Arlington is a city in Gilliam County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Arlington had a population of 628.
History
The account of how the city received its name varies; one tradition claims it was named after the lawyer Nathan Arlington Cornish, while another tradition claims that the Southern inhabitants of the city had enough clout to rename the city after Arlington, Virginia, home of general Robert E. Lee. Originally named Alkali,
The original townsite was demolished beginning in 1965 due to the scheduled inundation of Arlington by the rising waters of the Columbia River to form Lake Umatilla behind the John Day Dam. A new townsite was completed two years earlier.
In 2008, it was discovered that Mayor Carmen Kontur-Gronquist had posted photos of herself in lingerie online, which, along with several other issues, led to her recall from office.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Arlington has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.
Demographics
left|thumb|upright|Park in Arlington, looking towards the Columbia River
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Arlington had a population of 628. The median age was 47.5 years; 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.8% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.4 males age 18 and over.
There were 259 households in Arlington, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.3% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 524 || 83.4%
|-
| Black or African American || 0 || 0%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 18 || 2.9%
|-
| Asian || 6 || 1.0%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 7 || 1.1%
|-
| Some other race || 13 || 2.1%
|-
| Two or more races || 60 || 9.6%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 48 || 7.6%
|}
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 586 people, 256 households, and 149 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 315 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.2% White, 0.2% African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 2.2% Pacific Islander, 2.6% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.7% of the population.
There were 256 households, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.8% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92.
The median age in the city was 43.6 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 32.9% were from 45 to 64; and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.9% male and 46.1% female.
2000 census
As of the census In March 2010, Waste Management announced their plans to build a waste gasification plant next to their landfill that uses a plasma gasification technology that at the time was considered experimental. The plasma gasification plant was built in conjunction with the company, InEnTec, whose efforts to build such plants in California and elsewhere have met protest. The plant went into pilot operation in November 2011.
Wind farms
The area around Arlington is the location of several wind farms:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Station
!Location
!Capacity (MW)
!Status
!Notes
!No. of turbines
|-
|Willow Creek Wind Farm
|Gilliam County and Morrow County
|72
|Operational
|
|48
|-
|Shepherds Flat Wind Farm
|Gilliam County and Morrow County
|845
|Operational
|
|338
|-
|Rattlesnake Road Wind Farm
|Gilliam County
|103
|Operational
|
|49
|-
|Leaning Juniper Wind Project
|Gilliam County
|302.3
|Operational
|
|200
|-
|Pebble Springs Wind Farm
|Gilliam County
|99
|Operational
|
|47
|-
|Wheatfield Wind Farm
|Gilliam County
|97
|Operational
|
|46
|-
|Montague Wind Power Facility
|Gilliam County
|Phase 1 - 201 (Proposed - 404)
|Operational
|
|Phase 1 - 56
112-269
|-
|Saddle Butte Wind - Four Mile Wind
|Gilliam County and Morrow County
|399
|Proposed
|
|133
|-
|2Morrow Energy
|Gilliam County and Morrow County
|900
|Proposed
|
|
|}
thumb|226x226px|Montague Wind Project under construction.|alt=|left
Caithness Energy has the Shepherds Flat Wind Farm, one of the largest land-based wind farms in the world. Approved in 2008 by state regulators, groundbreaking came in 2009. It officially opened in September 2012 and "reached full commercial operations in November 2012."
In fall 2017, construction was started on the Montague Wind Power Project, a project owned and operated by Avangrid Renewables to provide power to Apple Inc.'s Prineville Data Center through Oregon's Direct Access Program. "Apple says Montague will provide it 560,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually."
Transportation
thumb|Welcome sign
Arlington is located at the intersection of Interstate 84 and Oregon Route 19. I-84 travels west towards Portland and east towards Boise, Idaho; OR 19 connects Arlington to Condon and U.S. Route 26 near Dayville.
The Port of Arlington offers access the Columbia River water way and hosts
- a marina with a water depth of 24 feet that features a fuel dock and 8 transient moorage slips, 1 side tie dock, 11-30’ slips, and 7-20’ slips;
- Mid Columbia Producer, LLC River Terminal; and
- a windsurfing and kiteboarding launch.
The city has a small airport named Arlington Municipal Airport, located on a nearby plateau. In 2011, the U.S. Air Force proposed Arlington as the site of a future United States Department of Defense unmanned aerial vehicle base.
Notable people
- Doc Severinsen, jazz musician and big band leader
Public services
- North Gilliam Medic
- North Gilliam Rural Fire Protection District
- Gilliam County Sheriff's Office
Churches
- Arlington United Methodist Church
- Arlington Church of the Nazarene
- St. Francis Catholic Church
See also
- Arlington High School
References
External links
- Entry for Arlington in the Oregon Blue Book
- Arlington Community Chamber of Commerce