Saturday, March 14, 2009

Pendleton, Oregon.

Pendleton is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. Pendleton was named in 1868 by the county commissioners for George H. Pendleton, Democratic candidate for Vice-President in the 1864 presidential campaign. The population was 16,354 at the 2000 census. The 2006 estimate is 17,310 residents. It is the county seat of Umatilla County.
Pendleton is the larger of the two principal cities of the
Pendleton-Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Morrow and Umatilla counties and had a combined population of 81,544 at the 2000 census.

History.
A commercial center in the locality of Pendleton began as early as 1851, when Dr. William C. McKay established a trading post at the mouth of McKay Creek. A Post Office with the name of Marshall (named for the owner of another local store, and sometime gambler) was established April 21, 1865, and later renamed Pendleton. The city was incorporated in 1880.
By 1900, Pendleton had a population of 4,406 and was the fourth-largest city in Oregon. Like many cities in eastern Oregon, it had a flourishing
Chinatown from the 1880s into the 1920s.
Pendleton Woolen Mills, founded in 1893, is known world-wide as a maker of fine Indian trading blankets and men's plaid shirts.
In addition to the woolen mills, Pendleton is also famous for its annual
rodeo, the Pendleton Round-Up. First held in 1910, it is part of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) sanctioned rodeo circuit. In 1999, the Pendleton Round-Up Association added a two night Professional Bull Riders Classic to the Annual events. This rodeo is most noted for being the only PRCA even held on a grass field at the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame.
In addition Pendleton had a noted
red light district, which as late as 1947 counted 20 brothels in the heart of the city. In 1953, the district closed after a Presbyterian minister threatened to read a list of names of brothel patrons in church. One survivor, however, Stella Darby, continued to operate her establishment until she retired in 1965. The four blocks that were once the red-light district are now the "old town" of Pendleton, and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Pendleton has been a center of Culture and Art in the region for many years. Boasting institutions like the
Pendleton Center for the Arts (in the town's old Carnegie Library building) and Crow's Shadow Institute of the Arts on the nearby Umatilla Indian Reservation.
Pendleton is also home of
Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution (EOCI). EOCI is the state's only facility where the internationally-recognized "Prison Blues " line of blue denim clothing is manufactured. The garment factory is one of two prison industries programs operating at the facility. The prison's commercial laundry cleans clothing and other items for EOCI and Snake River Correctional Institution, in addition to Pendleton's local high school, the city's fire department, the Pendleton Convention Center, and Krusteaz Flour Mill. Other inmate work opportunities include: food service, clerical, and facility maintenance.

Geography and climate.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.1 square miles (26.0 km²), all of it land.
I-84 passes through Pendleton, between Portland to the west and Boise, Idaho to the east. The Umatilla River flows through Pendleton.

Demographics.
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,354 people, 5,964 households, and 3,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,627.2 people per square mile (628.3/km²). There were 6,352 housing units at an average density of 632.0/sq mi (244.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.15% White, 1.53% African American, 2.52% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.68% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.00% of the population.
There were 5,964 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were
married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 30.4% 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 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 114.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,800, and the median income for a family was $47,410. Males had a median income of $31,763 versus $23,858 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $17,551. About 8.7% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

References.