City of The Dalles, Oregon
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Disamb: For the German rock group The Dalles, see The Dalles (band)
The Dalles is a city located in Wasco County, Oregon. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle ("flag stone"), what the French-Canadian employees of the Hudson's Bay Company called the now-inundated Long Narrows of the Columbia River above the present-day city. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 12,156.
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History
Lewis and Clark camped near Mill Creek on October 25-27, 1805, and recorded the Native American name for this creek as Quenett. The first use of the name "Dalles", according to Oregon Geographic Names, appears in Franchere's Narrative, on April 12, 1814.
The Dalles was a stop along the Oregon Trail.
A post office was established within the boundaries of the current city in 1851, and The Dalles was incorporated as a city in 1857. It has been the major commercial center between Portland and Pendleton since.
Construction of The Dalles Dam in 1957 submerged the Long Narrows and Celilo Falls.
In 1984, The Dalles was the scene of a bioterrorist incident launched by the Rajneeshee Cult.
Geography
ORMap-doton-The_Dalles.png
Location of City of The Dalles, Oregon
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.4 km². 13.6 km² of it is land and 0.8 km² of it is water. The total area is 5.23% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 12,156 people, 4,896 households, and 3,226 families residing in the city. The population density is 892.3/km². There are 5,227 housing units at an average density of 383.7/km². The racial makeup of the city is 87.83% White, 0.39% African American, 1.20% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.77% Pacific Islander, 6.23% from other races, and 2.62% from two or more races. 10.50% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 4,896 households out of which 30.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% are married couples living together, 10.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% are non-families. 29.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.40 and the average family size is 2.94.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $35,430, and the median income for a family is $43,041. Males have a median income of $36,387 versus $22,583 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,511. 12.4% of the population and 9.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 16.6% of those under the age of 18 and 8.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External link
- The Dalles official website (http://www.ci.the-dalles.or.us/)
- Oregon Blue Book entry for The Dalles, OR (http://bluebook.state.or.us/local/cities/sy/thedalles.htm)