 - 1885), army officer who served in the Oregon Territory; a Union general in the American Civil War at the time of the county's creation; and subsequently President of the United States (1869–1877) | 7,445 | ( 11,730 km2) |
4,529 sq mi|
Harney County | 025 | Burns | 1889 | Southern two-thirds of Grant County | William S. Harney (1800 - 1889), a cavalry officer of the period, who was involved in the Pig War | 7,422 | ( 26,250 km2) |
10,135 sq mi|
Hood River County | 027 | Hood River | 1908 | Northwest portion of Wasco County | The Hood River (a tributary of the Columbia River), which flows through the county | 22,346 | ( 1,352 km2) |
522 sq mi|
Jackson County | 029 | Medford | 1852 | Southwestern portion of Lane County and the unorganized area south of Douglas and Umpqua Counties | Andrew Jackson (1767 – 1845), the seventh President of the United States | 203,206 | ( 7,213 km2) |
2,785 sq mi|
Jefferson County | 031 | Madras | 1914 | Crook County | Mount Jefferson, which is located on its western boundary, named in turn for Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826), the 3rd president of the United States. | 21,720 | ( 4,613 km2) |
1,781 sq mi|
Josephine County | 033 | Grants Pass | 1856 | Western half of Jackson County | Virginia "Josephine" Rollins, the first white woman to make this county her home. | 82,713 | ( 4,248 km2) |
1,640 sq mi|
Klamath County | 035 | Klamath Falls | 1882 | Western part of Lake County | The Klamath or Clamitte tribe, which has had a presence in the area for 10,000 years. | 66,380 | ( 15,397 km2) |
5,945 sq mi|
Lake County | 037 | Lakeview | 1874 | Jackson and Wasco Counties | Numerous lakes and hot springs. | 7,895 | ( 21,072 km2) |
8,136 sq mi|
Lane County | 039 | Eugene | 1851 | Southern part of Linn County and the portion of Benton County east of Umpqua County | Gen. Joseph Lane (1801–1881), the first governor of Oregon Territory | 351,715 | ( 11,795 km2) |
4,554 sq mi|
Lincoln County | 041 | Newport | 1893 | Western portion of Benton County and Polk County | Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865), sixteenth President of the United States. | 46,034 | ( 2,538 km2) |
980 sq mi|
Linn County | 043 | Albany | 1847 | Southern portion of Champoeg (later Marion) County | U.S. Senator Lewis F. Linn (1795 - 1843) of Missouri, author of the Donation Land Act, which provided free land to settlers in the West. | 116,672 | ( 5,934 km2) |
2,291 sq mi|
Malheur County | 045 | Vale | 1887 | Southern portion of Baker County | Malheur River (formally "Riviere au Malheur" or "Unfortunate River"), named by French trappers whose property and furs were stolen from their river encampment. | 31,313 | ( 25,610 km2) |
9,888 sq mi|
Marion County | 047 | Salem | 1843 | One of the original four districts of the Oregon territory | Francis Marion (1732 – 1795), American Revolutionary War general | 315,335 | ( 3,069 km2) |
1,185 sq mi|
Morrow County | 049 | Heppner | 1885 | Western portion of Umatilla County and a small portion of eastern Wasco County | Jackson L. Morrow, a state representative who advocated for the formation of the county. | 11,173 | ( 5,265 km2) |
2,033 sq mi|
Multnomah County | 051 | Portland | 1854 | Eastern part of Washington and the northern part of Clackamas counties | The Indian village of Multnomah, on Sauvie Island. The word is derived from nematlnomaq, probably meaning downriver. Lewis and Clark made note of the name in 1805, and applied that name to all local Indians. | 735,334 | ( 1,127 km2) |
435 sq mi|
Polk County | 053 | Dallas | 1845 | Yamhill District | James Knox Polk (1795–1849), President of the United States at the time of the county's creation | 75,403 | ( 1,919 km2) |
741 sq mi|
Sherman County | 055 | Moro | 1889 | Northeast corner of Wasco County | William Tecumseh Sherman (1820 - 1891), American Civil War general, and businessman, educator, and author | 1,765 | ( 2,132 km2) |
823 sq mi|
Tillamook County | 057 | Tillamook | 1853 | Clatsop, Yamhill and Polk Counties | Tillamook (or Killamook) Native American people. | 25,250 | ( 2,854 km2) |
1,102 sq mi|
Umatilla County | 059 | Pendleton | 1862 | Portion of Wasco County | Sahaptin word, possibly meaning laughing waters. | 75,889 | ( 8,327 km2) |
3,215 sq mi|
Union County | 061 | La Grande | 1864 | Baker County | The town of Union, which had been established two years before and named by its founders for the "Union" of the states during the Civil War. | 25,748 | ( 5,276 km2) |
2,037 sq mi|
Wallowa County | 063 | Enterprise | 1887 | Eastern portion of Union County. | The Nez Perce word wallowa to designate a tripod of poles used to support fish nets. The area was claimed by the Chief Joseph band of the Nez Perce as its hunting and fishing grounds | 7,008 | ( 8,146 km2) |
3,145 sq mi|
Wasco County | 065 | The Dalles | 1854 | Parts of Clackamas, Lane, Linn and Marion counties | The Wasco (or Wascopam) Native American tribe. | 25,213 | ( 6,167 km2) |
2,381 sq mi|
Washington County | 067 | Hillsboro | 1843 | One of the original four districts of the Oregon Country (as Twality District) | George Washington (1732 - 1799), Founding Father of the United States and first President of the United States | 529,710 | ( 1,875 km2) |
724 sq mi|
Wheeler County | 069 | Fossil | 1899 | Parts of Grant, Gilliam, and Crook Counties | Henry H. Wheeler, who operated the first mail stage line from The Dalles to Canyon City. | 1,441 | ( 4,442 km2) |
1,715 sq mi|
Yamhill County | 071 | McMinnville | 1843 | One of the original four districts of the Oregon Country | The Yamhelas, members of the Kalapuya Native American family, who lived along the Yamhill River in the western Willamette Valley. | 99,193 | ( 1,854 km2) |
716 sq mi
See also[]
- Umpqua County, Oregon (historic)
- Oregon locations by per capita income.
- List of U.S. county secession proposals#Oregon
- List of lists about Oregon
References[]
- ^ Article VI of the Constitution of Oregon, from the Oregon Blue Book
- ^ "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA. http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/codes/or.html. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ a b c National Association of Counties. "NACo - Find a county". http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/state.cfm&state.cfm&statecode=OR. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
- ^ a b Oregon State Archives. "County Government". Oregon Blue Book. http://bluebook.state.or.us/local/counties/counties.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov
External links[]
- Historic county boundaries from the Oregon Archives
- Map of counties adjusted for population
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This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at List of counties in Oregon. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |