I - -I - I I - = - ¶t_. - I - LA - -- - - - - Zod ?&ctet &mt, O'reqot RESOUR ó NATURAL HUMAN ATLAS ECONOMIC PUBLIC JANUARY 1974 EXTENSIONEJ..O44t46tcutzt9 t4JtCOj344(t(LV PROJECT OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY Hood River County, Oregon NATURAL RESOURCE HUMAN ATLAS ECONOMIC PUBLIC January, 1974 Oregon State University Extension Service Prepared by Marilyn Ruttle, Research Assistant, Under the supervision of: Robert 0. Coppedge, Extension Economist, and Russell C. Youmans, Extension Resource Economist, Department of Agricultural Economics For sale by the Extension Business Office, Extension Hall 188, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331. $2.50 per copy. Contents Page General Description 1 Physical Aspects 2 Climate 2 Soils 4 Soil Characteristics and Land Capability 7 Land Use and Ownership................. 9 Agricultural Land 11 Forest Land 12 Water 15 Water-based Recreation 20 Minerals 20 Wildlife 20 Human Resources 21 Population 21 Employment 25 Income 32 Education 35 Health and Vital Statistics 37 Public Welfare 41 Housing 43 The County's Economy 45 Agriculture . 45 Logging and Wood Products 51 Manufacturing 52 Mining - Mineral and Metal Industries 53 Outdoor Recreation 54 Business 58 Public Services 59 Transportation. 59 Communication 60 Library Facilities. 62 Utilities 62 Public Finance 64 Selected List of Agencies . 68 Selected Bibliography 70 HOOD RIVER COUNTY lvii Lt. 10 15 20 HOOD RIVER COUNTY LEGEND PRIMARY HIGHWAYS 0 SECONDARY HIGHWAYS Q COUNTY ROADS INTERSTATE HIGHWAYSO GENERAL DESCRIPTION Hood River County is located along the northern edge of Oregon. It is bounded on the west by the lower Willamette River Basin, andon the north by the Columbia River. It is approximately 45 miles east of the city of Portland. The county contains a total 536 square miles 1/, and is thenext to smallest county in Oregon. Topographically, the cunty is predominately in the mountains. Primary industries in the county include lumbering, agriculture, and recreation. The county is the leading Anjoupear producing area of the world. The county also commercially produces apples, cherries, and strawberries. Hood River County lies in a transition zone between the the maritime zone of western Oregon and the semi-arid zone of eastern Oregon. Average annual precipitation is about 30 inches. Its temperate climate helps to produce its fine fruits. The county's population is generally scattered throughout the Hood River Valley, with concentrations at Hood River, (thecounty seat Odell, Parkdale, and Cascade Locks. A brief summary of major facts for the county is noted below. 1/ Area: 536 square miles Population: 13,540 (July, 1972) County Seat: Hood River True Cash Value: $138,163,312 (1972) Elevation at Hood River: 154 feet Principal industries: Average temperature: Agriculture, Lumbering Summer - 66.9 F Recreation 0 Winter - 33.6 F 1/ Oregon State Executive Department, Clay Myers, Secretary of State, Oregon Blue 1ook, 1973-74, January, 1974. PHYSICAL ASPECTS Hood River county is located in north central Oregon on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains. Located on the southwestern edge of the county is Mount Hood which is the highest and most prominent topo- graphic feature.in the county. The Columbia River Gorge marks the north bondary of the county. The west boundary is the uplifted crest of the Cascade Mountains. Two northeast-southwest trending folds located in the north central section and a north-south trending fault along the east side are the main structural units. Structural changes such as uplifting, folding, and faulting have made significant contributions to the present topography of the county. In early or middle Pliocene times a north-south trending fault occurred along the east side of the Hood River Valley. The down dropped side of the fault is the present Hood River Valley.and may have been the location of a south flowing river before the development of the present Columbia River. The main valley is wide and maturely eroded, but the tributary valleys are in a youthful stage. Elevation ranges from 154 feet at Hood River to 11,245 feet on Mount Hood. Climate Extreme climatic contrasts exist in Hood River County. The county is in a transitional zone between the marjUme temperate climatic zone to the west and the semi-arid continental climatic zone to the east. Annual precipitation varies from about 130 inches on the crest of the Cascade range to about 10 inches in the eastern portion of the county. The growing season varies from 217 days at Cascade Locks to zero days on the higher elevations of Mt. Hood. Table 1. Selected Hood River County Weather Stations, and Elevation Station Elevation in feet Hood River Experiment Station 500 Parkdale 1,740 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Weather Bureau, Decennial Census of U.S. Climate, Supplement for 1951 through 1960, Oregon No. 86-31, 1965. -2- Table 2. Temperature and Precipitation, by Month, 1951-1960 Averages, Hood River County Station Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. MayJune JulyJ Aug. Sep.oct.JNov.JDec.Annual Average Temperature degrees Farenheit Hood River Exp Station 33.5 38.4 42.3 49.7 56.6 61.5 66.7 65.7 61.151.9 40.6 36.7 50.4 Parkdale 30.9 35.6 39.0 46.3 52.9 58.2 63.7 62.2 58.149.1 38.6 34.2 47.4 Total Precipitation inches Hood River Exp. Station....... 6.18 3.39 3.74 1.66 1.16 .79 .13 .38 .842.76 4.46 5.09 30.58 Parkdale 9.22 5.23 5.54 2.61 1.84 1.21 .15 .42 .953.68 6.53 7.63 45.01 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Weather Bureau, Decennial Census of U.S. Climate, Supplement for 1951-1960, Oregon No. 86-31, 1965. The following table depits average day-time high and night-time low for each month over the years 1951-1960. Table 3. Mean Daily Maximum and Minimum Temperatures, Hood River County, by Month, 1951-60 Averages Stat ion Jan.Feb.Mar.Apr.MayJuneJulyAug. Sep.Oct.Nov.Dec.JAnnual Mean Daily Maximum Temp. degrees Farenheit Hood River Exp Station 39.3 45.6 51.6 61.2 69.0 73.5 81.1 79.6 75.6 63.7 48.6 42.5 60.9 Parkdale 37.9 43.6 48.8 58.6 66.6 71.5 81.0 78.174.2 61.4 47.6 40.8 59.2 Mean Daily Minimum Temp. degrees Farenheit Hood River Exp Station 27.7 31.2 32.9 38.1 44.1 49.5 52.2 51.846.5 40.0 32.4 30.8 39.8 Parkdale 23.9 27.6 29.2 33.9 39.1 45.0 46.4 46.342.1 36.7 29.6 27.6 35.6 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Conmrnrce, Weather Bureau, Decennial Census of U.S. Climate, Supplement for 1951-1960, Oregon No. 86-31, 1965. Table 4. Freeze Data for Hood River County, 1951-1960 Averages 0 Mean Number of Days with Temperature of 32 or Below Station JülyJAug. JSep.I Oct.1Nov.1 Dec. Hood RiverEx. Station 21 16 14 16 1 0 + 15 19 97 Parkdale 26 22 22 13 6 + + 19 27 145 + Less than 0.5 days. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Weather Bureau, Decennial Census of U.S. Climate, Supplement for 1951 through 1960, Oregon No. 86-31, 1965. More recent information on the climate of Hood River County may be obtained by consulting the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration, Environmental Data Service, Climatological Data, Annual Summary 1971, Vol. 77, no. 13, 1971. Soils The soils ofHood River County are discussed in five general groups. The factors used in grouping the soils are:physiography, kind and shape of landform; geology, kind and source of parent and underlying material; and soil genesis, soil profile characteristics. Alluvial soils adjacent to the streams and intermixed miscellaneous land types are associated with each group. Soils derived from lacustrine materials on terraces occur in the lower Hood River Valley on nearly level to gently sloping, deeply dissectedterraces of water laid volcanic deposits. In recent geologic time as a result of a lava or mud flow or landslide damming the Columbia River and creatinga lake, sediments of gravel, sand, and silt were deposited in varying depthson these terraces. Soils developed from this lacustrine materials are deep to very deep, and excessively to imperfectly drained. Soils derived from colluvial and glacial sediments are located along the west side of lower Hood River Valley. The colluvial sediments were moved by gravity from the hills on the west. The glacial sediments, over- lying the colluvim in places, were deposited by the Columbia Riveras a result of the melting of the continental glaciers. These terraces are rolling and undulating and dissected by V-shaped stream channels. The soils are moderately deep to deep, well to imperfectly drained andmay have stony profiles. The soils derived from volcanic ash are on gently to moderately sloping, moderately dissected terraces in upper Hood River Valley. The terraces are formed from intermixed water laid, semi-consolidated ande- sitic gravel, sand and mud flow breccia, and recent basaltic and andesitic flows and breccias. Over this mixed material 5 to 20 feet of volcanic ash was deposited. The parent material of the soils is volcanic ash and a minor amount of other volcanic material. Soils have developed that moderately deep to very deep, well to imperfectly drained, andsome soils have a firm to very firm horizon or a gravelly substratum. -4- Some soils derived from volcanic materials are also located on the uplands of the county. They occur in the mountaincs area west and south of the Hood River Valley and extend from the Columbia River to Mount Hood and to the east.