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	5.9473/sq mi (2.2963/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. In 2020, about 12,186 people lived there. The main town, or county seat, is Heppner.

The county got its name from Jackson L. Morrow. He was one of the first people to settle in the area. He also helped create the county when he was a member of the state government. Part of the Umatilla Chemical Depot and the Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility Boardman are located in Morrow County. The county is also part of the Pendleton-Hermiston area. It is found on the south side of the Columbia River in Eastern Oregon.

History of Morrow County
Geography of Morrow County
- Neighboring Counties
- Protected Natural Areas
Population in Morrow County
Economy of Morrow County
Transportation
- Airports
- Major Roads
Communities
See also

History of Morrow County

Morrow County was formed in 1885. It was created from parts of Umatilla County and Wasco County. The county is named after Jackson L. Morrow, who was a state representative. He worked to make the county official.

Heppner was chosen as the temporary county seat when the county was new. Later, in 1887, people voted to make Heppner the permanent county seat. It won against Lexington by a small number of votes.

Geography of Morrow County

Map of Morrow County, Oregon

Morrow County is in the eastern part of Oregon. It shares borders with Grant, Gilliam, and Umatilla counties. The Columbia River forms the northern border of the county.

Most of Morrow County is flat and dry. However, the southern part has a section of the Blue Mountains. This makes that area quite hilly and mountainous. The highest point in the county is Black Mountain. It is part of the Umatilla National Forest and stands about 5,923 feet (1,805 meters) tall. Rivers flow from these mountains into the Columbia River.

The United States Census Bureau says the county covers about 2,049 square miles (5,307 square kilometers). Most of this, 2,032 square miles (5,263 square kilometers), is land. The remaining 17 square miles (44 square kilometers) is water.

Neighboring Counties

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

Protected Natural Areas

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

Population in Morrow County

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

In 2010, the census showed that 11,173 people lived in Morrow County. There were 3,916 households, which are groups of people living together. About 2,953 of these were families. On average, there were about 5.5 people per square mile.

Most people in the county were white (77.7%). About 16.9% were from other races, and 2.6% were from two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 31.3% of the population. Many people had German, English, or Irish family roots.

About 37.7% of households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had 2.85 people, and the average family had 3.25 people. The average age of people in the county was 36.5 years old.

The average income for a household was about $43,902 per year. For families, it was about $49,868 per year. About 15.3% of all people in the county lived below the poverty line. This included 21.7% of children under 18.

Economy of Morrow County

The main ways people make a living in Morrow County today are through farming and growing food. Other important jobs include working with wood, raising animals, and tourism. The Columbia River also provides many jobs related to shipping and trade. The Port of Morrow was started in 1957. It is located on the Columbia River near the city of Boardman.

A large grain elevator near Ione

Long ago, cattle ranchers found lots of rye grass along the creeks. They brought their herds to eat these natural grasses. For many years, ranching was the most important business in the county. But as more people settled there, the open grazing lands became smaller. This led to less ranching and more farming.

When train lines were built into the county in 1883, it became easier to sell crops. This helped wheat farming grow. Later, new ways of watering crops, like center pivot irrigation, helped the local economy even more.

There are also two power plants at the Port of Morrow that use natural gas. These are called Coyote Springs I and Coyote Springs II. In 2022, the company Amazon announced plans to build several large data centers in Morrow County. This project is expected to cost a lot of money and bring new jobs.