Economy
Gilliam County is in the heart of the Columbia Plateau wheat area. The economy is based mainly on agriculture, with an average farm size of about 4,200 acres. Wheat, barley and beef cattle are the principal crops. The largest individual employers in the county are two subsidiaries of Waste Management Inc., Chemical Waste Management of the Northwest and Oregon Waste Systems, Inc., who run two regional waste disposal landfills. By levying a fee of $1 a ton, Gilliam county receives enough money to pay the first $500 of the property tax bills of its inhabitants, an amount that covers the full tax bill for almost half of the county inhabitants, as well as funding other county projects.
Hunting, fishing and tourism are secondary industries. Transportation also contributes to the local economy; two major rivers, the John Day and Columbia, cross the area east-to-west, as does Interstate 84. Highway 19 connects the county's major cities north-to-south and provides access to the John Day Valley.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,167 km² (1,223 mi²). 3,119 km² (1,204 mi²) of it is land and 49 km² (19 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.53% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 1,915 people, 819 households, and 543 families residing in the county. The population density is 1/km² (2/mi²). There are 1,043 housing units at an average density of 0/km² (1/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 96.76% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.84% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.15% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 1.83% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 819 households out of which 27.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% are married couples living together, 5.90% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.60% are non-families. 29.50% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.10% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.31 and the average family size is 2.85.
In the county, the population is spread out with 23.20% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 19.10% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 43 years. For every 100 females there are 102.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $33,611, and the median income for a family is $41,477. Males have a median income of $30,915 versus $20,852 for females. The per capita income for the county is $17,659. 9.10% of the population and 6.70% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 11.00% are under the age of 18 and 6.60% are 65 or older.
History
For many years, Native Americans had traversed the county on well-worn trails to reach fishing, hunting, foraging, and trading areas. Many of these trails are still visible in the rangeland. The first non-native people in the area were Americans following the Oregon Trail to the Willamette Valley. In the late 19th century, settlers arrived from the midwestern and eastern United States and Europe to stay and build farms and communities. Many settlers were also part of a larger reverse migration of people who had originally settled in the Willamette Valley.
The Legislative Assembly created Gilliam County on February 25, 1885, from the eastern third of Wasco County after residents complained that they were too far from the county seat in The Dalles. The first county seat was at Alkali, now Arlington. The question of a permanent county seat was placed on general election ballots in 1886, 1888, and again in 1890, when voters chose to move the county seat to Condon, known to early settlers as "Summit Springs." Once the question of the location of the county seat was settled, voters in Gilliam County proved reluctant to provide a courthouse in Condon. The county government operated out of a two-room house until 1903, when the county court appropriated money to construct a courthouse.