Estacada is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, about southeast of Portland. The population was 4,356 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 5,421 in 2023. At the time, the river was relatively inaccessible by road, forcing the Oregon Power Railway Company to build a railway to the vicinity of the river to transport crews to the river for the construction of the dam. After the construction of the Hotel Estacada, the town became a weekend destination on the railroad line for residents of Portland. During the week, the train carried freight and work crews to and from Portland. Following the development of the dams, the city became a hub for the logging industry. In the early 20th century, a trolley line connected the town with downtown Portland. The railway line has been removed and there is no longer rail service to Estacada.
Name
The origin of the city's name is disputed. One explanation is that the city's name is a corruption of the names of a civic leader's daughters, Esther and Katie; however, there is no evidence of their existence. Another theory states that: <blockquote>Estacado is a Spanish word and it means "staked out" or "marked with stakes." It was first suggested by George Kelly as a name for the town site at a meeting of the Oregon Water Power Townsite Company directors on December 27, 1903. Kelly had selected the name at random from a U.S. map showing Llano Estacado in Texas.
Outside the city limits the land is mainly farmland, extending from the Springwater area to the south, Eagle Creek to the west, and the Mount Hood National Forest to the north and east.
Climate
Estacada has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb).