Vale | |
---|---|
City | |
Vale, Oregon | |
Downtown Vale
|
|
Motto: Born and raised on the Oregon Trail | |
Location in Oregon |
|
Coordinates: 43°58′56″N 117°14′37″W / 43.98222°N 117.24361°WCoordinates: 43°58′56″N 117°14′37″W / 43.98222°N 117.24361°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Oregon |
County | Malheur |
Incorporated | 1889 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Mike McLaughlin |
Area | |
• Total | 1.14 sq mi (2.95 km2) |
• Land | 1.14 sq mi (2.95 km2) |
• Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
Elevation | 2,244 ft (684 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 1,874 |
• Estimate (2013) | 1,838 |
• Density | 1,643.9/sq mi (634.7/km2) |
Time zone | Mountain (UTC-7) |
• Summer (DST) | Mountain (UTC-6) |
ZIP code | 97918 |
Area code(s) | 541 |
FIPS code | 41-76600 |
GNIS feature ID | 1136861 |
Website | City of Vale |
Vale is a city in Malheur County, Oregon, United States, about 12 miles (19 km) west of the Idaho border. It is at the intersection of U.S. Routes 20 and 26, on the Malheur River at its confluence with Bully Creek.
Vale was selected as Malheur's county seat in 1888 in an vote where other candidate communities were Ontario and Jordan Valley. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 1,874, down from 1,976 in 2000. Vale is part of the Ontario, OR–ID Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The community was the first stop in Oregon along the Oregon Trail. A post office with the name of Vale was established in February 1883, and the community was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on February 21, 1889. Originally incorporated as the Town of Vale, it became the City of Vale in 1905.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.14 square miles (2.95 km2), all of it land. The city has an elevation of 2,244 feet (684 m) above sea level.
Vale has a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). July is on average the hottest month and January the coldest. Typically there will be 148.3 nights each winter falling below 32 °F or 0 °C and 6.3 nights falling under 0 °F or −17.8 °C, although the clear skies mean that only 25.2 days do not top freezing and only 101.5 days fail to top 50 °F or 10 °C. During summer, 12.7 days will top 100 °F or 37.8 °C and 61.2 days – including 43 of 62 in July and August – will on average top 90 °F or 32.2 °C. However, the low humidity and clear high-altitude skies mean nights are cool even in summer, with minima rarely above 65 °F or 18.3 °C.