Кондон, Орегон: История и современность небольшого города

Condon is a city in, and the seat of, Gilliam County, in the U. S. state of Oregon. The population was 682 at the 2010 census. The city, with an historic main street along Oregon Route 19, is a farming and ranching community. The John Day River/Cottonwood Canyon State Park, the ghost town of Lonerock and the John Day Fossil Beds are all a short drive from Historic Condon.

Condon was the southern terminus of the Condon Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1883, a local homesteader named Potter platted the land around a spring on his property. Experiencing financial difficulty, Potter surrendered the site to the legal firm Condon and Cornish from Arlington. The City of Condon has collaborated with business interests to restore buildings on Main Street. Most of the buildings on the Historic Main Street have been restored, new businesses have opened, and the Gilliam County Library moved to the remodeled Hollen and Sons Hardware Store, the City Park has been re designed into a beautiful event space.

Condon, in Gilliam County in north central Oregon, is at the intersection of Oregon Route 19, running north–south through the city, and Oregon Route 206, which runs east–west at Condon. By highway, the city is 38 mile (61 km) south of Interstate 84 at Arlington, 69 mile (111 km) southeast of The Dalles, and 150 mile (241 km) east of Portland. Condon has a borderline Mediterranean (Köppen Csb)/Continental Mediterranean (Dsb) climate, characterized by dry summers with cool mornings giving way to very warm afternoons, and cold though not usually severe winters. In some cases, very cold continental air from Canada will be driven into the Columbia Gorge, producing an average of two mornings at or below each winter. The coldest month has been January 1930 with 22 afternoons in succession not topping freezing, an average temperature of and an average minimum of On the other hand, sixteen afternoons during the three month winter typically top
Most of the limited precipitation falls during this period as a mixture of snow and rain. When maritime air interacts with a cold outbreak substantial snow can occur, with maximum monthly totals of in December 2008 and in January 1950; however, only a trace of snow fell between July 1963 and June 1964. Very powerful Pacific Northwest rainstorms – although depleted of most moisture by the Cascades – provide the heaviest precipitation: the wettest month has been December 1981 with and the wettest "rain year" from July 1947 to June 1948 with The driest "rain year" was from July 1938 to June 1939 with only
Apart from occasional thunderstorms, the summers are very dry. When hot winds from the interior reach the Pacific Northwest, very hot "heatwave" conditions can occur. During a typical summer, will be reached on sixteen afternoons, although is extremely rare, occurring at all only in eight summers between 1981 and 2010 and never more than twice. The hottest afternoon was on July 24, 1928 – during an exception heatwave of seven century afternoons – which reached .

As of the census of 2010, there were 682 people, 357 households, and 184 families residing in the city. The population density was There were 455 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the city was 97.2% White, 0.1% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.1% of the population. The Gilliam County Historical Museum complex at Burns Park along Route 19 includes several restored buildings, including a train depot, caboose, church, barber shop, jail, school house, and the Silas A. Rice Log House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Condon is also a haven for local artists with periodic art shows occurring in the community. Condon has a 9 hole golf course and swimming pool operated by the City of Condon. A movie theater that was recently purchased by the Condon Arts Council and will be restored into an event space. The Oregon Frontier Chamber of Commerce hosts a Summer Concert series in the City Park and upper Main Street. There is also a game bird reserve, recreational ranches, and hunting lodges nearby.

Condon students are served by the Condon School District 25J, which includes Condon Elementary School and Condon High School. The five largest employers in Condon as of 2002 were the Gilliam County government, the Condon School District, the North Central Education Service District, the Hotel Condon, and Summit Springs Village, an assisted living center.

The Times Journal is a weekly newspaper published in Condon.

The state airport in Condon is named Pauling Field after former resident Linus Pauling, and sits at the north end of town.