Multnomah County, Oregon
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Map_of_Oregon_highlighting_Multnomah_County.png
Image:Map of Oregon highlighting Multnomah County.png
Multnomah County is a county located in the state of Oregon, the smallest in area but the largest in population due to Portland, the county seat and largest city in Oregon. The county was named after a Native American people first recorded in the journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Mulknomans, who lived in a village on the east side of present-day Sauvie Island and are considered to be part of the Chinook tribe. It is also possible that Multnomah is a corruption of nematlnomaq, meaning down river. As of 2001, the county population is 665,810.
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Economy
The principal industries of Multnomah County are manufacturing, transportation, wholesale and retail trade, and tourism. Since Oregon does not have a sales tax, it attracts shoppers from southern Washington.
The Port of Portland, established in 1891 and combined with the City of Portland's Commission of Public Docks in 1973, ranks third in total waterborne commerce on the West Coast. Portland is one of the five largest auto import ports in the nation and is the West Coast's leading exporter of grain and lumber. The Port of Portland is also responsible for Portland International Airport, which is in the county.
Tourism
The county is home to a number of Portland-area attractions and venues, including Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland Art Museum, Memorial Coliseum, Oregon Convention Center, Rose Garden, Washington Park, Oregon Zoo, International Rose Test Garden, Japanese Gardens and Pittock Mansion.
It is also home to the scenic Columbia River Highway, Multnomah Falls, and Oxbow Park.
Major highways
- Interstate 5
- Interstate 84
- Interstate 205
- Interstate 405
- U.S. Highway 26
- U.S. Highway 30
- U.S. Highway 99
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,206 km² (466 mi²). 1,127 km² (435 mi²) of it is land and 79 km² (30 mi² or 6.53%) of it is water.
The county includes Mount Tabor, an extinct volcano, and its northern eastern border forms the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census2, there are 660,486 people in the county, organized into 272,098 households and 152,102 families. The population density is 586/km² (1,518/mi²). There are 288,561 housing units at an average density of 256/km² (663/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 79.16% White, 5.70% Asian, 5.67% Black or African American, 1.03% Native American, 0.35% Pacific Islander, 4.03% from other races, and 4.07% from two or more races. 7.51% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 272,098 households out of which 26.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% are married couples living together, 10.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 44.1% are non-families. 32.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.37 and the average family size is 3.03.
In the county, the population is spread out with 22.30% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 33.80% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $41,278, and the median income for a family is $51,118. Males have a median income of $36,036 versus $29,337 for females. The per capita income for the county is $22,606. 12.70% of the population and 8.20% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.40% of those under the age of 18 and 9.80% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
Multnomah County was created on December 22, 1854. It was the thirteenth county created in Oregon Territory. The land was taken from the eastern portion of Washington and the northern part of Clackamas counties. The borders have remained relatively unchanged to the present.
Multnomah County was created when the people living in Portland found it difficult to travel to Hillsboro to conduct business at the county seat of Washington County. They also thought that they were paying too much in taxes to support the farmers in the rural areas surrounding Portland. In 1854, Portland businessmen petitioned the Territorial Legislature for a new county and Multnomah County was created at the subsequent session. The City of Portland was chartered in 1851 and made the county seat in 1854. The Multnomah County Commissioners met for the first time on January 17, 1855.
At various times in the 20th century, an initiative has been placed on the county ballot to merge Portland with the county government. None of these proposals have been approved.
Since 2000
In the 2000 presidential election, Multnomah played the decisive role in determining who won the state's electoral votes. It was one of eight counties carried by Al Gore; he carried the county by more than 104,000 votes. That large margin more than offset the nearly 100,000-vote advantage that George W. Bush had earned among Oregon's 35 other counties.
Faced with decreasing government revenues due to a recession in the local economy, voters approved a three-year local income tax (Measure 26-48) on May 20, 2003 to prevent further cuts in schools, police protection, and social services. Multnomah County was one of the few local governments in Oregon to approve such a tax increase.
On March 2, 2004, Multnomah County Board Chairwoman Diane Linn announced the county would begin granting licenses for same-sex marriages, pursuant to a legal opinion issued by its attorney deeming such marriages lawful under Oregon law. Her announcement was supported by four other commissioners, but criticised by Lonnie Roberts, who represents the eastern part of Multnomah county and was left out of the decision. [1] (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/03/02/state2223EST7030.DTL) [2] (http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1078318717116670.xml)
Within a few days, several groups joined to file a lawsuit to halt the county's action. For details on what happened next, see the Oregon-specific section of same-sex marriage in the United States.
Cities and towns
See also
External links
- County website (http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/)
- County's Library website (http://www.multcolib.org/)
- Multnomah County History (http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/county/cpmultnomahhome.html) from the Oregon State Archives
| State of Oregon | 
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