Vale is a city in Malheur County, Oregon, United States, about 12 miles (19Â km) west of the Idaho border. It is at the intersection of U.S. Routes 20 and 26, on the Malheur River at its confluence with Bully Creek.
Vale was selected as Malheur's county seat in 1888 in an vote where other candidate communities were Ontario and Jordan Valley. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 1,874, down from 1,976 in 2000. Vale is part of the Ontario, ORâ€"ID Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The community was the first stop in Oregon along the Oregon Trail. A post office with the name of Vale was established in February 1883, and the community was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on February 21, 1889. Originally incorporated as the Town of Vale, it became the City of Vale in 1905.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.14 square miles (2.95Â km2), all of it land. The city has an elevation of 2,244 feet (684Â m) above sea level.
Climate
Vale has a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). July is on average the hottest month and January the coldest. Typically there will be 148.3 nights each winter falling below 32 °F or 0 °C and 6.3 nights falling under 0 °F or âˆ'17.8 °C, although the clear skies mean that only 25.2 days do not top freezing and only 101.5 days fail to top 50 °F or 10 °C. During summer, 12.7 days will top 100 °F or 37.8 °C and 61.2 days â€" including 43 of 62 in July and August â€" will on average top 90 °F or 32.2 °C. However, the low humidity and clear high-altitude skies mean nights are cool even in summer, with minima rarely above 65 °F or 18.3 °C.
December is the wettest month, when the average precipitation totals about 1.38 inches (35.1Â mm), although the wettest month has been May 1998 with 5.57 inches (141.5Â mm), whilst zero precipitation has been reported during each month between July and October. Snowfall is rare despite temperatures falling well below freezing between mid-October and mid-April, with a median of only 7.3 inches or 19 centimetres and usually negligible snow on the ground even in January, although during February 1989 a depth of 18 inches or 46 centimetres was reached. The most snow in one month was 16 inches (41Â cm) in January 1975.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,874 people, 669 households, and 441 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,643.9 inhabitants per square mile (634.7/km2). There were 754 housing units at an average density of 661.4 per square mile (255.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.7% White, 0.3% African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 8.2% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.4% of the population.
There were 669 households of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.1% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.27.
The median age in the city was 33.4 years. About 29% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 19.7% were from 45 to 64; and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.
As of the census of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $27,065, and the median income for a family was $33,355. Males had a median income of $27,176 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,943. About 20% of the population and 15.6 percent of families had incomes below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 27.8% of those under the age of 18 and 12.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Transportation
In the 21st century, Vale is a stop on the Eastern POINT intercity bus line between Bend and Ontario. It makes one stop per day in each direction.
- Miller Memorial Airpark
See also
- Bully Creek Reservoir
References
External links
- City of Vale Website
- Entry for Vale in the Oregon Blue Book
- Vale community profile from Malheur County website
- Vale Chamber of Commerce
- Map of Vale in PDF format