Columbia County, Oregon Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Columbia County
U.S. county
Columbia County Courthouse in St. Helens
Location within the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Oregon
Founded	January 16, 1854
Named for	Columbia River
Seat	St. Helens
Largest city	St. Helens
Area
• Total	688 sq mi (1,780 km²)
• Land	657 sq mi (1,700 km²)
• Water	31 sq mi (80 km²) 4.5%%
Population (2020)
• Total	52,589
• Estimate (2023)	53,880
• Density	75/sq mi (29/km²)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	1st

Columbia County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,589. The county seat is St. Helens.

History
Geography
- Adjacent counties
- National protected area
Demographics
- 2010 census
Communities
Media and news
Economy
Transportation
- Public transit
- Major highways
See also

History

The Chinook and Clatskanie Native American peoples inhabited this region for centuries prior to the arrival of Robert Gray, captain of the ship Columbia Rediviva, in 1792. The Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled and camped along the Columbia River shore in the area later known as Columbia County in late 1805 and again on their return journey in early 1806.

Columbia County was created in 1854 from the northern half of Washington County. Milton served as the county seat until 1857 when it was moved to St. Helens.

Columbia County has been afflicted by numerous flooding disasters, the most recent in December 2007. Heavy rains caused the Nehalem River to escape its banks and flood the city of Vernonia and rural areas nearby. Columbia County received a presidential disaster declaration for this event.

In the 1910s the Socialist Party of Oregon won a handful of votes. This party was distinct from the better-known SPO which operated throughout the twentieth century.

Map of Columbia County

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 688 square miles (1,780 km²), of which 657 square miles (1,700 km²) is land and 31 square miles (80 km²) (4.5%) is water. It is Oregon's third-smallest county by land area and fourth-smallest by total area.

Adjacent counties

Wahkiakum County, Washington (northwest)
Cowlitz County, Washington (northeast)
Clark County, Washington (east)
Multnomah County (southeast)
Washington County (south)
Clatsop County (west)

National protected area

Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	532	—
1870	863	62.2%
1880	2,042	136.6%
1890	5,191	154.2%
1900	6,237	20.2%
1910	10,580	69.6%
1920	13,960	31.9%
1930	20,047	43.6%
1940	20,971	4.6%
1950	22,967	9.5%
1960	22,379	−2.6%
1970	28,790	28.6%
1980	35,646	23.8%
1990	37,557	5.4%
2000	43,560	16.0%
2010	49,351	13.3%
2020	52,589	6.6%
2023 (est.)	53,880	9.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 49,351 people, 19,183 households, and 13,516 families living in the county. The population density was 75.1 inhabitants per square mile (29.0/km²). There were 20,698 housing units at an average density of 31.5 units per square mile (12.2 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.5% white, 1.3% American Indian, 0.9% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 1.2% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.1% were German, 14.5% were English, 14.4% were Irish, 5.9% were Norwegian, and 4.8% were American.

Of the 19,183 households, 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.5% were non-families, and 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 41.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $55,199 and the median income for a family was $62,728. Males had a median income of $52,989 versus $35,558 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,613. About 6.5% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Columbia County Sheriff's Office

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Media and news

Columbia County had newspapers as early as 1891, with the launch of the Clatskanie Chief. The Rainier Review was launched in 1895. The St. Helens Chronicle, which grew out of a series of mergers of the Chronicle, the Sentinel, and the Mist founded in 1881. The Chief and Chronicle merged in December 2023 to form The Columbia County Chronicle & Chief, which now serves as a newspaper of record for the county. The South County Spotlight, launched in 1961, serves the region along, with a circulation of 3,600. Columbia County has one AM radio station, KOHI AM 1600, which has broadcast continually since 1959. The station is locally owned, with an FCC-estimated weekly listenership of 10,000.

Economy

The primary industries are wood products and paper manufacturing, trade, construction and horticulture. The extensive stands of old-growth timber, which had attracted many of the early settlers to the area, were completely logged over by the 1950s. Second-growth timber provides the raw material for local lumber and paper mills. About half the county's workforce commutes out of the county to work, most to the nearby Portland, Oregon, metro area. Columbia County's average non-farm employment was 10,740 in 2007. The five largest private employers in Columbia County are Fred Meyer, Cascade Tissue Group, Wal-Mart, OMIC, USIA, and USG.

Transportation

The CC Rider transit service links the county to Portland and points in Washington County, including connecting with TriMet buses and the MAX light rail system in eastern Hillsboro.

Public transit

Columbia County Rider (CC Rider), a service of the Columbia County Transit Division, provides six intercity bus lines and one "flex route" serving various points of downtown St. Helens and downtown Scappoose. From 2016 to 2022, CC Rider buses were operated by contract drivers supplied by MTR Western, a charter motor coach operator, but since July 2022 the county has operated the service directly.

The transit service is largely funded by grants from the Oregon Department of Transportation and the federal government. Attempts at making CC Rider a separate transit district and to introduce new taxes to fund it have repeatedly failed since 2015. Columbia County and nearby Clatsop County are currently studying options on consolidating the two county's transit services.

Single-ride fares range from $2 to $6 per ride, depending on number of zones traveled. A ride to Astoria costs up to $10 per ride each way.