Granite, Oregon

Granite, Oregon
—  City  —
Location in Oregon
Coordinates: 44°48′32″N 118°25′13″W
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Grant
Incorporated	1901
Government
• Mayor	Bill Duyn
Area
• Total	0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2)
• Land	0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	4,660 ft (1,420.4 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	24
• Density	60.3/sq mi (23.2/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific (UTC-7)
ZIP code	97877
Area code(s)	458 and 541
FIPS code	41-30500
GNIS feature ID	1142911

Granite is a city located in Grant County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 24, up from its population of 10 in 1990. It is the second-smallest (according to population) incorporated city in Oregon, after nearby Greenhorn, which has a population of zero.

History

First established by miners after the discovery of gold July 4, 1862, the community was originally called Independence and was situated about a mile-and-half west-north-west of the present location. According to Oregon Geographic Names, the name Granite was chosen when its post office was established in 1878, the name "Independence" already being used in Polk County, Oregon. A. G. Tabor, who had staked the first mining claim on Granite Creek (the Independence) and was the only merchant in town at the time, served as the first postmaster. The city of Granite was incorporated in April 1900 with Grant Thornburg as mayor.

A 1939 interview "Occupational and Social Life of Granite" recorded by William "Bill" Haight as part of the Federal Writers' Project, described the town and surroundings of Granite.

Economy

With more than eighty percent of the men in the area directly employed in the mining industry, the viability of the area's economy practically collapsed when gold mining was made illegal in 1942 by Federal Public Law L-208, under the authority of the War Labor Act. The city had a population of 45 in 1930, 86 in 1940, 40 in 1950, and two in 1960. Although electrical service, provided by a local power plant on Clear Creek, and telegraph and later telephone lines were operational in the early days, they fell out of use and were abandoned after World War II. Modern telephone service was extended to Granite in the year 2000.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 24 people, 15 households, and 9 families residing in the city. The population density was 60.3 people per square mile (23.2/km²). There were 74 housing units at an average density of 185.8 per square mile (71.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 100% White. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.17% of the population.

There were 15 households out of which 0.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, 0.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.60 and the average family size was 2.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% from 25 to 44, 66.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57 years. For every 100 females there were 118.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $15,625, and the median income for a family was $20,625. Males had a median income of $11,250 versus $6,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $8,024. About 20.0% of families and 36.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 100.0% of those 65 and older.

See also

• List of ghost towns in Oregon

External links

• Grant County Chamber of Commerce entry for Granite
• Entry for Granite in the Oregon Blue Book