La Grande, Oregon

Early settlement

The Grande Ronde Valley had long been a waypoint along the Oregon Trail. The first permanent settler in the La Grande area was Benjamin Brown in 1861. Not long after, the Leasey family and about twenty others settled there. The settlement was originally named after Ben Brown as Brown's Fort, Brown's Town, or Brownsville. There was already a Brownsville in Linn County, so when the post office was established in 1863, a more distinctive name was needed. It was decided to use "La Grande", a phrase used by a Frenchman, Charles Dause, to describe the area's scenic splendor. Before the post office was established, William Currey charged 50 cents a letter to carry the mail on horseback to and from the nearest post office, in Walla Walla, Washington. La Grande was incorporated as a city in 1865, and platted in 1868.

Growth

La Grande grew rapidly during the late 1860s and early 1870s, partially because of the region's many gold mines and the valley's agricultural capabilities. The early business establishments centered on C Avenue between present day Fourth Street and the hillside on the west end.

In 1884, the railroad came to the flat slightly east of "Old Town". This helped the town to grow and gave rise to "New Town", centered on Adams Avenue and built parallel to the railroad tracks.

By 1900, La Grande's population was 2992, representing half of the population of Baker City.

La Grande's Eastern Oregon University, formerly known as Eastern Oregon State College, began in 1929 as Eastern Oregon Normal School, a teachers college.

Sugar factory

La Grande had a factory for processing sugar beets into raw sugar. The sugar beets came from the nearby Mormon town of Nibley, Oregon, and both were owned by the Oregon Sugar Company. R. Doerstling, the superintendent of the factory in 1899, reported seeing a Native American teepee built out of used cloth filters from the factory.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.61 square miles (11.94 km²), of which, 4.58 square miles (11.86 km²) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km²) is water. The town is a major hub in the Grande Ronde Valley. Mount Emily is a Grande Ronde Valley landmark towering over the city of La Grande to the north. It often features prominently on logos of local organizations, and is matched on the other side of the valley by a similar landmark, Mount Harris.

Climate

La Grande has a climate that could either be described as a humid continental climate (Köppen Dsb) or a rare cold oceanic or mediterranean climate (Köppen Cfb or Csb), with warm, dry summers and cold winters.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 13,082 people, 5,395 households, and 3,073 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,856.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,102.8/km²). There were 5,794 housing units at an average density of 1,265.1 per square mile (488.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.3% White, 0.8% African American, 1.4% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 1.5% Pacific Islander, 1.4% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.6% of the population.

There were 5,395 households of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.0% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.93.

The median age in the city was 32.8 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 16% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 23.3% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,327 people, 5,124 households, and 2,982 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,833.5 people per square mile (1,094.1/km²). There were 5,483 housing units at an average density of 1,260.3 per square mile (486.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.92% White, 1.26% Asian, 0.90% Pacific Islander, 0.78% Native American, 0.68% African American, 1.40% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.77% of the population.

There were 5,124 households out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city, the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 16.5% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,576, and the median income for a family was $40,508. Males had a median income of $32,746 versus $21,930 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,550. About 8.3% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Commercial district

La Grande includes a historic commercial district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in September 2001. The 42.7-acre (17.3 ha) district is bounded by the following:

Education

The city is served by the La Grande School District, which includes Central Elementary School, Island City Elementary, Greenwood Elementary School, La Grande Middle School, and La Grande High School. La Grande is the home of Eastern Oregon University.

Media

The Observer is the local daily newspaper. Local radio stations include KLBM AM 1450 and the following stations on the FM dial: KEOL FM 91.7, KUBQ FM 98.7, KWRL FM 99.9, KTVR FM 90.3 KCMB FM 104.7, and KRJT FM 105.9.

La Grande is considered part of the Portland television market despite its distance from the western part of the state. Spanish language Univision affiliate KUNP (channel 16) is licensed to La Grande as a sister station to Portland ABC affiliate KATU (channel 2), though is effectively considered to be a Portland station due to its former owner using a strategy of using fringe stations to serve an entire market through cable and satellite distribution with little to no local presence (KUNP's parent company maintains a translator station serving Portland proper).

Highways

Rail

La Grande is a crew change point on the Huntington and La Grande subdivisions of the Union Pacific Railroad, originally constructed through the area in 1884 by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. Between 1977 and 1997, the city was a regular stop along the former route of Amtrak's Pioneer between Chicago, Salt Lake City, Portland and Seattle. La Grande is also the junction of the Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad's 20-mile (32 km) short line to Elgin.

Air

Notable people