Madras, Oregon

Madras is a city in Jefferson County, Oregon,  United States. Originally called "The Basin" after the circular valley the city is located in, it is unclear as to whether Madras was named in 1903 for the cotton fabric called "Madras" that originated in the Madras area in India, or from the city of Chennai, then known as "Madras". The population was 6,046 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jefferson County.

History
Madras was incorporated as a city in 1911. An Army Air Corps base was built nearby during World War II. This airfield now serves as City-County Airport. Homesteads about 5 mi north of the city on Agency Plains were based on dryland wheat.

Sights
Madras is home to the Erickson Aircraft Collection, a privately owned collection of airworthy vintage aircraft. The collection is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 o'clock a.m. to 5:00 o'clock p.m.

Geography and Climate
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.02 sqmi, all of it land.

Madras has a steppe climate (BSk) according to the Köppen climate classification system.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 6,046 people, 2,198 households, and 1,430 families residing in the city. The population density was 1204.4 PD/sqmi. There were 2,569 housing units at an average density of 511.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 66.4% White, 0.7% African American, 6.9% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 19.7% from other races, and 5.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.5% of the population.

There were 2,198 households of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.9% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.31.

The median age in the city was 31.2 years. 30.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.1% were from 25 to 44; 21.6% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,078 people, 1,801 households, and 1,251 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,326.9 people per square mile (899.4/km²). There were 1,952 housing units at an average density of 894.5 per square mile (345.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.55% White, 0.59% African American, 6.14% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.35% Pacific Islander, 24.56% from other races, and 4.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 35.74% of the population.

There were 1,801 households out of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the city the population was spread out with 33.1% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,103, and the median income for a family was $33,275. Males had a median income of $27,656 versus $19,464 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,937. About 15.2% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.3% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

 * Highway
 * U.S. Route 26
 * U.S. Route 97


 * Rail
 * BNSF Railway (formerly Oregon Trunk Railway)
 * Union Pacific Railroad shares operations on the same tracks

In addition to the public City-County Airport, Madras has several private use airports in the area:
 * Air
 * Bombay Farms Airport
 * Mountain View Hospital Heliport
 * Ochs Private Airport
 * Six Springs Ranch Airport

Environmental issues
In 2003, a Scotts Company large field trial of GMO bentgrass near Madras resulted in pollen spreading the transgene, which is Roundup resistance, over an area of 310 km2. Because the grower could not remove all genetically engineered plants, the U.S. Department of Agriculture fined the grower $500 thousand for non compliance with regulations in 2007.

Notable people

 * Jacoby Ellsbury - Major League Baseball player
 * River Phoenix - actor born in Madras

Sister city
Madras has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International:


 * 🇯🇵 Tōmi, Nagano, Japan (Formerly with Kitamimaki, which merged into Tōmi in 2004.)