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Harney County, Oregon

Harney County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,495, making it the sixth-least populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Burns. Established in 1889, the county is named in honor of William S. Harney, a military officer of the period, who was involved in the Pig War and popular in the Pacific Northwest.

History
The Native Americans living in this region at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition were the Northern Paiute, who fought with the Tenino and Wasco peoples. Peter Skene Ogden was the first known European to explore this area in 1826 when he led a fur brigade for the Hudson's Bay Company. In September 3, 1855 Brigadier General Harney led the U.S. Army and surrounded and ambushed a Lakota village killing 86 people and taking many others as prisoners. This site, located in Nebraska, is now known as the Blue Water Massacre or the Battle of Ash Hollow. Harney County was carved out of the southern two-thirds of Grant County on February 25, 1889. A fierce political battle, with armed "night riders" who spirited county records from Harney to Burns, ended with Burns as the county seat in 1890. The Malheur River Indian Reservation was created by executive order on March 14, 1871, and the Northern Paiute within the Oregon state boundaries were settled there. The federal government "discontinued" the reservation after the Bannock War of 1878. Descendants of these people form a federally recognized tribal entity, the Burns Paiute Tribe, which had 341 members in 2008. Fewer than 35.5% of the tribal members live on the Burns Paiute Indian Colony near Burns. 2016 militia occupation On January 2, 2016, the headquarters building of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was seized by armed protesters related to the Bundy standoff. The group protested the prison sentences of two ranchers convicted of arson in wildfires set in 2001 and 2006, which the ranchers claimed spread from their land into the wildlife reserve. Militia leaders, including Ammon Bundy and Jon Ritzheimer, were arrested on January 26, 2016, in an event that included the shooting death of militant LaVoy Finicum by law enforcement at a highway blockade between Burns and John Day. The following day, only four militants remained, and they surrendered on February 11, 2016. ==Geography==
Geography
, shown in this overlay. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water. It is the largest county in Oregon by area and the tenth-largest county in the United States (excluding boroughs and census areas in Alaska). Steens Mountain is the county's most prominent geographical feature, rising to above sea level and spanning many miles across a region that is otherwise fairly flat. To its southeast is the Alvord Desert—the driest place in Oregon—and the Trout Creek Mountains, which extend south into Nevada. South of Steens Mountain, the Pueblo Mountains are another remote range in Oregon and Nevada. North of Steens Mountain lies the Harney Basin, which contains Malheur Lake and Harney Lake. Adjacent countiesCrook County - northwest • Grant County - north • Malheur County - east/Mountain Time Border • Humboldt County, Nevada - south • Washoe County, Nevada - southwest • Lake County - west • Deschutes County - northwest Time Zones Although the county is officially in the Pacific Time Zone, unincorporated Drewsey, just west of the Malheur County line unofficially observes the Mountain Time Zone. National protected areasMalheur National Forest (part) • Malheur National Wildlife RefugeOchoco National Forest (part) ==Demographics==
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 7,495. Of the residents, 22.1% were under the age of 18 and 24.8% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 44.9 years. For every 100 females there were 102.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.7 males. 55.6% of residents lived in urban areas and 44.4% lived in rural areas. The racial makeup of the county was 87.6% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 3.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.5% from some other race, and 7.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.3% of the population. There were 3,174 households in the county, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 3,835 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.9% white, 3.1% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 1.3% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.0% of the population. Of the 3,205 households, 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.4% were non-families, and 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age was 45.2 years. 2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 7,609 people, 3,036 households, and 2,094 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 3,533 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.93% White, 3.97% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races, and 2.09% from two or more races. 4.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 21.1% were of German, 11.1% American, 10.3% Irish and 9.7% English ancestry. There is a small, but significant Spanish Basque community. Approximately 75% of the population of Harney County lives in the Burns-Hines municipal district. Crane is the only other localised population center, with less than 7% of the population of Harney County. Lawen and Riley have no localised populations. The remaining population of Harney County is dispersed throughout the countryside, mostly dwelling on large ranches. There were 3,036 households, out of which 29.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 25.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.94. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.00% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 102.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,957, and the median income for a family was $36,917. Males had a median income of $27,386 versus $21,773 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,159. About 8.60% of families and 11.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.70% of those under age 18 and 13.90% of those age 65 or over. ==Communities==
Communities
CitiesBurns (county seat) • Hines Census-designated placeCrane Unincorporated communitiesBuchananDiamondDrewseyFieldsFrenchglenHarneyLawenNew PrincetonRileySuntexTrout CreekVanVenatorVoltageWagontire Ghost townsAndrewsBlitzenDunneanFrost MillSodhouse ==Politics==
Politics
Like most counties in eastern Oregon, the majority of registered voters who are part of a political party in Harney County are members of the Republican Party. No Democrat has carried Harney County in a presidential election since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. The last time a Democrat was even close to carrying Harney County in a presidential election was Jimmy Carter in 1976 when he lost it by 85 votes. Since 2000, every Republican nominee has received at least 70% of the vote in Harney County in presidential elections. In the 2008 presidential election 70.45% of Harney County voters voted for Republican John McCain, while 25.79% voted for Democrat Barack Obama and 3.73% of voters either voted for a Third Party candidate or wrote in a candidate. These numbers show a slight shift towards the Democratic candidate when compared to the 2004 presidential election, in which 76% of Harney Country voters voted for George W. Bush, while 22.7% voted for John Kerry, and 1.3% of voters either voted for a Third Party candidate or wrote in a candidate. In 1992, the incumbent, George H. W. Bush won with 40.84% of the vote, over Ross Perot, who finished second with 30.37%, and Bill Clinton, who finished third with 28.86%. In the 2020 United States presidential election, Donald Trump won about 78% of Harney County's votes, and Joe Biden won about 20%. ==Economy==
Economy
Three industries have traditionally provided the county's economic base: ranching, sheep raising, and timber. The railroad, which extended into the area in 1883, served as a catalyst to the cattle industry but later contributed to its decline. By bringing farmers and sheep men to the area, it created increased competition for productive land. Harvesting and breeding of wild horses was lucrative for a period. Harney County shares the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the nation with Grant County. Its abundance of game, numerous campsites and excellent fishing have stimulated fast-growing recreational activities. Although county lands were open to homesteading from 1862 to 1934, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management still owns more than , or 62%, of the lands within the county boundaries. Facilitated on the national level by the Carey act of 1894, arid land in Harney County was donated to the state for irrigation and settlement, but all water development efforts failed. Eventually all land claims filed under the reclamation legislation were abandoned or nullified. Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1908 and expanded in 1936. The refuge now includes . Borax has been mined in the Steens area, and uranium has been found on its south side. ==Healthcare==
Healthcare
Harney District Hospital is located in Burns. A public hospital, it is under a separate taxing district and has been since 1990, and previously was a part of the county government. In 2005 the hospital provided a traveling doctor in a mobile trailer for southern parts of the county and for Denio, Nevada. The southern part of the county, in 2005, had, in the words of Matthew Preusch of the Associated Press, a "particularly acute" absence of healthcare services. In 2005 Matthew Preusch of The Oregonian, citing the lack of doctors and long distances between the southern part of the county and the hospital, described the area as "the most medically underserved area of all." ==Education==
Education
School districts include: • K-12: Harney County School District 3 (Burns and Hines) • High school: Harney County Union High School District 1J ; Elementary school districts: • Harney County School District 4 (Crane Elementary) • Diamond School District 7Double O School District 28Drewsey School District 13South Harney School District 33 (Fields) • Frenchglen School District 16Pine Creek School District 5Suntex School District 10 The county formerly had the Trout Creek School, which in 1969 had two students, making it the smallest school by enrollment in the state. It was a part of its own school district, Trout Creek School District No. 53. In 1975 it became a part of the Fields Trout Creek School District 33. The county also formerly had the Lawen Elementary School District, which operated Lawen Elementary School. The Lawen school never reopened after a 1984 flooding, and the Lawen district merged into the Crane elementary district in 1988. The Burns Union High School District, the Burns Elementary School District, and the Hines Elementary School District merged into Harney County District 3 in 1989. There was also the Sodhouse School District No. 32, based in Princeton. TVCC operates the Burns Outreach Center in Burns. The Harney County Library is located in Burns. ==See also==
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