Multnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County | |
|---|---|
 Location within the U.S. state of Oregon | |
 Oregon's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 45°32′N 122°25′W / 45.54°N 122.41°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Oregon |
| Founded | 22 December 1854 |
| Seat | Portland |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 665,810 |
| Website | www |
Multnomah County (IPA: [ml̩t ˈno mə]) is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon, the smallest in area, for Oregon, but the largest in population due to Portland, which is the county seat and largest city in Oregon. The county was named after Native American people first recorded in the journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Mulknomans, who lived in a village on the east side of present-day Sauvie Island and are considered to be part of the Chinook tribe. It is also possible that Multnomah is a corruption of nematlnomaq, meaning down river. As of 2001, the county population is 665,810.[citation needed]
History
Multnomah County (the thirteenth in Oregon Territory) was created on December 22, 1854, formed out of the eastern part of Washington and the northern part of Clackamas counties. Its creation was a result of a petition for earlier that year by businessmen in Portland complaining of the inconvenient location of the Washington County seat in Hillsboro and of the share of Portland tax revenues leaving the city to support Washington County farmers. The Multnomah County Commissioners met for the first time on January 17, 1855.[citation needed]
At various times in the 20th century, an initiative has been placed on the county ballot to merge Portland with the county government. None of these proposals have been approved.
Since 2000
In the 2000 presidential election, Multnomah played the decisive role in determining who won the state's electoral votes. It was one of eight counties carried by Al Gore; he carried the county by more than 104,000 votes. That large margin more than offset the nearly 100,000-vote advantage that George W. Bush had earned among Oregon's 35 other counties.
In February 2001, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners unanimously accepted the recommendation of the Library Advisory Board and authorized the library to enter into a lawsuit to stop the Children's Internet Protection Act.[1] The US Supreme Court ultimately decided in 2003 that the law was constitutional in US v. ALA. However, the library chose to turn down $104,000 per year of federal funding under CIPA to be able to continue to offer unfiltered Internet access.[citation needed]
Faced with decreasing government revenues due to a recession in the local economy, voters approved a three-year local income tax (Measure 26-48) on May 20, 2003 to prevent further cuts in schools, police protection, and social services. Multnomah County was one of the few local governments in Oregon to approve such a tax increase.
In May 2003, the Multnomah County Department of Human Services named Klingon on a list of 55 languages for which it might conceivably need interpreters; this story was circulated out-of-context as an urban legend claiming that the department was looking to hire a Klingon interpreter.[citation needed] County Chair Diane Linn called the listing the "result of an overzealous attempt to ensure that our safety net systems can respond to all customers and clients."
On March 2, 2004, Multnomah County Chair Linn announced the county would begin granting licenses for same-sex marriages, pursuant to a legal opinion issued by its attorney deeming such marriages lawful under Oregon law. Her announcement was supported by three other commissioners (Serena Cruz, Lisa Naito & Maria Rojo de Steffey), but criticised by Lonnie Roberts, who represents the eastern part of Multnomah county and was left out of the decision.[1][2] Within a few days, several groups joined to file a lawsuit to halt the county's action; see Same-sex unions in Oregon.
Law and Government
- Elected Officials
- County Commission (one chair, four commissioners; nonpartisan)
- Chair: Ted Wheeler
- Commissioner, District 1: Maria Rojo de Steffey
- Commissioner, District 2: Jeff Cogen
- Commissioner, District 3: Lisa Naito
- Commissioner, District 4: Lonnie Roberts
- District Attorney: Michael Schrunk
- Sheriff: Bernie Giusto
- Auditor: LaVonne Griffin-Valade
- Circuit Court district 4
- Appointed Officials
- Elections: John Kauffman
- Finance: Mindy Harris
- Surveyor: Robert Hovden
- Map of Multnomah County legislative districts
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,206 km² (466 mi²). 1,127 km² (435 mi²) of it is land and 79 km² (30 mi² or 6.53%) of it is water.
The county includes Mount Tabor, an extinct volcano, and its northern eastern border forms the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge.
Major highways
- Interstate 5
- Interstate 84
- Interstate 205
- Interstate 405
- U.S. Highway 26
- U.S. Highway 30
- U.S. Highway 99
Adjacent counties
- Clark County, Washington, across the Columbia River - north
- Skamania County, Washington, across the Columbia River - northeast
- Hood River County, Oregon - east
- Clackamas County, Oregon - south
- Washington County, Oregon - west
- Columbia County, Oregon - northwest
Economy
The principal industries of Multnomah County are manufacturing, transportation, wholesale and retail trade, and tourism.[citation needed] Since Oregon does not have a sales tax, it attracts shoppers from southwest Washington.
The Port of Portland, established in 1891 and combined with the City of Portland's Commission of Public Docks in 1973, ranks third in total waterborne commerce on the West Coast.[citation needed] Portland is one of the five largest auto import ports in the nation and is the West Coast's leading exporter of grain and lumber.[citation needed] The Port of Portland is also responsible for Portland International Airport in the Northeast section of Portland.
The Multnomah County Library has a small impact on the county budget: the county library, which supplies Internet service to area libraries, turns down $104,000 per year in federal funding, starting in 2004, to obviate the need to comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act so as to maintain unfiltered Internet access.
Tourism
The county is home to a number of Portland-area attractions and venues, including Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland Art Museum, Memorial Coliseum, Oregon Convention Center, Rose Garden Arena, Washington Park, Oregon Zoo, International Rose Test Garden, Portland Classical Chinese Garden, Portland Japanese Garden, and Pittock Mansion.
It is also home to Columbia River Highway, Multnomah Falls, and Oxbow Park.
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 4,150 | — | |
| 1870 | 11,510 | 177.3% | |
| 1880 | 25,203 | 119.0% | |
| 1890 | 74,884 | 197.1% | |
| 1900 | 103,167 | 37.8% | |
| 1910 | 226,261 | 119.3% | |
| 1920 | 275,898 | 21.9% | |
| 1930 | 338,241 | 22.6% | |
| 1940 | 355,099 | 5.0% | |
| 1950 | 471,537 | 32.8% | |
| 1960 | 522,813 | 10.9% | |
| 1970 | 556,667 | 6.5% | |
| 1980 | 562,640 | 1.1% | |
| 1990 | 583,887 | 3.8% | |
| 2000 | 665,810 | 14.0% |
As of the 2000 census2, there are 660,486 people in the county, organized into 272,098 households and 152,102 families. The population density is 586/km² (1,518/mi²). There are 288,561 housing units at an average density of 256/km² (663/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 79.16% White, 5.70% Asian, 5.67% Black or African American, 1.03% Native American, 0.35% Pacific Islander, 4.03% from other races, and 4.07% from two or more races. 7.51% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. 83.5% spoke English, 6.3% Spanish, 1.7% Vietnamese and 1.3% Russian as their first language.
There are 272,098 households out of which 26.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% are married couples living together, 10.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 44.1% are non-families. 32.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.37 and the average family size is 3.03.
In the county, the population is spread out with 22.30% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 33.80% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $41,278, and the median income for a family is $51,118. Males have a median income of $36,036 versus $29,337 for females. The per capita income for the county is $22,606. 12.70% of the population and 8.20% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.40% of those under the age of 18 and 9.80% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Communities
Cities
- Fairview
- Gresham
- Lake Oswego (small portion, most in Clackamas County) [3]
- Maywood Park
- Portland
- Troutdale
- Wood Village
Unincorporated communities
See also: Portland, Oregon neighborhoods
See also
- List of counties in Oregon
- Multnomah County, Oregon election, 2006
- Portland metropolitan area
- Vanport
- Multnomah Community Ability Scale
- Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue
References
- ^ "Children's Internet Protection Act; Questions and Answers". Multnomah County Library. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
External links
- Multnomah County
- Multnomah County Library web site
- Multnomah County History from the Oregon State Archives
