Umatilla County, Oregon

Umatilla County is located in the  of. The is  the. In 2000, its population was 70,548. The is.

History
Umatilla County was created on, , out of a portion of. Adjustments were made to the county's boundaries following the creation of, , , and Counties. This legislative act also designated Marshall Station as the temporary county seat. An 1865 election selected Umatilla City, now known as, as the county seat. With the development of wheat farming, population shifted to the north and east parts of the county, and a subsequent election in 1868 moved the county seat again to.

The was established by the  in 1855. The, , and tribes were resettled there, and is located immediately southeast of Pendleton.

EZ Wireless of Hermiston officially opened on, , one of the largest known s in the United States, covering parts of Umatilla County, Morrow County and. Although created to facilitate communications among local police, firemen and EMT workers who immediately response to possible accidents or terrorist attacks on the, where the currently maintains a national arsenal of , the network can be accessed in some places by the public for free.

Economy
The gold rush of 1862 brought miners and stock raisers to the mountains and grasslands of Umatilla County. Another stimulus was the arrival of the railroad in 1881, opening the region to the development of dry land wheat farming. Water for has been key to economic diversification and growth, most recently in the Hermiston area, where lush watermelons and other products are grown. The annual rodeo held in  is an important tourist attraction.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 8,369 (3,231 ). 8,327 km² (3,215 sq mi) of it is land and 41 km² (16 sq mi) of it (0.49%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

 * (north; across the Columbia River)
 * (north; a portion is across the Columbia River)
 * (northeast)
 * - (northeast)
 * - (east)
 * - (south)
 * - (west)

Communities
Incorporated cities

Unincorporated communities and 

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 70,548 people, 25,195 households, and 17,838 families residing in the county. The was 8/km² (22/sq mi). There were 27,676 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (9/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 82.00%, 0.82% or , 3.37% , 0.75% , 0.18% , 10.67% from , and 2.21% from two or more races. 16.11% of the population were or  of any race. 84.4% spoke and 14.3%  as their first language.

There were 25,195 households out of which 35.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% were living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county, the population was spread out with 27.80% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 104.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,249, and the median income for a family was $41,850. Males had a median income of $31,479 versus $22,325 for females. The for the county was $16,410. About 9.80% of families and 12.70% of the population were below the, including 16.20% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.