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Introduction:

What Kind of Lifestyle Can We Expect Living in Such a Remote Place?

When you are 65 miles from a McDonald’s or a Wal-Mart, and two and a half hours from a mall, you will find that quality of life is a “way of living”. Here, the focus is definitely not on consumption; it’s on family, community, entrepreneurship, and outdoor beauty and recreation. “Wallowa County is a place of clean air, clean water, and a sky full of stars that will take your breath away”.

In our County you’ll find an endless opportunity to contribute and be a vital part of the community. When there is a need residents never fail to rise to the occasion. When the County’s economy was impacted by the loss of a vibrant timber industry; citizens worked together to form nonprofits and organizations to accept the challenges of sustainable land management, ecosystem health, family-wage jobs, and K-12 enriched education opportunities – preserving Wallowa County's rural way of life. When a business facilitator was needed for entrepreneurial development; the community rose again and raised money to provide free business coaching to local residents starting out in business.

The community relies on every one of its members to contribute, which is why you’ll frequently find kids of all ages working alongside their parents to make things happen. When someone is sick or there’s a death in a family, the community pulls through again with fundraisers and potlucks to help out.

Families of Wallowa County built the Ferguson Ridge Ski Area in the 1960’s – 12 miles east of Joseph. Each winter residents gather to prepare the small hill for the new season. When the Enterprise City Park was in dire need of new equipment; family and friends turned out en masse with generous donations, and gave up their Mother’s Day Weekend to install the new, state-of-the-art equipment. You will find family life at the heart of our small, rural neighborhoods.

For kids, the small, friendly area provides an oasis of freedom to get around town on their own. In fact, most new kids moving in from larger areas like Bend and Portland cite “being able to meet my friends and go downtown by myself “is at the top of their list of what they like best. Kids here can bike, walk, shop, go to the movies, ice skate, golf, take the shuttle to the lake, take a ski bus to Ferguson Ridge Ski Area, walk to a river or creek to fish, meet friends at the library, and any number of other activities, and you can know they are safe and the community is looking out for them. It’s a feeling rarely enjoyed by kids today, and one that kids in Wallowa County gleefully take for granted.

You can count on the friendly people of Wallowa County. It’s more than a pretty place; it’s a way of Living!

Population

Wallowa County Map

	2000	2002	2004	2006	2007
Enterprise	1,895	1,920	1,940	1,945	1,940
Joseph	1,055	1,070	1,080	1,095	1,100
Lostine	265	250	250	250	250
Wallowa	870	870	870	870	885
Unincorporated	3,165	3,040	3,010	2,980	2,955

Wallowa County	7,250	7,150	7,150	7,140	7,130

Estimated Driving Times and Distances:

Time & Mileage to Wallowa County (Enterprise)

Starting at:	Miles	Hours	Starting at:	Miles	Hours
Astoria, Oregon	425	8 hours	Boise, Idaho	234	5 hours
Baker City, Oregon	107	2 hours, 30 minutes	Denver, Colorado	1061	18 hours
Bend, Oregon	336	7 hours 15 minutes	Lewiston, Idaho	87	2 hours 15 minutes
Eugene, Oregon	426	8 hours	Phoenix, Arizona	1276	24 hours
La Grande, Oregon	65	1 hour 45 minutes	Reno, Nevada	601	13 hours
Medford, Oregon	558	10 hours 30 minutes	San Francisco, California	818	16 hours 30 minutes
Pendleton, Oregon	115	2 hours 30 minutes	Seattle, Washington	397	7 hours 30 minutes
Portland, Oregon	324	6 hours 15 minutes	Spokane, Washington	191	5 hours 30 minutes
Salem, Oregon	371	7 hours 15 minutes	Pasco, Washington	148	4 hours 30 minutes

Wallowa County Climate

A mountain range encircles the more populated centers of the county; protecting the valleys from severe weather impacts of regional storms. Summers are warm and pleasant. Extreme temperatures in the high 90°-100°’s are typical for short periods in late July and August. The major portion of precipitation emerges in late spring and fall. Light snow can be expected in the valleys by late November and recurs periodically until April. Brief heavy snow may occur in the valleys from November to February. Generally, heavy snow occurs at the higher elevations; which produce snow packs that often remain year around on high mountain peaks of the Eagle Cap Wilderness.

Source: George Taylor, State Climatologists & Cadd Hale & Sarah Joos, Publication Assistants

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
Normal Monthly Maximum Temp	37	40	46	53	60	67	79	80	69	57	44	35
Normal Monthly Minimum Temp	18	20	24	29	36	42	47	46	40	31	25	17
Extreme Monthly High Temp	57	59	69	76	82	87	95	94	94	82	70	54
Extreme Monthly Low Temp	-22	-25	2	11	18	26	31	33	20	11	7	-17
Normal Precipitation Totals	1.16	.97	1.31	1.59	2.71	1.64	1.29	.74	1.68	1.37	1.56	1.03
Avg. Ground Snow Depth	2.6	2.6	1.3	.3	-	-	-	-	-	-	.4	.7
Extreme Ground Snow Depth	18	11	10	6	2	-	-	-	-	3	6	7
Normal Snowfall Totals	11.5	6.1	9.5	5.5	.4	-	-	-	-	1.5	5.6	5.8

General Demographics

Wallowa County land area in square miles 3,153
Population (2007) 7,130
Population density (persons per square mile) 2.3
Population percent of the State 0.2%

Source: PSU, Population Research Center & Oregon Employment Department

County Age Groups (2006)

Children, Ages 0-17 years 20.3%
Adults, ages 18-64 years 59.4%
Adults, ages 65+ years 20.3%

Source: PSU, Population Research Center

Community Age Groups (Wallowa County)

Age Groups	1960	1970	1980	1990	2000
Under 5 years of age	761	423	547	473	354
Ages 5-19 years	1,986	1,815	1,646	1,487	1,537
Ages 20-44 years	2,066	1,631	2,402	2,215	1,800
Ages 45-64 years	1,566	1,552	1,598	1,499	2,171
65+ years	723	826	1,237	1,080	1,364
Median Age	30.9	34.8	33.5	37.6	44.4