Dallas, Oregon

Dallas is a city in and the county seat of Polk County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,854 at the 2020 census.

Dallas is along Rickreall Creek, about west of Salem, at an elevation of above sea level. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Pioneers in the 1840s started the settlement on the north side of Rickreall Creek. It was originally named "Cynthian" or "Cynthiana". A 1947 Itemizer-Observer article states: "[T]he town was called Cynthiana after Cynthiana, Ky., so named by Mrs. Thos. Lovelady." According to the county historical society in 1987, Mrs. Thomas J. Lovelady named the new settlement after her home town of Cynthiana, Kentucky.

Another source claims that Cynthia Ann, wife of early pioneer Jesse Applegate, named the settlement.

In 1902, Louis's son George T. Gerlinger organized a group of investors to build related railroad lines in the area. On May 29, 1903, the first train ran from Dallas to Falls City. At the end of June, passenger trains began regularly scheduled, daily trips to and from Dallas and Falls City; the , 40-minute, one-way trip cost 35 cents.

Willamette Industries was founded in Dallas in 1906. At that time the company name was Willamette Valley Lumber Company. Louis Gerlinger, Sr. was president of the new company and H. L. Pittock, vice president. George T. Gerlinger served as secretary and manager, and F. W. Leadbetter was treasurer. George Cone served as director and mill superintendent.

In the early 21st century, this and other local businesses were taken over by others from outside, which eventually affected the local economy. In March 2002, Willamette Industries was officially acquired by Weyerhaeuser Company in a hostile takeover. In early 2009, Weyerhaeuser's Mill formally closed the Dallas operation. Similarly, Gerlinger Carrier Company in Dallas was taken over by Towmotor.

Geography

thumb|Dallas High School

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

Dallas has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) with warm to very warm, dry summers with cool mornings, and cold, rainy winters. Occasionally frigid weather will reach the Willamette Valley due to very cold continental air from Canada being driven over the Cascades by a low-pressure system to the south, as occurred repeatedly in January 1950 when temperatures reached as low as on January 31, 1950, and of snow fell. However, snowfall is generally very rare, with an annual mean of and a median of zero.

Rainfall is generally heavy during the winter months, averaging over from November to February, when rain falls on around seventeen days in an average month, and on all but one day in November 1983. The wettest month has however been December 1996 with and the wettest "rain year" from July 1973 to June 1974 with . As with most of Oregon, the driest "rain year" was from July 1976 to June 1977 and saw only .

Spring arrives slowly with pleasant afternoon temperatures and less heavy rainfall by April, although showers are common until into June. High summer in July and August is very warm in the afternoon and generally dry, with no rain falling for 79 days, between June 23 – September 9, 1967, which saw the hottest month on record in August 1967 where the mean maximum was . Low humidity and pleasant mornings make this season comfortable, although airflows from the hot continent can bring spells of sweltering and arid weather, with reached on July 19, 1956, and on August 8, 1981. On average, eighteen afternoons will top but only two can expect to reach , while 62 mornings fall below freezing, but only two spells (in January–February 1950 and December 1972) have ever seen temperatures as low as .

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Dallas had a population of 16,854. The median age was 43.1 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.2 males age 18 and over.

There were 6,648 households in Dallas, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.1% were married-couple households, 13.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 14,344 || 85.1%

| Black or African American || 70 || 0.4%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 354 || 2.1%

| Asian || 188 || 1.1%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 18 || 0.1%

| Some other race || 455 || 2.7%

| Two or more races || 1,425 || 8.5%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,339 || 7.9%

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 14,583 people, 5,747 households, and 3,952 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 6,137 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.6% White, 0.2% African American, 2.0% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.9% of the population.

There were 5,747 households, of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.2% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.98.

The median age in the city was 39.8 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 18.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

2000 census

The median income in 2000 for a household in the city was $35,967, and the median income for a family was $45,156. Males had a median income of $34,271 versus $22,941 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,734. About 7.8% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Chemeketa Community College has a satellite campus, the Chemeketa Polk Center, in Dallas.

Media

The Polk County Itemizer-Observer is a weekly newspaper published in Dallas since 1875. KWIP (880 AM) is the only radio station currently licensed to the city.

Infrastructure

Dallas' only hospital is West Valley Hospital. Oregon Route 223 is the only state highway that serves the city.

Notable people

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Jeri Ellsworth, self-taught computer chip designer
Darcy Fast, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs
Carl Gerlinger, founder of Gerlinger Carrier Company
George T. Gerlinger, founder of Willamette Industries
Irene Hazard Gerlinger, first female regent of the University of Oregon
Louis Gerlinger Sr., founder of the Salem, Falls City and Western Railway
Mark Hatfield, former Governor of Oregon; United States senator, 1967–1997
Johnny Kitzmiller, football player and College Football Hall of Fame member
Jordan Poyer, pro football strong safety for the Buffalo Bills
Johnnie Ray, 1950s singer and recording artist

References

External links

City of Dallas Oregon
Entry for Dallas in the Oregon Blue Book
Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce