Union County
An abandoned shack near Union. (Oregon State Archives Photo No. uniD0002a)
Contact
County Seat: Union County Commissioners, 1106 K Ave., La Grande 97850
Phone: 541-963-1001 (General); 541-962-9500, ext. 232 (Court Administrator)
Fax: 541-963-1079
E-mail: nhibbert@union-county.org
Web: www.union-county.org
About
Population: 25,250
Established: Oct. 14, 1864
Elev. at La Grande: 2,788'
Area: 2,038 sq. mi.
Average Temp.: January 30.9° July 70.4°
Assessed Value: $1,336,701,795
Real Market Value: $3,150,466,850
Annual Precipitation: 18.79"
Economy: Agriculture, forest products, education and government
Related resources
History
Historical
Records Inventory
Scenic
Image
Economic
Information (from OECDD)
"County
Quick Facts" (from U.S.
Census Bureau)
County
Seat Map (from Yahoo!
Maps)
County
Map (from ODOT)
Incorporated cities
Cove | Elgin | Imbler | Island City | La Grande | North Powder | Summerville | Union
Points of interest
Meacham and Tollgate winter sports areas, Grande Ronde Valley, Eastern Oregon University (La Grande).
History and general information
Union County was created in 1864 and named for the town of Union, which had been established two years before and named by its founders for patriotic reasons during the Civil War. The county comprised a part of the northern portion of Baker County and, in 1899, Union County gave up its eastern portion to Wallowa County.
The Grande Ronde Valley in Union County is nearly table flat and is covered with the rich silt of an old lake bed. Highly diversified, with a 160-day growing season and an annual rainfall of twenty inches, the valley boasts of never having had a general crop failure. The county’s 1,092 farms average 473 acres a unit.
Union County’s front door opens to the rugged Wallowa Mountains. Its back door faces the Blue Mountains, which attract hikers, skiers, and hunters.
County officials
Commissioners—Mark Davidson (R) 2013, R. Nellie Bogue Hibbert (R) 2011, Steve McClure (R) 2011; Dist. Atty. Timothy Thompson (NP) 2013; Assess. Linda Hill (R) 2013; Clerk Robin Church (NP) 2013; Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen (NP) 2013; Surv. Greg Blackman (NP) 2011; Treas. Donna Marshall (NP) 2013; Co. Admin. Marlene Perkins.