Wasco County
Your Resource To Moving to Wasco County, Oregon
Built upon the hills of the Columbia Gorge, The Dalles terrain is a combination of forests, orchards, and high desert, offering great outdoor recreation and an area rich in history and resources. Less than an hour away, the majestic Mt. Hood, 11,235 feet high, provides a winter paradise for skiers, hikers, mountain climbers or those who just want to experience its grandeur. Grand vista views also include Mt. Adams, the Klickitats and the Columbia River.
For a list of events in Wasco County please visit The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce.
Weather of Wasco County
Located east of the Cascade Mountain Range, The Dalles experiences four distinct seasons, yet finds sunny skies throughout most of each. Precipitation annually averages 14.41 inches. The average for the period from November through March is 10.89 inches, with only 3.62 inches of precipitation in the other seven months of the year.
The average high/low temperatures for the month of January are 41.1°/28.2° and July, 99.1°/61°. Population The population of The Dalles was listed in 2005 at 12,503. This is about half of population for Wasco County, which is 23,669.
Education of Wasco County
North Wasco County School District serves approximately 3,000 students in Kindergarten through grade 12. Three elementary schools serve grades Kindergarten through fifth. The sixth through eighth grades are located at The Dalles Middle School. The two high schools have been combined to form one 4A high school. The ninth grade is located on the Wahtonka campus and grades 10 through 12 are located on The Dalles campus. One Charter School, Mosier Community School, serves approximately 100 students in grades K through 6.
Demographics of Wasco County
| County, State / Factor | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2004 (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Gorge Region | ||||
| Population | 63,480 | 65,409 | 75,169 | 76,250 |
| Labor Force | 31,520 | 32,840 | 39,407 | 41,317 |
| Unemployment | 3,245 | 2,768 | 2,591 | 3,967 |
| Unemployment Rate | 10.3 | 8.4 | 6.4 | 7.9 |
| Wasco, OR | ||||
| Population | 21,732 | 21,683 | 23,791 | 23,900 |
| Labor Force | 10,473 | 10,960 | 12,569 | 12,942 |
| Unemployment | 765 | 756 | 766 | 1,152 |
| Unemployment Rate | 7.3 | 6.9 | 6.1 | 8.9 |
Source: Oregon / Washington State Employment Depts., US Census Information provided by: MCEDD
Important Contact Info:
- Assessor: 541-506-5477
- Building: 541-298-4461
- Planning: 541-506-5169
- Public Works: 541-506-5491
Useful Websites of Wasco County
- Wasco Country
- Mid-Columbia Economic Development District: Wasco County
- Wasco County Planning and Development
- City of The Dalles
- The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce
- North Wasco County School District #21
Resources
History of Wasco County
When the Territorial Legislature created Wasco County in 1854 from parts of Clackamas, Lane, Linn and Marion counties, it embraced all of Oregon east of the Cascade Range, most of Idaho and parts of Montana and Wyoming. It was named for the Wasco (or Wascopam) Indian tribe.
Wasco’s county seat is The Dalles. Now the trading hub of north-central Oregon, The Dalles gained earlier fame as the town at the end of the Oregon Trail. Thousands of years before that, humans scratched pictographs on rocks overlooking the Columbia River in this area. Later, Indian tribes gathered for generations near Celilo Falls to trade and fish. The county’s Indian heritage continues in evidence today. Kah-Nee-Ta, a popular Oregon resort, is located on the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation in southern Wasco County.
Read more: Oregon Blue Book: Wasco County
