Umatilla County, Oregon

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Umatilla County, Oregon
Stafford Hansell Government Center in Hermiston
Location in the state of Oregon
Oregon's location in the U.S.
Founded	September 27, 1862
Seat	Pendleton
Largest city	Hermiston
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	3,231 sq mi (8,368 km²) 3,216 sq mi (8,329 km²) 16 sq mi (41 km²), 0.5%
Population  - (2020)  - Density	80,075 23/sq mi (9/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Pacific: UTC-8/-7
Website	www.co.umatilla.or.us

Umatilla County ( /ˌjuːməˈtɪlə/) is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,075. Hermiston is the largest city in Umatilla County, but Pendleton remains the County Seat. Umatilla County is part of the Hermiston-Pendleton, OR Micropolitan Statistical Area, which has a combined population of 92,261. It is included in the eight-county definition of Eastern Oregon.

The county is named for the Umatilla River.

History

Umatilla County was created on September 27, 1862, out of a portion of Wasco County. Adjustments were made to the county's boundaries following the creation of Grant, Morrow, Union, and Wallowa Counties. This legislative act also designated Marshall Station as the temporary county seat. An 1865 election selected Umatilla City, now known as Umatilla, as the county seat. With the development of wheat farming, population shifted to the north and east parts of the county, and a subsequent election in 1868 moved the county seat again to Pendleton.

The Umatilla Indian Reservation was established by the Treaty of Walla Walla in 1855. The Umatillas, Walla Wallas, and Cayuse tribes were resettled there, and is located immediately southeast of Pendleton.

EZ Wireless of Hermiston officially opened on February 4, 2004, one of the largest known Wi-Fi wide area networks in the United States, covering parts of Umatilla County, Morrow County and Benton County, Washington. Although created to facilitate communications among local police, firemen and EMT workers who immediately respond to possible accidents or terrorist attacks on the Umatilla Chemical Depot, where the U.S. Army maintained a national arsenal of nerve gas, the network can be accessed in some places by the public for free.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,231 square miles (8,370 km²), of which 3,216 square miles (8,330 km²) are land and 16 square miles (41 km²) (0.5%) are covered by water. It borders the Columbia River across from Washington.

Adjacent counties

I-84 eastbound and McKay Reservoir in Umatilla County

• Benton County, Washington (north)
• Walla Walla County, Washington (north)
• Columbia County, Washington (northeast)
• Wallowa County (east)
• Union County (east)
• Grant County (south)
• Morrow County (west)

National protected areas

• Cold Springs National Wildlife Refuge
• McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge
• Umatilla National Forest (part)
• Whitman National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	2,916		—
1880	9,607		229.5%
1890	13,381		39.3%
1900	18,049		34.9%
1910	20,309		12.5%
1920	25,946		27.8%
1930	24,399		−6.0%
1940	26,030		6.7%
1950	41,703		60.2%
1960	44,352		6.4%
1970	44,923		1.3%
1980	58,861		31.0%
1990	59,249		0.7%
2000	70,548		19.1%
2010	75,889		7.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, 75,889 people, 26,904 households, and 18,647 families resided in the county. The population density was 23.6 inhabitants per square mile (9.1 /km²). The 29,693 housing units had an average density of 9.2 per square mile (3.6 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.1% White, 3.5% American Indian, 0.9% Asian, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 12.5% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 23.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 21.4% were German, 12.8% were Irish, 11.6% were English, and 5.6% were American.

Of the 26,904 households, 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.7% were non-families, and 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.17. The median age was 35.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,861 and for a family was $53,585. Males had a median income of $39,288 versus $30,489 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,035. About 11.0% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

2016 Census household incomes

Strong economic growth in the west end of the county has propelled Hermiston well past Pendleton with the highest median household incomes in Umatilla County.

2016 Median household incomes

Rank	City	Median Income	% Change from 2010
1	Hermiston	$49,008	+15.1%
2	Pendleton	$46,190	+1.6%
3	Umatilla	$41,818	-0.1%
4	Milton-Freewater	$37,077	+9.2%

Government and politics

State legislature

Umatilla County contains two Oregon State House Districts: State House District 57, which is currently represented by Greg Smith, and State House District 58, which is currently represented by Greg Barreto. Umatilla County is also located in Oregon State Senate District 29, represented by Bill Hansell. Smith, Barreto, and Hansell are registered Republicans.

Board of commissioners

Umatilla County is represented and governed by three county commissioners. The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners is currently made up of William J. "Bill" Elfering, John Shafer, and Chair George Murdock.

Make-up of Umatilla County voters

Registered voters in Umatilla County, April 2009

Like all counties in eastern Oregon, the majority of registered voters who are part of a political party in Umatilla County are members of the Republican Party. In the 2008 presidential election, 59.77% of Umatilla County voters voted for Republican John McCain, while 37.16% voted for Democrat Barack Obama and 3.07% of voters either voted for a third-party candidate or wrote in a candidate. These numbers show a small but definite shift towards the Democratic candidate when compared to the 2004 presidential election, in which 65.8% of Umatilla Country voters voted for George W. Bush, while 32.8% voted for John Kerry, and 1.4% of voters either voted for a third-party candidate or wrote in a candidate.

United States presidential election results for Umatilla County, Oregon

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	21,270	64.38%	10,707	32.41%	1,061	3.21%
2016	17,059	61.81%	7,673	27.80%	2,865	10.38%
2012	15,499	62.07%	8,584	34.38%	886	3.55%
2008	15,254	59.77%	9,484	37.16%	785	3.08%
2004	17,068	64.84%	8,884	33.75%	370	1.41%
2000	14,140	61.32%	7,809	33.86%	1,111	4.82%
1996	9,703	45.14%	8,774	40.82%	3,018	14.04%
1992	7,095	36.12%	6,787	34.55%	5,761	29.33%
1988	10,254	54.02%	8,327	43.87%	400	2.11%
1984	14,211	63.12%	8,246	36.63%	57	0.25%
1980	12,950	57.78%	7,382	32.93%	2,082	9.29%
1976	9,345	51.83%	7,985	44.28%	701	3.89%
1972	10,470	57.94%	6,090	33.70%	1,511	8.36%
1968	8,975	54.80%	6,402	39.09%	1,002	6.12%
1964	6,138	36.41%	10,689	63.40%	32	0.19%
1960	9,374	53.77%	8,053	46.19%	6	0.03%
1956	9,654	55.70%	7,678	44.30%	0	0.00%
1952	10,529	59.60%	7,098	40.18%	40	0.23%
1948	5,726	48.69%	5,891	50.09%	144	1.22%
1944	5,379	51.77%	4,967	47.80%	45	0.43%
1940	5,193	51.11%	4,935	48.57%	32	0.31%
1936	2,943	31.27%	5,753	61.13%	715	7.60%
1932	2,930	33.01%	5,631	63.43%	316	3.56%
1928	5,277	67.83%	2,390	30.72%	113	1.45%
1924	3,854	44.71%	3,052	35.41%	1,714	19.88%
1920	4,979	58.03%	3,255	37.94%	346	4.03%
1916	3,664	42.33%	4,606	53.22%	385	4.45%
1912	1,261	29.30%	1,563	36.32%	1,480	34.39%
1908	2,328	55.67%	1,568	37.49%	286	6.84%
1904	2,642	66.27%	840	21.07%	505	12.67%
1900	1,975	52.04%	1,638	43.16%	182	4.80%
1896	1,859	46.46%	2,083	52.06%	59	1.47%
1892	1,446	42.13%	398	11.60%	1,588	46.27%
1888	1,523	47.52%	1,551	48.39%	131	4.09%
1884	1,861	47.38%	2,003	50.99%	64	1.63%
1880	1,250	44.88%	1,535	55.12%	0	0.00%

Economy

The gold rush of 1862 brought miners and stock raisers to the mountains and grasslands of Umatilla County. Another stimulus was the arrival of the railroad in 1881, opening the region to the development of dry-land wheat farming. Water for irrigation has been key to economic diversification and growth, most recently in the Hermiston area, where potatoes, onions, corn, and more than 200 other crops are grown commercially. Low-cost power through Umatilla Electric Cooperative and good freeway access are also driving growth in the Hermiston area, with amazon.com developing large data-center operations there, and major distribution facilities for Walmart, FedEx, and UPS are all located in Hermiston.

Communities

Trestle seen off Sparks Station Rd at Pendleton Country Club, opposite of the McKay Reservoir, Pendleton, Oregon. Transportation linkages in Umatilla are one of the county's major advantages.

An old grain elevator along Steen Road south of Milton-Freewater, Umatilla County.

Umatilla County is generally divided into three distinct economic and cultural areas, which are the West End, the Pendleton area, and the Milton-Freewater area. Although each of these communities shares some economic ties, the distance between each creates three very distinct communities. The West End includes the communities of Hermiston, Umatilla, Stanfield, and Echo. The Pendleton area includes Pendleton, Pilot Rock, Adams, and Athena. The Milton-Freewater area is largely tied to the Walla Walla, Washington area, and is considered a part of the Walla Walla Metropolitan Planning Organization. The similarities between the areas has created a long-standing rivalry, particularly between the West-End and the Pendleton-area, with regard to economic opportunity and public resources. The West End, led by Hermiston as its largest city, is now nearly twice the size of the Pendleton area, and is projected to be nearly three times the size of the Pendleton area by 2035.

Cities

• Adams
• Athena
• Echo
• Helix
• Hermiston
• Milton-Freewater
• Pendleton (county seat)
• Pilot Rock
• Stanfield
• Ukiah
• Umatilla
• Weston

Census-designated places

• Cayuse
• Gopher Flats
• Green Meadows
• Kirkpatrick
• McKay
• Meacham
• Mission
• Riverside
• Tutuilla
• Umapine

Other unincorporated communities

• Bingham Springs
• Blakeley (ghost town)
• Cold Springs
• Cold Springs Junction
• Ferndale
• Gibbon
• Havana
• Hinkle
• Holdman
• Lehman Springs
• McNary
• Myrick
• Nolin
• Nye
• Ordnance (ghost town)
• Pine Grove
• Power City
• Rieth
• Riverview (ghost town)
• Sunnyside
• Tollgate
• Westland

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Umatilla County, Oregon
• Umatilla County Fair

External links

• Umatilla County (official website)