Halfway, Oregon
| Halfway, Oregon | |
|---|---|
| City | |
View from the south side of Halfway, looking north toward the Wallowa Mountains
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 Location in Oregon |
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| Coordinates: 44°52′42″N 117°6′38″W / 44.87833°N 117.11056°WCoordinates: 44°52′42″N 117°6′38″W / 44.87833°N 117.11056°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Baker |
| Incorporated | 1909 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Sheila Farwell |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.37 sq mi (0.96 km2) |
| • Land | 0.37 sq mi (0.96 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,651 ft (808 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 288 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 284 |
| • Density | 778.4/sq mi (300.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | Pacific (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 97834 |
| Area code(s) | 458 and 541 |
| FIPS code | 41-31650 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1143208 |
Halfway is a small town in Baker County, Oregon, United States. This town took its name from the location of its post office, on the Alexander Stalker ranch, halfway between Pine and Cornucopia. The population was 288 at the 2010 census.
During the dot-com boom, Halfway agreed to rename itself as Half.com, Oregon for a year as a publicity stunt for the e-commerce company of the same name.
The community was named for the fact it is roughly halfway between Pine and Cornucopia. While a post office was established in 1887, the town was platted in another location in 1907, the post office moved there in 1908, and it incorporated in 1909.
Halfway earned a place in the history of the dot-com era in December 1999, when it received and accepted an offer to rename itself as Half.com, Oregon, after the e-commerce start-up, for one year in exchange for $110,000; 20 computers for the school; and other financial subsidies. It became the first city in the world to rename itself as a dot com. Among the less obvious reasons the town was chosen were its small population size (and thus its likelihood to accept such an offer) and the city's location, which fit perfectly into Half.com's marketing scheme. "They're within four miles of the 45th parallel which makes it halfway between the equator and the North Pole". The proclamation did not legally change its name. The city created and posted two signs at its borders that greeted visitors with "America's First Dot-com City". The city auctioned one of these off in September 2007 for $1000; the winner was Half.com's founder Josh Kopelman.
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