Юнион (Орегон): История и современность города

Union is a city in Union County, Oregon, United States, originally platted in 1864, and located 15 mile (24 km) southeast of La Grande. It is the namesake of Union County, which references the Union states, or Northern States, of the American Civil War. The population was 2,152 at the 2020 census. It is also home to Oregon State University's Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, founded in 1888, which is contemporarily housed in the former Union train station.

Union was platted on November 11, 1864 along the Oregon Trail. The name references the Union states, or Northern States, of the American Civil War. J. W. Shelton, a local attorney, chartered the Union Electric Power and Light Company in March 1890 to bring the railroad from Union Junction (2.5 miles away) to Union itself. Since then, one newspaper reports that "talk around town about whether the young mayor will succeed ranges from skepticism to sunny optimism."

Union lies in the extreme southeast corner of the Grande Ronde Valley near the western edge of the Wallowa Mountains. Oregon Route 237 runs through the city between Cove to the north and North Powder to the south. Oregon Route 203 also passes through Union, linking it to La Grande, about 20 mile (32 km) to the northwest. Catherine Creek, a tributary of the Grande Ronde River, passes through the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.50 square miles (6 km2), all of it land.

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,926 people, 766 households, and 550 families residing in the city. The population density was There were 821 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the city was 96.21% White, 0.10% African American, 0.99% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population. There were 859 households, of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.8% were non families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 43.8 years. 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.6% were from 25 to 44; 30.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.