Dallas, Oregon

Last updated

Dallas, Oregon
City
Polk County Courthouse - Oregon.png
Polk County Courthouse
Polk County Oregon Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Dallas Highlighted.svg
Location in Polk County, Oregon
Coordinates: 44°55′20″N123°18′47″W / 44.92222°N 123.31306°W / 44.92222; -123.31306
Country United States
State Oregon
County Polk
Incorporated 1874
Government
 •  Mayor Brian Dalton [1]
Area
[2]
 • Total4.91 sq mi (12.71 km2)
 • Land4.91 sq mi (12.71 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
[3]
322 ft (98 m)
Population
 (2020) [4]
 • Total16,854
 • Density3,435.39/sq mi (1,326.42/km2)
Time zone UTC-8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-7 (Pacific)
ZIP code
97338
Area code(s) 503 and 971
FIPS code 41-17700 [5]
GNIS feature ID2410287 [3]
Website www.dallasor.gov

Dallas is a city and the county seat of Polk County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,854 at the 2020 census. [6]

Contents

Dallas is along Rickreall Creek, about 15 miles (24 km) west of Salem, at an elevation of 325 feet (99 m) above sea level. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Pioneers in the 1840s started the settlement that became known as Dallas on the north side of Rickreall Creek. It was originally named "Cynthian" or "Cynthiana". [7] A 1947 Itemizer-Observer article [8] states: "[T]he town was called Cynthiana after Cynthiana, Ky., so named by Mrs. Thos. Lovelady." According to the county historical society in 1987, Mrs. Thomas J. Lovelady named the new settlement after her home town of Cynthiana, Kentucky. [9]

Another source claims that Cynthia Ann, wife of early pioneer Jesse Applegate, named the settlement. [7] But they lived in the Salt Creek area of northern Polk County and, according to the 1850 Federal Census, she was not living in Polk County then.

Dallas post office was established in 1852. [7] In 1856, the town was moved more than a mile south because of an inadequate supply of water. [7]

Cynthiana competed with Independence to be selected as the county seat. Its residents raised $17,000 in order to have a branch of the narrow gauge railroad constructed to their town, which secured them the honor and related economic stimulus. [7] The line was built from 1878–80. [7] Town leaders believed a more sturdy sounding name was needed for a county seat. Since George Mifflin Dallas was vice-president under James K. Polk, for whom the county was named, they named it "Dallas". [7]

Dallas was incorporated as a town in 1874 and as a city in 1901.[ citation needed ]

Gerlinger family

After Louis Gerlinger, Sr. incorporated the Salem, Falls City and Western Railway Company late in October 1901, he announced plans to build a railroad from the Willamette River at Salem to the mouth of the Siletz River on the Oregon Coast, a distance of 65 miles (105 km). [10]

In 1902, Louis's son George T. Gerlinger organized a group of investors to build related railroad lines in the area. On May 29, 1903, the first train ran from Dallas to Falls City. At the end of June, passenger trains began regularly scheduled, daily trips to and from Dallas and Falls City; the 9-mile (14 km), 40-minute, one-way trip cost 35 cents.

Willamette Industries was founded in Dallas in 1906. At that time the company name was Willamette Valley Lumber Company. [11] Louis Gerlinger, Sr. was president of the new company and H. L. Pittock, vice president. George T. Gerlinger served as secretary and manager, and F. W. Leadbetter was treasurer. George Cone served as director and mill superintendent. [10] In 1967, Willamette Valley Lumber and several others merged to become Willamette Industries. [12]

In the early 21st century, this and other local businesses were taken over by others from outside, which eventually affected the local economy. In March 2002, Willamette Industries was officially acquired by Weyerhaeuser Company in a hostile takeover. In early 2009, Weyerhaeuser's Mill formally closed the Dallas operation. Similarly, Gerlinger Carrier Company in Dallas was taken over by Towmotor.

Geography

Dallas High School Dallas High School - Dallas Oregon.jpg
Dallas High School

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.81 square miles (12.46 km2), all of it land. [13]

Climate

Dallas has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) with warm to very warm, dry summers with cool mornings, and cold, rainy winters. Occasionally frigid weather will reach the Willamette Valley due to very cold continental air from Canada being driven over the Cascades by a low-pressure system to the south, as occurred repeatedly in January 1950 when temperatures reached as low as −11 °F (−23.9 °C) on January 31, 1950, and 68.0 inches (173 cm) of snow fell. However, snowfall is generally very rare, with an annual mean of 4.9 inches (12 cm) and a median of zero.

Rainfall is generally heavy during the winter months, averaging over 6.50 inches (170 mm) from November to February, when rain falls on around seventeen days in an average month, and on all but one day in November 1983. [14] The wettest month has however been December 1996 with 21.93 inches (557.0 mm) and the wettest "rain year" from July 1973 to June 1974 with 80.01 inches (2,032.3 mm). As with most of Oregon, the driest "rain year" was from July 1976 to June 1977 and saw only 23.78 inches (604.0 mm).

Spring arrives slowly with pleasant afternoon temperatures and less heavy rainfall by April, although showers are common until into June. High summer in July and August is very warm in the afternoon and generally dry, with no rain falling for 79 days, between June 23 – September 9, 1967, which saw the hottest month on record in August 1967 where the mean maximum was 92.1 °F (33.4 °C). Low humidity and pleasant mornings make this season comfortable, although airflows from the hot continent can bring spells of sweltering and arid weather, with 106 °F (41.1 °C) reached on July 19, 1956, and on August 8, 1981. On average, eighteen afternoons will top 90 °F (32.2 °C) but only two can expect to reach 100 °F (37.8 °C), while 62 mornings fall below freezing, but only two spells (in January–February 1950 and December 1972) have ever seen temperatures as low as 0 °F (−17.8 °C).

Climate data for Dallas, Oregon
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)65
(18)		71
(22)		90
(32)		88
(31)		98
(37)		110
(43)		106
(41)		106
(41)		104
(40)		91
(33)		76
(24)		66
(19)		110
(43)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)45.3
(7.4)		49.7
(9.8)		55.2
(12.9)		60.4
(15.8)		66.9
(19.4)		73.0
(22.8)		80.9
(27.2)		81.5
(27.5)		76.7
(24.8)		64.7
(18.2)		50.7
(10.4)		44.2
(6.8)		62.4
(16.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)33.1
(0.6)		34.8
(1.6)		36.9
(2.7)		39.4
(4.1)		43.7
(6.5)		47.8
(8.8)		50.4
(10.2)		49.8
(9.9)		47.0
(8.3)		41.2
(5.1)		37.2
(2.9)		33.2
(0.7)		41.2
(5.1)
Record low °F (°C)−11
(−24)		−2
(−19)		10
(−12)		24
(−4)		27
(−3)		31
(−1)		35
(2)		34
(1)		30
(−1)		22
(−6)		9
(−13)		−2
(−19)		−11
(−24)
Average rainfall inches (mm)7.82
(199)		6.66
(169)		5.33
(135)		3.24
(82)		2.21
(56)		1.41
(36)		0.50
(13)		0.67
(17)		1.44
(37)		3.28
(83)		7.79
(198)		8.78
(223)		49.13
(1,248)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.01 inch)17.715.516.412.810.37.23.33.56.510.417.517.6138.7
Source: [15]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880 670—
1890 84826.6%
1900 1,27149.9%
1910 2,12467.1%
1920 2,70127.2%
1930 2,97510.1%
1940 3,57920.3%
1950 4,79333.9%
1960 5,0725.8%
1970 6,36125.4%
1980 8,53034.1%
1990 9,42210.5%
2000 12,45932.2%
2010 14,58317.0%
2020 16,85415.6%
Sources: [5] [16] [17] [18] [19] [4]

The median income in 2000 for a household in the city was $35,967, and the median income for a family was $45,156. Males had a median income of $34,271 versus $22,941 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,734. About 7.8% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census [20] of 2010, there were 14,583 people, 5,747 households, and 3,952 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,031.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,170.6/km2). There were 6,137 housing units at an average density of 1,275.9 per square mile (492.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.6% White, 0.2% African American, 2.0% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.9% of the population.

There were 5,747 households, of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.2% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.98.

The median age in the city was 39.8 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 18.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

Media

The Polk County Itemizer-Observer is a weekly newspaper published in Dallas since 1875. KWIP (880 AM) is the only radio station currently licensed to the city.

Infrastructure

Dallas' only hospital is West Valley Hospital. Oregon Route 223 is the only state highway that serves the city.

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salem, Oregon</span> Capital city of Oregon, United States

Salem is the capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood of West Salem is in Polk County. Salem was founded in 1842, became the capital of the Oregon Territory in 1851, and was incorporated in 1857.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polk County, Oregon</span> County in Oregon, United States

Polk County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 87,433. The county seat is Dallas. The county is named for James Knox Polk, the 11th president of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion County, Oregon</span> County in Oregon, United States

Marion County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 345,920 at the 2020 census, making it the 5th most populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Salem, which is also the state capital of Oregon. The county 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 from South Carolina who served in the American Revolutionary War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linn County, Oregon</span> County in Oregon, United States

Linn County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 128,610. The county seat is Albany. The county is named in the honor of Lewis F. Linn, a U.S. Senator from Missouri who advocated the American settlement of the Oregon Country. Linn County comprises the Albany, OR Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the Willamette Valley. In 2010, the center of population of Oregon was located in Linn County, near the city of Lyons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hood River County, Oregon</span> County in Oregon, United States

Hood River County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,977. The county seat is Hood River. The county was established in 1908 and is named for the Hood River, a tributary of the Columbia River. Hood River County comprises the Hood River, OR Micropolitan Statistical Area. The Hood River Valley produces apples, pears, and cherries. Situated between Mount Hood and the Columbia River in the middle of the Columbia River Gorge, Hood River County is a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts, such as windsurfers, mountain-bikers, skiers, hikers, kayakers, and many more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanon, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Lebanon is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. Lebanon is located in northwest Oregon, southeast of Salem. The population was 19,690 at the 2020 census. Lebanon sits beside the South Santiam River on the eastern edge of the Willamette Valley, close to the Cascade Range and a 25-minute drive to either of the larger cities of Corvallis and Albany. Lebanon is known for its foot-and-bike trails, its waterside parks, and its small-town character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keizer, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Keizer is a city located in Marion County, Oregon, United States, along the 45th parallel. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 39,376, making it the 14th most populous city in Oregon. It lies in the Willamette Valley, and is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was named after pioneer Thomas Dove Keizur and his family, who arrived in the Wagon Train of 1843, and later filed donation land claims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eola, Oregon</span> Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Eola is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Oregon, United States. It lies four miles west of Salem on Oregon Route 22 at the confluence of Rickreall Creek and the Willamette River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falls City, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Falls City is a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,051 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Ronde, Oregon</span> Census-designated place in Oregon, United States

Grand Ronde is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Polk and Yamhill counties, Oregon, United States. Historically noted as a village in Polk County, the sphere of influence and community is in both Polk and Yamhill counties. The name of the community is a variation of the French Grande Ronde or "Grand Round" which could be about the large round-up of Native American peoples in the area who were settled on what was known as the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation, or possibly referencing the shape of the valley in which the community is located. As of the census of 2010, there were 1,661 people in 658 households residing in Grand Ronde. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independence, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Independence is a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States, on the west bank of the Willamette River along Oregon Route 51, and east of nearby Monmouth. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thirty square blocks of the oldest part of Independence form the National Register of Historic Places-listed Independence Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monmouth, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Monmouth is a city in Polk County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was named for Monmouth, Illinois, the origin of its earliest settlers. The population is 11,110 at the 2020 Census and it is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rickreall, Oregon</span> Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Rickreall is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Oregon, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Rickreall as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name. The population of the CDP was 76 at the 2020 census. Rickreall is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. Rickreall Creek runs along the community's southern edge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willamina, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Willamina is a city in Polk and Yamhill Counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 2,239 at the 2020 census.

Louis Gerlinger Sr. was a businessperson in the railroad and timber industries in the U.S. state of Oregon in the early 20th century.

George T. Gerlinger was influential in the railroad and lumber products business in the U.S. state of Oregon in the early 20th century. The oldest son of Louis Gerlinger, Sr., in 1902 he organized a group of investors in Dallas, Oregon to build railroad lines in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area</span> Metropolitan statistical area in Oregon, United States

The Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is a Metropolitan Statistical Area consisting of two counties in western Oregon, Marion and Polk. The principal city is Salem, the state capital, which has a population of 175,535. The Salem MSA had a population of 433,353 at the 2020 census. In 2010, there were 390,738 people living in the Salem MSA. In 2000, the MSA had a population of 347,214, and had a population of 278,024 according to the 1990 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Luckiamute River</span> River in Oregon, United States

The Little Luckiamute River is a stream in Polk County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It rises in the Central Oregon Coast Range near Fanno Peak and joins the Luckiamute River about 4 miles (6 km) upstream of the Sarah Helmick State Recreation Site southwest of Monmouth.

Black Rock is an unincorporated community and former logging camp in Polk County, Oregon, United States. It is located about three miles west of Falls City, in the Central Oregon Coast Range on the Little Luckiamute River.

The Salem, Falls City and Western Railway (SFC&W) was an American railroad based in Polk County, Oregon that ran between Salem and Black Rock via Dallas and Falls City.

References

  1. ↑ "Mayor - Dallas, OR - Official Website". www.ci.dallas.or.us.
  2. ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  3. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Dallas, Oregon
  4. 1 2 "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Census website". US Census. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 266. ISBN   978-0875952772.
  8. ↑ quoted in 100 Years in Polk County: A Centennial Background
  9. ↑ The History of Polk County, Oregon, Polk County Historical Society, 1987, p. 12
  10. 1 2 Catherine A. Baldwin (1982). Making the Most of the Best: Willamette Industries' Seventy-Five Years. (Portland, OR: Willamette Industries, 172 p.).
  11. ↑ "Weyerhaeuser tries to take over Willamette Forest Industries". www.bio.net.
  12. ↑ "SEC 10K for 1999".
  13. ↑ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  14. ↑ "NOW Data". National Weather Service, Portland, Oregon.
  15. ↑ "Climatography of the United States NO.81" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Retrieved September 28, 2020.[ permanent dead link ]
  16. ↑ "Population-Oregon" (PDF). U.S. Census 1910. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Population-Oregon" (PDF). 15th Census of the United States. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Number of Inhabitants: Oregon" (PDF). 18th Census of the United States. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Pennsylvania: Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  20. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  21. ↑ Markoff, John (December 20, 2004). "A Toy With a Story". The New York Times.
  22. ↑ "Gerlinger Carrier Company - straddle carriers for industry". Gerlingercarrier.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  23. ↑ The Packages - Google Boeken. 1919. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  24. ↑ Journals of the Senate and House of the ... Legislative Assembly. State Printing Department. 1915. p. 96.
  25. ↑ "Artifacts Along U. S. 99 West | Oregon history by Kenneth Munford". Bentoncountymuseum.org. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Mark O. Hatfield Library: Mark O. Hatfield Biography". Library.willamette.edu. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Former Oregon Star Confident of Victory". Register-Guard . October 24, 1961. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Jordan Poyer Biography". ESPN.
  29. ↑ Dahl, Bill. "Johnnie Ray". AllMusic. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.