Bonneville is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Multnomah County, Oregon Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thou ...

, United States, on Interstate 84 and the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

. Bonneville is best known as the site of

Bonneville Dam Bonneville Lock and Dam consists of several run-of-the-river dam structures that together complete a span of the Columbia River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146.1. The dam is located east of Portland, Oregon, ...

North Bonneville, Washington North Bonneville is a city in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area along the Columbia River in Skamania County, Washington, Skamania County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 593 at the 2000 United States ...

is across the river. For decades before the dam was built, Bonneville was popular as a picnic spot for people living along the Columbia River between

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

and

The Dalles The Dalles is the largest city of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,010 at the 2020 census, and it is the largest city on the Oregon side of the Columbia River between the Portland Metropolitan Area, and Hermiston ...

, and the railroad company maintained an "eating house" for travelers there. Bonneville railroad station was named for explorer

Benjamin Bonneville Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville (April 14, 1796 – June 12, 1878) was an American officer in the United States Army, fur trade, fur trapper, and explorer in the American West. He is noted for his expeditions to the Oregon Country and the Gre ...

. The name "Bonneville" did not appear on maps until the late 1880s. Bonneville post office was established in 1900.

Climate

Bonneville has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Csb'').

References

Columbia River Gorge Historic Columbia River Highway Portland metropolitan area Unincorporated communities in Multnomah County, Oregon 1900 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1900 Unincorporated communities in Oregon {{MultnomahCountyOR-geo-stub