Morrow County, Oregon Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Morrow County
U.S. county
Morrow County Courthouse in Heppner
Location within the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Oregon
Founded	February 16, 1885
Named for	Jackson L. Morrow
Seat	Heppner
Largest city	Boardman
Area
• Total	2,049 sq mi (5,310 km²)
• Land	2,032 sq mi (5,260 km²)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km²) 0.8%%
Population (2020)
• Total	12,186
• Estimate (2023)	12,302
• Density	5.5/sq mi (2.1/km²)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Morrow County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,186. The county seat is Heppner. The county is named for one of its first settlers, Jackson L. Morrow, who was a member of the state legislature when the county was created. Half of the Umatilla Chemical Depot, which includes the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, and the Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility Boardman are located within the county. Morrow County is part of the Pendleton-Hermiston, OR, Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is located on the south side of the Columbia River and is included in the eight-county definition of Eastern Oregon.

History
Geography
- Adjacent counties
- National protected areas
Demographics
- 2010 census
Economy
Transportation
- Airports
- Major roads
Communities
See also

History

Morrow County was created in 1885 from the western portion of Umatilla County and a small portion of eastern Wasco County. It is named for Jackson L. Morrow, a state representative who advocated for the county's formation. Heppner was designated the temporary county seat at the time the county was created and narrowly defeated Lexington in the election held in 1887 to determine the permanent county seat.

Geography

Map of Morrow County

Morrow county is located in the eastern portion of Oregon, bounded by the counties of Grant, Gilliam and Umatilla. The county's northern border is defined by the Columbia River. Most of the county is dry and flat, but the southern county contains a section of the Blue Mountains, making it fairly mountainous. The highest point in the county is Black Mountain in Umatilla National Forest at 5,923 ft (1,805 m). Rivers flowing from the mountains into the Columbia River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,049 square miles (5,310 km²), of which 2,032 square miles (5,260 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (0.8%) is covered by water.

Adjacent counties

Gilliam County - west
Wheeler County - southwest
Grant County - south
Umatilla County - east
Benton County, Washington - north
Klickitat County, Washington - northwest

National protected areas

Umatilla National Forest (part)
Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	4,205	—
1900	4,151	−1.3%
1910	4,357	5.0%
1920	5,617	28.9%
1930	4,941	−12.0%
1940	4,337	−12.2%
1950	4,783	10.3%
1960	4,871	1.8%
1970	4,465	−8.3%
1980	7,519	68.4%
1990	7,625	1.4%
2000	10,995	44.2%
2010	11,173	1.6%
2020	12,186	9.1%
2023 (est.)	12,302	10.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,173 people, 3,916 households, and 2,953 families living in the county. The population density was 5.5 inhabitants per square mile (2.1/km²). There were 4,442 housing units at an average density of 2.2 units per square mile (0.85 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 77.7% white, 1.2% American Indian, 0.9% Asian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 16.9% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 31.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 19.5% were German, 13.1% were English, 10.7% were Irish, and 5.0% were American.

Of the 3,916 households, 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.6% were non-families, and 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.25. The median age was 36.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,902 and the median income for a family was $49,868. Males had a median income of $38,045 versus $30,173 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,201. About 12.4% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The principal industries in the county today include agriculture, food processing, lumber, livestock, and recreation. The Columbia River also provides Morrow County with a number of related jobs. The Port of Morrow, situated on the Columbia River near the city of Boardman, was established in 1957.

A grain elevator just outside Ione

Early cattlemen found an abundance of rye along the creek bottoms of the region and drove their herds into the area to forage on these natural pastures. Ranching was the primary economic force in the county for many years. Increased settlement, the enclosure of the free grazing lands and diminished pastures due to overgrazing, resulted in the decline of ranching during the 19th century, and farming became predominant. The completion of rail lines into the county in 1883 increased access to markets and encouraged wheat production in the area. The advent of technology for center pivot irrigation has been a further stimulus to the local economy.

Two natural gas-fired plants are located at the Port of Morrow; Coyote Springs I (255-276 MW), owned and operated by Portland General Electric; and Coyote Springs II (241-280 MW; PGE operator) owned by Avista Corp.

In 2022, it was reported that Amazon intends to build at least five commercial data centers in Morrow County. The company is reportedly pursuing a package of tax breaks to pursue construction of these centers, a project worth almost $12 billion total.