THE DALLES

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

Demographics: Courtesy of: http://www.city-data.com