Prairie City is a city in Grant County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Prairie City had a population of 841. The community was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on February 23, 1891.
History
Prairie City grew out of the former mining camp of Dixie, established in 1862 about up Dixie Creek from the John Day River. Prairie City, at the mouth of the creek, was chosen after placer mining rendered Dixie unsuitable for a townsite. The new city's post office was established in 1870 with Jules Le Bret as postmaster.
A narrow gauge line, the Sumpter Valley Railway (SVR), ran from Baker City west to Sumpter and on to its western terminus at Prairie City, which it reached in 1907. It carried passengers as well as freight shipped by ranchers, mining interests, and timber companies until its piecemeal abandonment in the 1930s.
Geography
Prairie City is in eastern Oregon at the upper end of the John Day River valley. It is about southwest of Baker City by highway and east of John Day along U.S. Route 26 in Grant County. Strawberry Mountain in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness of the Malheur National Forest is directly south of the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Prairie City had a population of 841. The median age was 55.5 years. 17.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 34.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.8 males age 18 and over.
0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 398 households in Prairie City, of which 20.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.0% were married-couple households, 23.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 752 || 89.4%
|-
| Black or African American || 0 || 0%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 8 || 1.0%
|-
| Asian || 3 || 0.4%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1 || 0.1%
|-
| Some other race || 1 || 0.1%
|-
| Two or more races || 76 || 9.0%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 38 || 4.5%
|}
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 909 people, 402 households, and 257 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 476 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.6% White, 0.1% African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population.
There were 402 households, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.1% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.69. Prairie Wood Products, a mill that produces fine-grained studs from timber from nearby forests, is in Prairie City.
Education and culture
thumb|Former railway depot
Prairie City School in Prairie City serves children from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Architectural features in Prairie City include historic stone buildings and the former railway depot.
Bates State Park, built on the site of a former lumber mill, is northeast of Prairie City at Bates, near Austin Junction at the intersection of U.S. Route 26 and Oregon Route 7.
References
External links
- City of Prairie City
- Entry for Prairie City in the Oregon Blue Book
- Grant County Chamber of Commerce entry for Prairie City
- Weather statistics for Prairie City from The Weather Channel