Орегон штатының Морроу округі

County in Oregon, United States

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.

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.

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 5923 feet (1805 m). Rivers flowing from the mountains into the Columbia River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2049 square miles (5,307 km2), of which 2032 square miles (5,263 km2) is land and 17 square miles (44 km2) (0.8%) is covered by water.

As of the 2000 census, there were 10,995 people, 3,776 households, and 2,718 families living in the county. The population density was There were 4,296 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the county was 76.27% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 1.42% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 19.54% from other races, and 2.14% from two or more races. 24.43% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.6% were of German, 12.8% American, 8.3% Irish, and 8.0% English ancestry. 77.3% spoke English and 22.3% Spanish as their first language. There were 3,776 households, out of which 38.91% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.60% were married couples living together, 8.87% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.70% were non families. 18.13% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.28. In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.80% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,525, and the median income for a family was $40,731. Males had a median income of $32,328 versus $22,887 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,843. 14.80% of the population and 11.30% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.60% of those under the age of 18 and 10.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

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. 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.