About the City
The Dalles gets it name from the French words, "le dalle," meaning "the
trough," in this case, the trough of the Columbia River. Before
the dams, The Dalles was a dangerous point for boats running the
river due to whirlpools and rapids. The Dalles is one of the oldest
inhabited locations in North America, serving as a center of Native
American trade for at least the past 10,000 years. Lewis and Clark
arrived in The Dalles in 1805, and the first homes were erected in
1838.
Wasco County was established in 1854 and was the second largest
in the country at the time, reaching from the Cascade Mountains
in the
west to the modern-day states of Montana and Wyoming. By the middle
of the 19th Century, The Dalles was considered the end of the overland
Oregon Trail; from here, settlers made a choice to either brave
the Columbia River or take the Barlow pass to cross the Cascades
and
reach the Willamette Valley in western Oregon.
The Dalles is still considered the prominent marketplace lying
along the Columbia River/I-84 corridor which connects the Intermountain,
Mid-West, West Coast and Pacific Rim markets. Because of its
geographic location and proximity to a variety of transportation
options,
The
Dalles is a prime location for any business with market access
concerns. In general, The Dalles is an excellent place to do business with
low utility rates, a diverse and abundant workforce, a community
which supports business and growth, and land which is available
and ready for development. Primary crops are cereal grains, sweet
cherries
and apples. Ranching is common. Wheat is the dominant field crop.
View a map of The Dalles Climate
Average weather in The Dalles, Oregon
Based on data reported by over 4,000 weather stations
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Av. temp. (°F) |
35.1 |
39.7 |
46.8 |
53.6 |
61.1 |
67.5 |
73.9 |
73.5 |
65.7 |
54.4 |
42.7 |
36.1 |
| High temp. (°F) |
41 |
47.5 |
56.9 |
64.8 |
73.1 |
79.6 |
87.2 |
87.5 |
80.1 |
66.7 |
50.1 |
41.7 |
| Low temp. (°F) |
29.2 |
32 |
36.7 |
42.3 |
49 |
55.4 |
60.5 |
59.5 |
51.3 |
41.9 |
35.3 |
30.5 |
| Precipitation (in) |
2.6 |
2 |
1.2 |
0.8 |
0.5 |
0.4 |
0.2 |
0.3 |
0.5 |
1 |
2.1 |
2.7 |
| Days with precip. |
15 |
13 |
13 |
12 |
10 |
8 |
3 |
4 |
6 |
10 |
15 |
16 |
| Wind speed (mph) |
8.2 |
8.2 |
8.1 |
7.8 |
7.5 |
7.5 |
7.6 |
7.1 |
6.7 |
6.5 |
7.5 |
7.9 |
| Snowfall (in) |
4.9 |
1.9 |
0.8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1.2 |
3.8 |
Demographics
Population (year 2000): 12,156
Males: 5,913 (48.6%), Females: 6,243 (51.4%)
Land area: 5.3 square miles
Zip code: 97058
Area code: 541
Median resident age: 39.3 years
Median household income: $35,430 (year 2000)
Median house value: $103,800 (year 2000)
Unemployed: 8.2%
Mean travel time to work: 14.7 minutes
Distance To:
Portland – 80 miles
Seattle – 261 miles
Spokane – 260 miles
Nearest city with population 50,000+: Yakima, WA (pop. 71,845)
Nearest city with population 200,000+: Portland, OR (pop. 529,121)
Nearest city with population 1,000,000+: Los Angeles, CA (pop.
3,694,820)
Hospitals/medical centers near The Dalles:
- Mid-Columbia Medical Center (The Dalles, OR)
- Skyline Hospital (White Salmon, WA)
- Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital (Hood River, OR)
Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to The
Dalles:
- Yakima Valley Community College (Yakima, WA; Full-time enrollment:
2,906)
- Portland Community College (Portland, OR; FT enrollment: 12,132)
- Mt Hood Community College (Gresham,
OR; FT enrollment: 4,867)
- Clackamas Community College (Oregon City, OR; FT enrollment: 3,446)
- Clark College (Vancouver, WA; FT enrollment: 5,106)
- Central Oregon Community College (Bend, OR; FT enrollment: 2,274)
- Lewis And Clark College (about 106 miles; Portland, OR; FT enrollment:
2,795)
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