Yamhill County, Oregon
Encyclopedia
National protected areas
- Siuslaw National ForestSiuslaw National ForestSiuslaw National Forest is a national forest in western Oregon, United States. Established in 1908, the Siuslaw is made up of a wide variety of ecosystems, ranging from coastal forests to sand dunes.- Geography :...
(part) - Tualatin River National Wildlife RefugeTualatin River National Wildlife RefugeThe Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge is a wetlands and lowlands sanctuary in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. Established in 1992 and opened to the public in 2006, it is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Located in southeastern Washington County, ...
(part)
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 84,992 people, 28,732 households, and 21,376 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 119 people per square mile (46/km²). There were 30,270 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county is 88.98% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.47% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.07% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.85% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.12% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 5.08% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.42% from two or more races. 10.61% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race. 19.6% were of German, 11.4% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, 9.5% American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 8.4% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 28,732 households out of which 37.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.00% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.60% were non-families. 19.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.90% under the age of 18, 11.40% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 102.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.30 males.
The median
Median
In probability theory and statistics, a median is described as the numerical value separating the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to...
income
Lorenz curve
In economics, the Lorenz curve is a graphical representation of the cumulative distribution function of the empirical probability distribution of wealth; it is a graph showing the proportion of the distribution assumed by the bottom y% of the values...
for a household in the county is $44,111, and the median income for a family was $50,336. Males had a median income of $35,686 versus $25,254 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $18,951. About 6.00% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.10% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.
History
The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Yamhill Indians, who have inhabited the area for over 8000 years. They are one of the tribeTribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
s incorporated into the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde
Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon
The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon consists of twenty-seven Native American tribes with long historical ties to present-day Western Oregon between the western boundary of the Oregon Coast and the eastern boundary of the Cascade Range, and the northern boundary of...
. In 1857 they were forced to migrate to the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation
Grand Ronde Indian Reservation
The Grand Ronde Community is an Indian reservation located on several non-contiguous sections of land in southwestern Yamhill County and northwestern Polk County, Oregon, United States, about east of Lincoln City, near the community of Grand Ronde...
created in Oregon's Coastal Range
Oregon Coast Range
The Oregon Coast Range, often called simply the Coast Range and sometimes the Pacific Coast Range, is a mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, in the U.S. state of Oregon along the Pacific Ocean...
two years earlier.
The earliest non-native settlers were employees of the various fur companies operating in Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
, who started settling there around 1814. But it was the establishment of the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
that led to significant migration to the area.
Yamhill District (later county) was created on July 5, 1843, five years before the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
was established. It was one of the original four districts created by Oregon's first Provisional Legislature
Provisional Legislature of Oregon
The Provisional Legislature of Oregon was the single-chamber legislative body of the Provisional Government of Oregon. It served the Oregon Country of the Pacific Northwest of North America from 1843 until early 1849 at a time when no country had sovereignty over the region...
, along with Twality (later Washington
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
), Clackamas
Clackamas County, Oregon
Clackamas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan people. As of 2010, the population was 375,992...
, and Champooick (later Marion
Marion County, Oregon
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was originally named the Champooick District, after Champoeg, a meeting place on the Willamette River. On September 3, 1849, the territorial legislature renamed it in honor of Francis Marion, a Continental Army general of the...
) counties. The district was originally over 12000 square miles (31,079.9 km²), an area that was broken up into twelve present-day counties.
Lafayette
Lafayette, Oregon
Lafayette is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States on the Yamhill River and Oregon Route 99W. It was founded in 1846 and incorporated in 1878...
, the principal trading center of the western Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
in early Oregon history, was made the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
in 1847. The county government was later (1889) moved to McMinnville
McMinnville, Oregon
McMinnville is the county seat and largest city of Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. According to Oregon Geographic Names, it was named by its founder, William T. Newby , an early immigrant on the Oregon Trail, for his hometown of McMinnville, Tennessee...
where it remains today.
The Mount Hebo Air Force Station was a Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
air defense installation from 1956 to 1980. Located next to Tillamook County, at the top of 3154 feet (961.3 m) high Mount Hebo
Mount Hebo
Mount Hebo is a mountain located on the border of Tillamook County and Yamhill County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Mount Hebo is known for being one of the best, most easily accessed viewpoints in the north Oregon Coast, with a 360-degree view from the summit....
, Air Force radars operated by the 689th Radar Squadron
689th Radar Squadron
The 689th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 25th Air Division, stationed at Mount Hebo Air Force Station, Oregon. It was inactivated on 30 June 1979.-History:...
and the 14th Missile Warning Squadron were essential parts of the nation's integrated air defenses. The large radomes protecting the radars from adverse weather effects could be seen silhouetted against the sky from many parts of Yamhill County.
Incorporated cities
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McMinnville, Oregon McMinnville is the county seat and largest city of Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. According to Oregon Geographic Names, it was named by its founder, William T. Newby , an early immigrant on the Oregon Trail, for his hometown of McMinnville, Tennessee... Newberg, Oregon -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,064 people, 6,099 households, and 4,348 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,599.4 people per square mile . There were 6,435 housing units at an average density of 1,282.2 per square mile... Sheridan, Oregon Sheridan is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Platted in the 1860s when it received a post office, the city was incorporated in 1880. A major fire burned much of the city in 1913, and a flood covered much of the city in 1964... Willamina, Oregon Willamina is a city in Polk and Yamhill Counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 1,844 at the 2000 census, with an unofficial estimated population of 1,885 in 2006.... (on Polk-Yamhill county border) Yamhill, Oregon Yamhill is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Located in the northern part of the county, it is situated at the intersection of Oregon Route 47 and Oregon Route 240. The population was 794 at the 2000 census. The 2008 estimate is 855 residents... |
Unincorporated communities
- BellevueBellevue, OregonBellevue is an unincorporated, rural community in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. It is named for the French words for "beautiful view". It is not known who named the community, but it was settled in about 1860, and a previous post office in the area was named "Muddy". The community is...
- Cove Orchard
- Eola Crest
- Eola Village
- Gopher
- Grand Ronde AgencyConfederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of OregonThe Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon consists of twenty-seven Native American tribes with long historical ties to present-day Western Oregon between the western boundary of the Oregon Coast and the eastern boundary of the Cascade Range, and the northern boundary of...
- HopewellHopewell, OregonHopewell is an unincorporated community in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the eastern terminus of Oregon Route 153, ten miles south of Dayton and a few miles west of Wheatland, at the east base of the Eola Hills....
- LunnvilleLunnville, OregonLunnville is an unincorporated community in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States....
- Midway
- RiversideRiverside, Yamhill County, OregonRiverside is an unincorporated historic locale in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. It lies at an elevation of 213 feet ....
- Saint JosephSaint Joseph, OregonSaint Joseph is an unincorporated community in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. It is located about two miles west of Lafayette near Oregon Route 99W. The area is sometimes known as "St...
- ShipleyShipley, OregonShipley, Oregon is a populated place in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Most of the area has been annexed by the city of Sheridan.-Location:...
- SpringbrookSpringbrook, OregonSpringbrook is an unincorporated community within the city of Newberg, in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. The community was originally named "Hoskins", after pioneer Cyrus E. Hoskins, who settled in the area...
(within the eastern section of the city of Newberg) - Sunnycrest
- Unionvale
- WheatlandWheatland, OregonWheatland is an unincorporated community in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. It is near the Willamette River where the Wheatland Ferry takes traffic across the river into Marion County. Its elevation is ; it is in the Pacific Time Zone.-External links:...
- WhitesonWhiteson, OregonWhiteson is an unincorporated community in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Oregon Geographic Names states that Whiteson is named for either for Henry White, who laid out the town site and gave the railroad right-of-way, or for William White. It is possible they are members of the same family...
Industry
The major industries of the county are agriculture, forest products, manufacturing, and education.Yamhill Counties economy is supported largely by its many unionized facilities such as Cascade Steel in McMinnville and White Birch Paper in Newberg. It boasts a thriving Wine Industry and home of Evergreen Aviation.
Education
Yamhill County is served with Linfield CollegeLinfield College
Linfield College is an American private institution of higher learning located in McMinnville, Oregon, United States. As a four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college with a campus in Portland, Oregon, it also has an adult degree program located in eight communities throughout the...
and Chemeketa Community College
Chemeketa Community College
Chemeketa Community College is a community college located in Salem, Oregon, with smaller campuses in McMinnville, Dallas, Brooks, and Woodburn, and the Northwest Viticulture Center in Eola...
in McMinnville and George Fox University
George Fox University
George Fox University is a Christian university of the liberal arts and sciences, and professional studies located in Newberg, Oregon, United States. Founded as a school for Quakers in 1885, the private school has more than 3,400 students combined between its main campus in Newberg and its centers...
and Portland Community College
Portland Community College
Portland Community College is Oregon's largest community college, located in Portland, United States. It serves over one million residents in the five county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Columbia...
in Newberg. Plus private High Schools such as The Delphian School in Sheridan.
See also
- List of Yamhill County Post Offices
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Yamhill County, Oregon
- Yamhill County CourthouseYamhill County CourthouseThe Yamhill County Courthouse is a courthouse in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Though Yamhill County has had a series of historic courthouses, the first being completed in 1860, the current courthouse dates to 1963.-History:...
External links
- Yamhill County (official website)
- Yamhill County history from the Oregon State ArchivesOregon State ArchivesThe Archives Division of the Office of the Secretary of State of Oregon, or Oregon State Archives, is an agency of the Office of the Oregon Secretary of State charged with preserving and providing access to government records. It also publishes the Oregon Blue Book and Oregon Administrative Rules...
- Yamhill County Wineries Association
- Yamhill Basin Council