Hood River County, Oregon

Hood River County is located in the of. The was established in  and is  the, a tributary of the. In 2000, the county's population was 20,411. The of the county is the city of.

Economy
Agriculture, timber, lumber and recreation are the major sources of revenue and industry. Fruit grown in the fertile valley is of such exceptional quality the county leads the world in Anjou pear production. A 1997 census recorded 15,553 acres (63 km²) of commercial orchards growing pears, apples, cherries and peaches. Hood River County also has two ports and two boat basins, one serving local barge traffic, a steel boat manufacturing firm and Mid-Columbia yachting interests. The owns 64% of the county's land.

The, which runs right by the city of Hood River, has become a premier destination, attracting windsurfers from throughout the United States and around the world. Cool, moist coastal air is drawn through the as the desert to the east heats up on warm days, creating winds between 15-35 knots most days in the summer. With the current in the Columbia River flowing from east to west, and the wind blowing from west to east, large swells are created on the river that windsurfers enjoy riding like waves. Windsurfing has affected the local economy in many ways: windsurfing-oriented businesses and upscale restaurants catering to visiting windsurfers have reinvigorated the downtown area, many people who first visited Hood River in search of wind and waves have settled in the area and become an integral part of the community, and the local economy has been infused with much needed tourist dollars.

In, a local group of businessmen purchased the 22 mile (35 km) branch line to from the  for $600,000, renaming it the. This rail line offers tourist rides and carries fruit from the local orchards.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,382 (534 ). 1,353 km² (522 sq mi) of it is land and 29 km² (11 sq mi) of it (2.10%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

 * - west
 * - southwest
 * - south, east
 * - northeast
 * - north

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 20,411 people, 7,248 households, and 5,175 families residing in the county. The was 15/km² (39/sq mi). There were 7,818 housing units at an average density of 6/km² (15/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 78.87%, 0.57% or , 1.12% , 1.47% , 0.12% , 15.37% from , and 2.46% from two or more races. 25.02% of the population were or  of any race. 76.0% spoke and 22.8%  as their first language.

There were 7,248 households out of which 35.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 22.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the county, the population was spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,326, and the median income for a family was $41,422. Males had a median income of $31,658 versus $24,382 for females. The for the county was $17,877. About 9.80% of families and 14.20% of the population were below the, including 17.30% of those under age 18 and 7.80% of those age 65 or over.

History
The first permanent settlers in present-day Hood River County filed a in 1854. The first school was built in 1863 and a road from was completed in 1867. By 1880 there were 17 families living in the valley. By the latter part of the nineteenth century farmers of Japanese, Finnish, German, and French ethnicity had settled in the valley.

At the turn of the twentieth century, the people of the Hood River region in the northwest portion of expressed a desire for political separation from the parent county. The passage of a statewide initiative established Hood River as the thirty-fourth county of the state. It was made official by a governor's proclamation on,. The was completed in 1922 from  to The Dalles, improving access between both those cities as well as to Hood River.

In response to controversy surrounding county approval of locating a at  on, on ,  62% of the voters approved a  requiring voter approval on residential developments of 25 units or more on land  for forest use. Opponents claimed that this measure was not enforceable and would end up in court.