Prairie City, Oregon

Prairie City, Oregon
—  City  —
DeWitt Museum
Location in Oregon
Coordinates: 44°27′34″N 118°42′33″W
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Grant
Incorporated	1891
Government
• Mayor	Tim Cooley
Area
• Total	0.9 sq mi (2.5 km2)
• Land	0.9 sq mi (2.5 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	3,535 ft (1,077.5 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,080
• Density	1,140.7/sq mi (438.9/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific (UTC-7)
ZIP code	97869
Area code(s)	541
FIPS code	41-59650
GNIS feature ID	1147975
Website	www.prairiecityoregon.com

Prairie City is a city in Grant County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,080 at the 2000 census. The community was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on February 23, 1891.

History

Prairie City grew out of the former mining camp of Dixie, established in the summer of 1862 and was a short distance up Dixie Creek. Prairie City was the western terminus of the Sumpter Valley Railroad, which extended over Dixie Summit and Tipton to Sumpter and then to Baker City; passenger train service was discontinued in 1937. Freight service continued through World War II, but the line was abandoned in 1947.

Geography

Prairie City is at the upper end of the John Day Valley, on the John Day River, the second longest undammed river in the contiguous United States.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,080 people, 433 households, and 286 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,140.7 people per square mile (438.9/km²). There were 493 housing units at an average density of 520.7 per square mile (200.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.56% White, 2.13% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 1.20% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.

There were 433 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,354, and the median income for a family was $35,893. Males had a median income of $31,771 versus $24,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,278. About 10.6% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The current economy includes ranching, and a number of retail vendors and public services.^{[citation needed]}

Museums and other points of interest

Prairie City has a number of historic stone buildings, quarried in the area and built in the first decade of the twentieth century.^{[citation needed]} The Dewitt Museum, containing pioneer artifacts and memorabilia from the surrounding area, is located in the former Sumpter Valley Railway Depot, Prairie City. The town's cemetery also includes marked graves of both Union and Confederate veterans. Bates State Park, built on the site of a former lumber mill, is located about 17 miles (27 km) to the northwest.

External links

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