Gilliam County, Oregon

Gilliam County
County
Gilliam County Courthouse in Condon
Location within the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°23′N 120°13′W
Country	United States
State	Oregon
Founded	February 25, 1885
Seat	Condon
Largest city	Condon
Area
• Total	1,223 sq mi (3,170 km2)
• Land	1,205 sq mi (3,120 km2)
• Water	18 sq mi (50 km2)  1.5%
Population
• Estimate  (2016)	1,854
• Density	1.6/sq mi (0.6/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, making it the third-least populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Condon. The county was established in 1885 and is named for Cornelius Gilliam, 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.

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	3,600		—
1900	3,201		−11.1%
1910	3,701		15.6%
1920	3,960		7.0%
1930	3,467		−12.4%
1940	2,844		−18.0%
1950	2,817		−0.9%
1960	3,069		8.9%
1970	2,342		−23.7%
1980	2,057		−12.2%
1990	1,717		−16.5%
2000	1,915		11.5%
2010	1,871		−2.3%
2016 (est.)	1,854		−0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2016

2000 census

As of the census 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.

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.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,871 people, 864 households, and 508 families residing in the county. The population density was 1.6 inhabitants per square mile (0.62/km²). There were 1,156 housing units at an average density of 1.0 per square mile (0.39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.2% white, 1.0% American Indian, 0.7% Pacific islander, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 1.4% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.4% were German, 18.5% were English, 15.5% were Irish, and 8.3% were American.

Of the 864 households, 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 41.2% were non-families, and 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.74. The median age was 49.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,148 and the median income for a family was $52,885. Males had a median income of $34,340 versus $35,962 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,559. About 9.8% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Arlington
• Condon (county seat)
• Lonerock

Unincorporated communities

• Blalock
• Clem
• Mayville
• Mikkalo
• Olex
• Rock Creek
• Thirtymile

Government and infrastructure

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

Politics

Presidential Elections Results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third Parties
2016	65.9% 671	23.5% 239	10.7% 109
2012	60.2% 639	35.0% 371	4.8% 51
2008	58.4% 648	38.7% 430	2.9% 32
2004	66.3% 755	32.5% 370	1.1% 13
2000	62.3% 679	32.9% 359	4.8% 52
1996	38.3% 398	46.6% 485	15.1% 157
1992	36.3% 377	36.0% 374	27.7% 287
1988	52.4% 470	46.5% 417	1.1% 10
1984	65.2% 700	34.4% 369	0.4% 4
1980	54.6% 622	34.6% 394	10.9% 124
1976	52.5% 612	43.6% 508	4.0% 46
1972	62.2% 665	33.2% 355	4.6% 49
1968	55.3% 619	38.9% 436	5.8% 65
1964	36.2% 442	63.5% 775	0.3% 3
1960	54.0% 712	46.0% 606
1956	59.6% 793	40.4% 538
1952	68.6% 911	31.2% 415	0.2% 3
1948	52.6% 623	46.0% 544	1.4% 17
1944	46.4% 492	53.5% 567	0.1% 1
1940	39.6% 518	60.1% 785	0.3% 4
1936	25.7% 362	69.7% 983	4.7% 66
1932	35.0% 470	63.6% 854	1.4% 19
1928	62.5% 880	36.6% 515	0.9% 13
1924	50.2% 738	35.4% 521	14.4% 211
1920	60.6% 821	36.8% 498	2.7% 36
1916	37.9% 557	59.2% 870	2.9% 43
1912	40.5% 348	36.1% 310	23.4% 201
1908	61.9% 470	31.9% 242	6.2% 47
1904	67.5% 568	23.2% 195	9.4% 79

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. 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.

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.

See also

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

External links

• Entry for Gilliam County in the Oregon Blue Book