Wallowa () is a city in Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. The population was 808 at the 2010 census.

History

The Wallowa Valley is within the traditional lands of the Nez Perce. In the late 19th century, the Wallowa band was one of more than a dozen groups who lived across the inland Northwest as members of the Nez Perce tribe. The U.S. government sent the army to force them out after they refused to sign a treaty that would have removed them from their land. Chief Joseph led tribal members more than 1,000 miles to western Montana. They repeatedly battled with the army as they fled.

Wallowa was platted in 1889. Wallowa is a Nez Perce word describing a triangular structure of stakes that in turn supported a network of sticks called lacallas to form a fish trap. The Nez Perce put these traps in the Wallowa River below the outlet of Wallowa Lake.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Wallowa has a dry-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dsb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Wallowa was on August 23, 1939, while the coldest temperature recorded was on December 13, 1919.

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Wallowa had a population of 796. The median age was 49.8 years, with 18.6% of residents under the age of 18 and 27.0% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.4 males age 18 and over.

There were 377 households in Wallowa, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.0% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% 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 || 704 || 88.4%

|-

| Black or African American || 0 || 0%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 11 || 1.4%

|-

| Asian || 0 || 0%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0%

|-

| Some other race || 15 || 1.9%

|-

| Two or more races || 66 || 8.3%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 29 || 3.6%

|}

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 808 people, 352 households, and 222 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 394 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.9% White, 0.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population.

There were 352 households, of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.9% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.82.

Notable people

  • Amos Marsh
  • Frank Wayne Marsh
  • Pearl Alice Marsh
  • Ronald Gladden

Schools

These schools reside in Wallowa School District #12 which is located in Wallowa, OR, which is in the Wallowa Valley, which is located in Wallowa County, OR. "The district is home to about 195 students and 35 staff. The elementary school and high school reside on the same campus. Their mission statement is "Through Student learning, Strategic Teaching, teamwork, and flexibility, all Wallowa School District students will become successful and positive contributors to society." The school also has a student-run newspaper called the Cougar Club Chronicle; it is run by the fifth-grade class.

Wallowa Jr./Sr. High School

Wallowa High School currently educates grades seven through twelve. They have had a 100% graduation rate since 2012. The high school used to house all K-12 students, until their student population grew large enough to require the building of their elementary school. Their mascot is the cougar and their school colors are orange and black. Their choir program was restarted in 2015 and placed at state the same year. There is a FFA (Future Farmers of America) program that many students take part in.

References

  • Entry for Wallowa in the Oregon Blue Book