Klamath Falls

Klamath Falls, Oregon
—  City  —
Nickname(s): Oregon's City of Sunshine
Location in Oregon
Coordinates: 42°13′24″N 121°46′39″W / 42.22333°N 121.7775°W / 42.22333; -121.7775
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Klamath
Incorporated	1905
Government
- Mayor	Todd Kellstrom
Area
- Total	18.7 sq mi (48.5 km2)
- Land	17.9 sq mi (46.3 km2)
- Water	0.9 sq mi (2.2 km2)
Elevation	4,099 ft (1,249.4 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	19,462
- Density	1,089.5/sq mi (420.7/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	Pacific (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	97600-97699
Area code(s)	541
FIPS code	41-39700[1][page needed]
GNIS feature ID	1136445[2][page needed]
Website	www.ci.klamath-falls.or.us

Klamath Falls (pronounced /ˈklæməθ/ KLAM-əth) is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. Originally called Linkville when George Nurse founded the town in 1867, after the Link River on whose falls this city sits; the name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1892. The population was 19,462 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 21,305 in 2008.^[3] It is the county seat of Klamath County.^{[4][page needed]}

History

The Klamath Indians and Modoc Indians were the first inhabitants of the area. The Klamath name for this place was Yulalona or Iwauna, which referred to the phenomenon of the Link River flowing upstream when the south wind blew hard. Their name for the falls was Tiwishkeni, or "where the falling waters rush".^[5]

The Modoc Tribe's homeland is about 20 miles (32 km) south of Klamath Falls, but when they were pushed onto a reservation with their adversaries the Klamath, a rebellion ensued and they hid out in nearby lava beds.^[6] This led to the Modoc War of 1872–1873, which was a hugely expensive campaign for the US Cavalry, costing an estimated $500,000 – the equivalent of over 8 million in year-2000 dollars. Seventeen Indians and 83 whites were killed.[1]

The Applegate Trail, which passes through the lower Klamath area, was blazed in 1846 from west to east in an attempt to provide a safer route for emigrants on the Oregon Trail.^[7]

The Klamath Reclamation Project began in 1906 to drain marshland and move water to allow for agriculture. With the building of the main "A" Canal, water was first made available May 22, 1907. Veterans of World War I and World War II were given homesteading opportunities on the reclaimed land.[2]

During World War II, a Japanese-American internment camp, the Tule Lake War Relocation Center, was located in nearby Newell, California, and a satellite of the Camp White, Oregon, POW camp was located just on the Oregon-California border near the town of Tulelake, California. In May 1945, about 30 miles (48 km) east of Klamath Falls, (near Bly, Oregon) a Japanese balloon bomb killed a woman and five children on a church outing. This is said to be the only Japanese-inflicted casualty on the US mainland during the war.^[8]

Timber harvesting through the use of railroad was extensive in Klamath County for the first few decades of the 20^th century.[3] With the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railway in 1909, Klamath Falls grew quickly from a few hundred to several thousand. Dozens of lumber mills cut fir and pine lumber, and the industry flourished until the late 1980s when the Northern Spotted Owl and other endangered species were driving forces in changing western forest policy.

On September 20, 1993, an earthquake struck near Klamath Falls.^[9] Many downtown buildings, including the county courthouse were damaged or destroyed. There were two deaths that have been attributed to the earthquake.

Water rights controversy

The city made national headlines in 2001 when a court decision was made to shut off Klamath Project irrigation water on April 6 because of Endangered Species Act requirements. The Lost River sucker and shortnose sucker were listed on the Federal Endangered Species List in 1988, and when drought struck in 2001, a panel of scientists stated that further diversion of water for agriculture would be detrimental to these species, which reside in the Upper Klamath Lake, as well as to the protected Coho salmon which spawn in the Klamath River. Many protests by farmers and citizens culminated in a "Bucket Brigade" [4] on Main Street May 7, 2001 in Klamath Falls. The event was attended by 18,000 farmers, ranchers, citizens, and politicians. Such universal criticism resulted in a new plan implemented in early 2002 to resume irrigation to farmers.

Low river flows in the Klamath and Trinity Rivers and high temperatures may have led to a mass die-off of 33,000 salmon in 2002.^[10] Dwindling salmon numbers have practically shut down the fishing industry in the region and caused over $60 million in disaster aid being given to fishermen to offset losses.^[11] Ninety percent of Trinity River water is diverted for California Agriculture.^[10]

According to a National Academy of Sciences report of October 22, 2003, limiting irrigation water did little if anything to help endangered fish and may have hurt the populations.^[12] A contrary report has criticized the National Academy of Sciences report.^[11] The Chiloquin Dam has been removed to help improve sucker spawning habitat.

Geography

Klamath Falls is located at 42°13′24″N 121°46′39″W / 42.22333°N 121.7775°W / 42.22333; -121.7775 (42.223441, -121.777578),^{[13][page needed]} at an elevation of 4,099 feet (1,249 m).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.7 square miles (48.4 km²). 17.9 square miles (46.4 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) of it (4.54%) is water.

Klamath Falls has a high desert landscape. The older part of the city sits on natural geothermal springs. These have been used for the heating of homes and streets, primarily in the downtown area.

Upper Klamath Lake is the largest natural body of fresh water west of the Great Lakes.

Demographics

As of the census^{[1][page needed]} of 2000, there were 19,462 people, 7,916 households, and 4,670 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,089.5 /sq mi (420.7 /km²). There were 8,722 housing units at an average density of 488.3 /sq mi (188.5 /km²).

The racial makeup of the city was:

• 85.12% White
• 1.02% African American
• 4.44% Native American
• 1.32% Asian
• 0.13% Pacific Islander
• 4.15% from other races
• 3.83% from two or more races

9.32% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,916 households out of which:

• 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them
• 42.2% were married couples living together
• 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present
• 41.0% were non-families
• 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals
• 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older

The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.99.

The age distribution was:

• 25.5% under the age of 18
• 13.1% from 18 to 24
• 27.2% from 25 to 44
• 21.5% from 45 to 64
• 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older

The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 101.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,498, and the median income for a family was $37,021. Males had a median income of $31,567 versus $22,313 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,710. About 21.9% of the population and 16.2% of families were below the poverty line, including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those 65 or over.

Politics

The Klamath County Courthouse.

In the state legislature, Klamath Falls is located in the 28th Senate district, represented by Republican Doug Whitsett, and in the 56th House district, represented by Republican Bill Garrard. Federally, Klamath Falls is located in Oregon's 2nd congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +11^[16] and is represented by Republican Greg Walden. Todd Kellstrom has been the mayor of Klamath Falls for 16 years and was just reelected for his fifth consecutive term November 2008.

Economy

Sky Lakes Medical Center is the largest employer in the area^{[citation needed]}, followed by the Klamath Falls City School District^{[citation needed]} and JELD-WEN^{[citation needed]}, a manufacturer of doors and windows.

Klamath Falls is home to the 173rd Fighter Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard, stationed at Kingsley Field airbase.

Company B, 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry of the Oregon Army National Guard makes its home at Kingley Field.

Other major employers are Collins Products and Columbia Forest Products.

Education

Colleges and universities

• Klamath Community College
• Oregon Institute of Technology

Public schools

• Klamath Falls and the surrounding area are served by Klamath County School District and the Klamath Falls City School District.

Recreation

Klamath Falls is home to many outdoor winter and summer activities. The nearby Running Y Ranch Resort, features a golf course designed by Arnold Palmer^{[citation needed]}, an ice skating arena Bill Collier Community Ice Arena, trailriding, and overlooks Upper Klamath Lake, the largest natural lake in the Pacific Northwest^{[citation needed]} There is also a canoe trail through the wildlife refuge at Rocky Point.

Klamath Falls is located on the Pacific Flyway, and large numbers of waterfowl and raptors are seen at all times of the year. The largest concentration of Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states winter in Bear Valley^{[citation needed]}, just 10 miles (16 km) west of Klamath Falls, near Keno, and the American White Pelican shows in great numbers in summer.

Crater Lake National Park is 50 miles (80 km) north of Klamath Falls and the 33-mile (53 km) rim drive circling the lake is a favorite of cyclists. Winter cross country skiing and snow shoeing in the park is also very popular. The more than mile high Crater Lake Marathon [5] is an annual event.

Lava Beds National Monument is about 30 miles (48 km) to the south east of Klamath Falls near the town of Tulelake, California. The Lava Beds provides an excellent opportunity to explore an area that has perhaps the highest concentration of lave tubes. The monument also interprets the Modoc Indian War of 1873 and is the site of the major battles of the war.

Mountain Lakes Wilderness Area, one of the first designated wilderness areas in the United States, lies just to the west of Klamath Falls, providing some excellent opportunities for backpacking and fishing in pristine mountain lakes.

Rail Transportation

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, serves Klamath Falls, operating its Coast Starlight daily in both directions between Seattle, Washington and Los Angeles, California.

Notable residents

• Sharron Angle, Nevada politician
• Brenda Bakke, actress
• Dennis Bennett, Major League Baseball player
• Don Pedro Colley, actor
• Chris Eyre, Sundance Film Festival award winner
• Ralph Hill, Olympic 5000 meters silver medalist
• James Ivory, Oscar-nominated director [6]
• Charles S. Moore, Oregon politician
• Dan O'Brien, Olympic gold medalist-Decathlon
• Charles O. Porter, Oregon politician
• Manuel Sanchez, musician
• Paul Zahniser, Major League Baseball player

Sister city

Klamath Falls has one sister city [7], as designated by Sister Cities International:

• Rotorua, New Zealand

See also

• Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges Complex
• Klamath Lake
• Klamath Reclamation Project
• Klamath River

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Klamath Falls, Oregon

• City of Klamath Falls, Oregon Web Page
• Oregon Blue Book entry page for Klamath Falls
• Applegate Trail

• Klamath Falls, Oregon is at coordinates 42°13′24″N 121°46′39″W / 42.223441°N 121.777578°W / 42.223441; -121.777578 (Klamath Falls, Oregon)Coordinates: 42°13′24″N 121°46′39″W / 42.223441°N 121.777578°W / 42.223441; -121.777578 (Klamath Falls, Oregon)

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