Multnomah County, Oregon 91999 222115467 2008-06-27T17:06:23Z Peteforsyth 710296 /* Law and government */ wl two prominent commissioners {{Infobox U.S. County | county = Multnomah County | state = Oregon | seal = | map size = 225 | founded = [[22 December]] [[1854]] | seat = [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] | area_total_sq_mi =466 | area_land_sq_mi =435 | area_water_sq_mi =30 | area percentage = 6.53% | census yr = 2000 | pop = 660486 | density_km2 =586 | web = www.co.multnomah.or.us |}} '''Multnomah County''' ({{pronEng|məltˈnoʊmə}}) is one of 36 [[List of counties in Oregon|counties]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Oregon]]. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous<ref>{{cite web | title = Oregon Almanac: Abbreviation to Counties | publisher = State of Oregon | work = Oregon Blue Book | url = http://bluebook.state.or.us/facts/almanac/almanac01.htm | accessdate = 2007-07-04}}</ref> as its [[county seat]], [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], is the state's largest city. In 2006, the county's population was 681,454.<ref>http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/41/41051.html</ref> The county was likely [[Oregon Geographic Names|named]] after [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] people first recorded in the journals of the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]], [[Multnomah (tribe)|Mulknomans]], who lived in a village on the east side of present-day [[Sauvie Island]]. (An alternative theory holds that ''Multnomah'' is a corruption of ''nematlnomaq'', meaning down river.) == History == Multnomah County (the thirteenth in [[Oregon Territory]]) was created on [[December 22]], [[1854]], formed out of the eastern part of [[Washington County, Oregon|Washington]] and the northern part of [[Clackamas County, Oregon|Clackamas]] counties. Its creation was a result of a petition for earlier that year by businessmen in Portland complaining of the inconvenient location of the Washington County seat in [[Hillsboro, Oregon|Hillsboro]] and of the share of Portland tax revenues leaving the city to support Washington County farmers. County commissioners met for the first time on [[January 17]], [[1855]].{{Fact|date=June 2007}} At various times in the 20th century, an [[initiative]] has been placed on the county ballot to [[Consolidated city-county|merge Portland with the county government]]. None of these proposals have been approved. === Since 2000 === [[Image:Multcocourthouse.jpg|thumb|right|Multnomah County Court House in [[Downtown Portland]].]] In the [[U.S. presidential election, 2000|2000 presidential election]], Multnomah played a decisive role in determining the winner of the state's [[U.S. Electoral College#Electoral votes|electoral votes]]. [[Al Gore]] carried the county by more than 104,000 votes, enough to offset the nearly 100,000-vote advantage that [[George W. Bush]] had earned among Oregon's 35 other counties. In February 2001, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners unanimously accepted the recommendation of the [[Multnomah County Library|Library Advisory Board]] and authorized the library to enter into a lawsuit to stop the [[Children's Internet Protection Act]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Children's Internet Protection Act; Questions and Answers | publisher = Multnomah County Library | url = http://www.multcolib.org/news/cipa.html | accessdate = 2007-06-29}}</ref> The [[United States Supreme Court|US Supreme Court]] ultimately decided in 2003 that the law was constitutional in [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/02pdf/02-361.pdf US v. ALA]. However, the library chose to turn down $104,000 per year of federal funding under CIPA to be able to continue to offer unfiltered Internet access.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} Faced with decreasing government revenues due to a recession in the local economy, voters approved a three-year local income tax (Measure 26-48) on [[May 20]], [[2003]] to prevent further cuts in schools, police protection, and social services. Multnomah County was one of the few local governments in Oregon to approve such a tax increase. [[Image:20040303pdxorusa.jpg|right|thumb|Couples waiting for same-sex marriage licenses in Multnomah County]] On [[March 2]], [[2004]], Multnomah County Chair Linn announced the county would begin granting licenses for [[Same-sex marriage in the United States|same-sex marriages]], pursuant to a legal opinion issued by its attorney deeming such marriages lawful under Oregon law. Her announcement was supported by three other commissioners (Serena Cruz, Lisa Naito & Maria Rojo de Steffey), but criticized by Lonnie Roberts, who represents the eastern part of Multnomah county and was left out of the decision.[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/03/02/state2223EST7030.DTL][http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1078318717116670.xml] Within a few days, several groups joined to file a lawsuit to halt the county's action; see [[Same-sex unions in Oregon]]. == Law and government == ; Elected Officials * County Commission (one chair, four commissioners; nonpartisan) **Chair: [[Ted Wheeler]] **Commissioner, District 1: Maria Rojo de Steffey **Commissioner, District 2: [[Jeff Cogen]] **Commissioner, District 3: Lisa Naito **Commissioner, District 4: Lonnie Roberts * District Attorney: Michael Schrunk * [[Multnomah County Sheriff's Office|Sheriff]]: Bernie Giusto * Auditor: LaVonne Griffin-Valade * Circuit Court [http://www.fedstats.gov/mapstats/demographic/statecourt/381040.html district 4] ; Appointed Officials * Elections: John Kauffman * Finance: Mindy Harris * Surveyor: Robert Hovden ; Map of Multnomah County [http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/DistrictMaps/RegMaps/mult.jpg legislative districts] == Geography == According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of 466&nbsp;[[square mile]]s (1,206&nbsp;[[km²]]), of which, 435&nbsp;square miles (1,127&nbsp;km²) of it is land and 79 km² (30 sq&nbsp;mi or 6.53%) of it is water. The county includes a number of extinct volcanoes in the [[Boring Lava Field]]. The Oregon side of the [[Columbia River Gorge]] forms the eastern portion of the county's northern border. === Major highways === *[[Interstate 5 (Oregon)|Interstate 5]] *[[Interstate 84 (Oregon)|Interstate 84]] *[[Interstate 205 (Oregon)|Interstate 205]] *[[Interstate 405 (Oregon)|Interstate 405]] *[[U.S. Route 26 (Oregon)|U.S. Route 26]] *[[U.S. Route 30 (Oregon)|U.S. Route 30]] *[[U.S. Route 99 (Oregon)|U.S. Route 99]] === Adjacent counties === *[[Clark County, Washington]], across the Columbia River - north *[[Skamania County, Washington]], across the Columbia River - northeast *[[Hood River County, Oregon]] - east *[[Clackamas County, Oregon]] - south *[[Washington County, Oregon]] - west *[[Columbia County, Oregon]] - northwest == Economy == The principal industries of Multnomah County are [[manufacturing]], [[transportation]], [[wholesale]] and [[retail]] trade, and [[tourism]]. Since Oregon does not have a [[sales tax]], it attracts shoppers from southwest [[Washington]]. The [[Port of Portland]], established in 1891 and combined with the City of Portland's Commission of Public Docks in 1971, ranks third in total waterborne commerce on the West Coast.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} Portland is one of the five largest auto import ports in the nation and is the West Coast's leading exporter of grain and lumber.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} The Port of Portland is also responsible for [[Portland International Airport]] in the Northeast section of Portland. The [http://www.multcolib.org/ Multnomah County Library] has a small impact on the county budget: the county library, which supplies Internet service to area libraries, turns down $104,000 per year in federal funding, starting in 2004, to obviate the need to comply with the [[Children's Internet Protection Act]] so as to maintain [http://www.multcolib.org/about/pol-internet.html unfiltered Internet access]. === Tourism === The county is home to a number of Portland-area attractions and venues, including [[Oregon Museum of Science and Industry]], [[Portland Art Museum]], [[Memorial Coliseum (Portland)|Memorial Coliseum]], [[Oregon Convention Center]], [[Rose Garden (arena)|Rose Garden]], [[Washington Park, Portland|Washington Park]], [[Oregon Zoo]], [[International Rose Test Garden]], [[Portland Classical Chinese Garden]], [[Portland Japanese Garden]], and [[Pittock Mansion]]. It is also home to the [[Historic Columbia River Highway]], [[Multnomah Falls]], and [[Oxbow Park]]. ==Demographics== {{USCensusPop |1860= 4150 |1870= 11510 |1880= 25203 |1890= 74884 |1900= 103167 |1910= 226261 |1920= 275898 |1930= 338241 |1940= 355099 |1950= 471537 |1960= 522813 |1970= 556667 |1980= 562640 |1990= 583887 |2000= 665810 }} As of the [[United States 2000 Census|2000 census]]{{GR|2}}, there are 660,486 people in the county, organized into 272,098 households and 152,102 families. The [[population density]] is 1,518 people per square mile (586/km²). There are 288,561 housing units at an average density of 663 per square&nbsp;mile (256/km²). The racial makeup of the county is 79.16% [[Race (U.S. census)|White]], 5.70% [[Race (U.S. census)|Asian]], 5.67% [[Race (U.S. census)|Black]] or [[Race (U.S. census)|African American]], 1.03% [[Race (U.S. census)|Native American]], 0.35% [[Race (U.S. census)|Pacific Islander]], 4.03% from [[race (U.S. census)|other races]], and 4.07% from two or more races. 7.51% of the population are [[Race (U.S. census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (U.S. census)|Latino]] of any race. 16.0% were of [[german people|German]], 9.0% [[english people|English]], 8.8% [[irish people|Irish]] and 5.1% [[united states|American]] ancestry according to [[Census 2000]]. 83.5% spoke [[english language|English]], 6.3% [[spanish language|Spanish]], 1.7% [[vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] and 1.3% [[russian language|Russian]] as their first language. There are 272,098 households out of which 26.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% are [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 44.1% are non-families. 32.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.37 and the average family size is 3.03. In the county, the population is spread out with 22.30% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 33.80% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.10 males. The median income for a household in the county is $41,278, and the median income for a family is $51,118. Males have a median income of $36,036 versus $29,337 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county is $22,606. 12.70% of the population and 8.20% of families are below the [[poverty line]]. Out of the total population, 15.40% of those under the age of 18 and 9.80% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. == Communities== {{seealso| Portland, Oregon neighborhoods}} === Cities=== *[[Fairview, Oregon|Fairview]] *[[Gresham, Oregon|Gresham]] *[[Lake Oswego, Oregon|Lake Oswego]] (small portion, most in Clackamas County) [http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/engineer/maps/LO_CompPlan.pdf] *[[Maywood Park, Oregon|Maywood Park]] *[[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] *[[Troutdale, Oregon|Troutdale]] *[[Wood Village, Oregon|Wood Village]] === Unincorporated communities=== *[[Bonneville, Oregon|Bonneville]] *[[Corbett, Oregon|Corbett]] *[[Dunthorpe, Oregon|Dunthorpe]] *[[Latourell, Oregon|Latourell]] == See also == *[[List of counties in Oregon]] *[[Multnomah County, Oregon election, 2006]] *[[Portland metropolitan area]] *[[Vanport, Oregon|Vanport]] *[[Multnomah Community Ability Scale]] *[[Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue]] *[[Multnomah County Sheriff's Office]] ==References== {{Reflist}} == External links == *[http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/ Multnomah County] *[http://www.multcolib.org/ Multnomah County Library web site] *[http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/county/cpmultnomahhome.html Multnomah County History] from the [[Oregon State Archives]] {{Multnomah County, Oregon}} {{Oregon}} {{coord|45.54|-122.41|display=title|type:adm2_region:US-OR_source:UScensus1990}} [[Category:Multnomah County, Oregon| ]] [[Category:Oregon counties]] [[Category:Columbia River Gorge]] [[ar:مقاطعة مولتنوماه، أوريغون]] [[de:Multnomah County]] [[es:Condado de Multnomah (Oregón)]] [[fr:Comté de Multnomah]] [[bpy:মাল্টনোমাহ কাউন্টি, অরেগন]] [[it:Contea di Multnomah]] [[nl:Multnomah County]] [[ja:マルトノマ郡 (オレゴン州)]] [[no:Multnomah County]] [[nds:Multnomah County]] [[pt:Condado de Multnomah]] [[sv:Multnomah County]] [[vi:Quận Multnomah, Oregon]] [[zh:姆尔特诺默县 (俄勒冈州)]]