Halfway, Oregon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Halfway, Oregon
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Welcome sign, in the background are the Wallowa Mountains
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Location in Oregon
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| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Baker |
| Incorporated | 1909 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.37 sq mi (0.96 km2) |
| • Land | 0.37 sq mi (0.96 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,651 ft (808 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 351 |
| • Density | 943.55/sq mi (363.89/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (Pacific) |
| ZIP code |
97834
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| Area code(s) | 458 and 541 |
| FIPS code | 41-31650 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2410686 |
Halfway is a small city in Baker County, Oregon, in the United States. It got its name because its first post office was located "halfway" between two other towns, Pine and Jim Town. In 2020, about 351 people lived there.
During a time called the "dot-com bubble" (when many internet companies started up), Halfway agreed to change its name to Half.com for a year. This was a fun way to get attention for an online shopping company.
Contents
History of Halfway
The community of Halfway was named because it is located roughly halfway between the towns of Pine and Cornucopia. A post office was first set up in 1887. The town itself was officially planned in a different spot in 1907. The post office moved to this new location in 1908, and the city officially became a city in 1909.
Half.com Name Change Stunt
Halfway became famous during the dot-com bubble in December 1999. It agreed to an offer to change its name to Half.com for one year. This was a publicity stunt for an e-commerce (online shopping) company with the same name.
In return, the city received:
- US$110,000
- 20 computers for the local school
- Other money to help the town
Halfway was the first city in the world to rename itself after an internet company. The company chose Halfway for a few reasons:
- It was a small town, so it was more likely to agree to the offer.
- Its location was perfect for the company's marketing. Halfway is very close to the 45th parallel north. This imaginary line is halfway between the equator and the North Pole.
The name change was not a legal change, but the city put up signs at its borders. These signs welcomed visitors to "America's First Dot-com City." In 2007, the city sold one of these signs for US$1,000. The person who bought it was Josh Kopelman, the founder of Half.com.
Geography of Halfway
Halfway is located about 54 miles (87 km) east of Baker City. It is along Oregon Route 86. As its name suggests, it is halfway between Pine and Cornucopia.
The city's exact location is 44°52′42″N 117°6′38″W. This spot is very close to the midpoint between the equator and the North Pole. This unique location was part of why Half.com chose the town for its advertising stunt.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers a total area of 0.37 square miles (0.96 km2). All of this area is land.
Climate in Halfway
Halfway has a type of climate called a dry-summer humid continental climate. This means it has warm, dry summers and cold, snowy winters.
| Climate data for Halfway, Oregon, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1936–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 57 (14) |
66 (19) |
78 (26) |
92 (33) |
96 (36) |
106 (41) |
110 (43) |
108 (42) |
104 (40) |
91 (33) |
71 (22) |
61 (16) |
110 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 44.9 (7.2) |
51.2 (10.7) |
67.6 (19.8) |
79.4 (26.3) |
87.9 (31.1) |
94.6 (34.8) |
100.5 (38.1) |
99.4 (37.4) |
93.8 (34.3) |
79.9 (26.6) |
61.7 (16.5) |
47.4 (8.6) |
101.4 (38.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 31.8 (−0.1) |
38.7 (3.7) |
51.3 (10.7) |
61.6 (16.4) |
71.2 (21.8) |
78.9 (26.1) |
89.6 (32.0) |
88.6 (31.4) |
78.8 (26.0) |
62.6 (17.0) |
45.3 (7.4) |
33.0 (0.6) |
61.0 (16.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 25.4 (−3.7) |
30.4 (−0.9) |
40.6 (4.8) |
47.9 (8.8) |
56.1 (13.4) |
62.8 (17.1) |
70.8 (21.6) |
69.3 (20.7) |
60.5 (15.8) |
48.0 (8.9) |
36.1 (2.3) |
26.6 (−3.0) |
47.9 (8.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.1 (−7.2) |
22.1 (−5.5) |
30.0 (−1.1) |
34.3 (1.3) |
41.0 (5.0) |
46.7 (8.2) |
52.1 (11.2) |
49.9 (9.9) |
42.2 (5.7) |
33.4 (0.8) |
27.0 (−2.8) |
20.3 (−6.5) |
34.8 (1.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −4.1 (−20.1) |
1.6 (−16.9) |
13.8 (−10.1) |
20.2 (−6.6) |
24.9 (−3.9) |
33.8 (1.0) |
39.8 (4.3) |
38.0 (3.3) |
28.4 (−2.0) |
18.6 (−7.4) |
10.1 (−12.2) |
−0.5 (−18.1) |
−9.7 (−23.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −34 (−37) |
−33 (−36) |
−8 (−22) |
9 (−13) |
18 (−8) |
26 (−3) |
30 (−1) |
28 (−2) |
18 (−8) |
4 (−16) |
−23 (−31) |
−31 (−35) |
−34 (−37) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.57 (91) |
2.08 (53) |
1.85 (47) |
1.55 (39) |
1.78 (45) |
1.31 (33) |
0.48 (12) |
0.32 (8.1) |
0.68 (17) |
1.31 (33) |
2.56 (65) |
3.78 (96) |
21.27 (539.1) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 22.8 (58) |
9.3 (24) |
2.0 (5.1) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
6.3 (16) |
21.6 (55) |
62.3 (158.86) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 12.5 | 10.1 | 10.0 | 9.9 | 8.9 | 7.1 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 6.4 | 10.9 | 12.7 | 98.5 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 7.2 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 6.9 | 20.8 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
People in Halfway
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 186 | — | |
| 1920 | 324 | 74.2% | |
| 1930 | 351 | 8.3% | |
| 1940 | 416 | 18.5% | |
| 1950 | 312 | −25.0% | |
| 1960 | 505 | 61.9% | |
| 1970 | 317 | −37.2% | |
| 1980 | 380 | 19.9% | |
| 1990 | 311 | −18.2% | |
| 2000 | 339 | 9.0% | |
| 2010 | 288 | −15.0% | |
| 2020 | 351 | 21.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 Census Information
As of the 2020 US Census, 351 people lived in Halfway. The average household income was $39,083. About 45.7% of people had jobs. There were 161 households and 203 housing units in total. About 12.4% of the people living there had a college degree or higher.
2010 Census Information
According to the census from 2010, there were 288 people living in Halfway. These people lived in 153 households, and 76 of these were families. The city had about 778 people per square mile. There were 199 homes in total.
Most of the people in Halfway were White (94.1%). A smaller number were Native American (1.7%), Asian (0.7%), or other races. About 3.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
- 19% of households had children under 18.
- 38.6% were married couples.
- 10.5% had a female head of household with no husband.
- About 50.3% of households were not families.
- 46.4% of all households had only one person living there.
- 19% of households had someone aged 65 or older living alone.
The average age in the city was 52.7 years.
- 17.7% of residents were under 18.
- 6.2% were between 18 and 24.
- 11.7% were between 25 and 44.
- 41% were between 45 and 64.
- 23.3% were 65 or older.
The population was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.
Economy in Halfway
In 2017, the three biggest employers (companies that hire the most people) in Halfway were:
- The Pine Eagle School District
- The Idaho Power Company
- The U.S. Forest Service
Together, these three employers provided jobs for over 125 people.
Famous People from Halfway
- Babette Beatty, the first model to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
- Barnaby Keeney, a former president of Brown University.
- Robert S. Summers, a professor at Cornell Law School.
See also
In Spanish: Halfway (Oregón) para niños
