Jefferson County, Oregon
| Jefferson County, Oregon | |
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Jefferson County Courthouse in Madras
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 Location in the U.S. state of Oregon |
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 Oregon's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | December 12, 1914 |
| Seat | Madras |
| Largest city | Madras |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,791 sq mi (4,639 km2) |
| • Land | 1,781 sq mi (4,613 km2) |
| • Water | 10 sq mi (26 km2), 0.6% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 22,666 |
| • Density | 12/sq mi (5/km²) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Time zone | Pacific: UTC-8/-7 |
| Website | www |
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 census, the population was 21,720. The county seat is Madras. The county is named after Mount Jefferson.
Jefferson County was created on December 12, 1914, from a portion of Crook County. The county owes much of its agricultural prosperity to the railroad, which links Madras with the Columbia River, and was completed in 1911, and to the development of irrigation projects in the late 1930s. The railroad was completed despite constant feuds and battles between two lines working on opposite sides of the Deschutes River.
Madras was incorporated in 1911, and has been the permanent county seat since a general election in 1916. The first (temporary) county seat was Culver, which was selected by a three-man commission appointed by the governor. Due to repeated tie votes over several days (with one vote each cast for Culver, Metolius and Madras). The deadlock was eventually broken by allowing the Metolius Commissioner to post the tie-breaker, by voting for Culver. [1]
Rapid development in adjacent Deschutes County, Oregon during the 1990s has farmers in Jefferson County concerned that they may be priced out of their own farmlands, which could be replaced by destination resorts, golf courses, and other amenities for recent arrivals.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,791 square miles (4,640 km2), of which 1,791 square miles (4,640 km2) is land and 10 square miles (26 km2) (0.6%) is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,009 people, 6,727 households, and 5,166 families residing in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 8,319 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.98% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 15.68% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 11.32% from other races, and 3.23% from two or more races. 17.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.6% were of German, 9.5% English, 8.7% American and 5.3% Irish ancestry. 82.2% spoke English, 15.5% Spanish and 1.0% Sahaptian as their first language.
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