Hermiston () is a city in Umatilla County,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States. Its population of 19,696 makes it the largest city in Eastern Oregon. Hermiston is the largest, and fastest-growing, city in the Hermiston-Pendleton Micropolitan Statistical Area, the eighth largest

Core Based Statistical Area A core-based statistical area (CBSA) is a U.S. geographic area defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that consists of one or more counties (or equivalents) anchored by an urban center of at least 10,000 people plus adjacent countie ...

in Oregon with a combined population of 92,261 at the 2020 census. Hermiston sits near the junction of

I-82 Interstate 82 (I-82) is an Interstate Highway in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States that travels through parts of Washington and Oregon. It runs from its northwestern terminus at I-90 in Ellensburg, Washington, to its southeast ...

and

I-84 Interstate 84 may refer to: * Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah), passing through Idaho, formerly known as Interstate 80N * Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts) Interstate 84 (I-84) is an Interstate Highway in the Northeaster ...

, and is 7 miles south of 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 ...

, Lake Wallula, and the McNary Dam. The Hermiston area has become a hub for logistics and

data center A data center (American English) or data centre (British English)See spelling differences. is a building, a dedicated space within a building, or a group of buildings used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommun ...

activity due to the proximity of the I-82 and I-84 interchange,

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Thou ...

fiber optic backbone, and low power costs. The city is also known for its watermelons, which are part of its branding.

History

The historic inhabitants of the area were the indigenous Umatilla, Cayuse, Walla Walla, and

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

Indians, descendants of peoples who lived in this area for thousands of years. The earliest European settlers established a mission near Pendleton in 1847. The territorial government organized Umatilla County in 1862 from the larger Wasco County. On July 10, 1907, the town of Hermiston was incorporated. The original railroad station was named Maxwell, likely after a contemporary official at the railroad company. Colonel J. F. McNaught, an early settler in the region, later named it Hermiston from

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as '' Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

's unfinished novel '' Weir of Hermiston''. The greater Hermiston region began to see irrigated agriculture in 1908, with the completion of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Umatilla Basin Project in the form of Cold Springs Reservoir. The region saw modest growth until the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, when the

Umatilla Army Depot The Umatilla Chemical Depot, (UMCD) based in Umatilla, Oregon, was a U.S. Army installation in the United States that stored chemical weapons. The chemical weapons originally stored at the depot consisted of various live munitions and storage co ...

was constructed, causing Hermiston's population to jump from 803 at the 1940 US Census to 3,804 in 1950. The region continued to experience modest growth for the next several decades until the 1970's, when low power costs coupled with the development of center-pivot irrigation resulted in a significant expansion in agricultural acreage put in to potato production. The expansion of potato production coincided with the development of large potato processing plants by Lamb-Weston and

Simplot The J. R. Simplot Company (commonly referred to as Simplot) is an agribusiness company headquartered in Boise, Idaho. History Simplot was founded in 1929 by 20-year-old John Richard Simplot near the agricultural community of Declo in south ...

, focusing on frozen potato products. The associated economic development drove Hermiston's population to nearly double from 4,893 in 1970 to 9,408 by 1980. The 1990's brought additional large employment developments to the Hermiston region in the form of

Two Rivers Correctional Institution The Two Rivers Correctional Institution is a state prison for men located in Umatilla, Umatilla County, Oregon on the Columbia River, owned and operated by the Oregon Department of Corrections The Oregon Department of Corrections is the agenc ...

, a Wal-Mart

Distribution Center A distribution center for a set of products is a warehouse or other specialized building, often with refrigeration or air conditioning, which is stocked with products ( goods) to be redistributed to retailers, to wholesalers, or directly ...

, expansion of the Union Pacific Hinkle Rail Yard, and beginning of the

's Chemical Weapon Incineration process. The 2000's have seen continued growth and diversification of the regional economy as Hermiston has grown to a population of 19,354 at the 2020 Census and has become a regional center for commercial and professional services.

Economy

Retail

Former Roemark's Building in Downtown Hermiston

Hermiston serves as the retail and services center for much of western Umatilla County, as well as Morrow County and parts of Gilliam county. Hermiston's Local Trade Area, which describes the area where people will travel to purchase items on a weekly basis, stretches from Pendleton on the East, the

to the North, Heppner to the South, and Gilliam County to the West. There were 46,000 people living within Hermiston's Local Trade Area based on 2010 U.S. Census data. Major national chain retailers in Hermiston include Wal-Mart,

Home Depot The Home Depot, Inc., is an American multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportation rentals. Home Depot is the largest home improvement re ...

, Big Lots, Sears, AutoZone,

Big 5 Sporting Goods Big 5 Sporting Goods is a sporting goods retailer headquartered in El Segundo, California with 434 stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Steven G. Miller is the chair ...

and

Harbor Freight Harbor Freight Tools, commonly referred to as Harbor Freight, is a privately held tool and equipment retailer, headquartered in Calabasas, California, United States. It operates a chain of retail stores, as well as an e-commerce business. The com ...

, among many others. The community also has Ford, Chevy,

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

, Toyota, and

Subaru ( or ; ) is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the twenty-first largest automaker by production worldwide in 2017. Subaru cars are ...

dealerships. Despite a relatively robust local retail & services market, Hermiston experiences significant retail sales leakage to the

Tri-Cities Tri-Cities most often refers to: *Tri-Cities, Tennessee, United States *Tri-Cities, Washington, United States Tri-City, Tricity or Tri-Cities may also refer to: Populated places Americas Canada *Tri-Cities (British Columbia), consisting of Co ...

for items purchased on less than a weekly basis. The Tri-Cities, located approximately 30 minutes north of Hermiston in Washington, had a metro-area population of 275,740 as of April 1, 2014, making it the fourth largest metropolitan area in Washington.

Workforce

Hermiston has the largest 30-mile-radius workforce in Eastern Oregon. According to 2018 U.S. Census estimates, there were 135,503 people actively employed within a 30-mile radius of Hermiston; in comparison, there are 75,075 in the next-largest regional Labor Shed in Bend. Hermiston-area employers benefit greatly from the proximity of the Tri-Cities in Washington which, based on light traffic, and easy freeway access, is approximately 30–35 minutes to the north of Hermiston. This proximity also allows dual-income households good access to employment opportunities for both wage earners.

Top employers

According to the City of Hermiston's ''2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,'' the top employers in the area are:

Parks

The City of Hermiston Parks Department maintains 10 parks, 13 landscape areas, and 100-plus acres for the enjoyment of the community. In addition to the developed parks, the Department also has 50 additional acres planned for future development. Recent major enhancements include the additions of Riverfront Park, the Oxbow Trail, and continual additions to the Hermiston Family Aquatic Center. Riverfront Park features 16 acres of open grassy areas alongside the Umatilla River, as well as nearly a mile of paved walking paths, with picnic shelters, restrooms, and fishing access. A 1.8-mile paved walking path, named the Oxbow Trail, was added in 2015 to connect Riverfront Park with the north side of town near Good Shepherd Medical Center. The Trail winds through protected wetland area for nearly the entirety of its length and also connects to Harrison Park.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. Distance to major cities: * Tri-Cities, Washington - *

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

- *

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

- *

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the ...

- * Boise, Idaho - *

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, t ...

- * Missoula, Montana - Hermiston's recent population growth is due to its proximity to large cities in the

and its location along two major freeways.

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, Hermiston has a

steppe climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...

( Köppen BSk). This gives the area hot dry summers with high daytime temperatures which do cool considerably overnight, and relatively cold winters which typically yield several snow storms per year with relatively minimal accumulation. On June 29, 2021 a max temperature of was recorded in Hermiston, which is just one degree below the new all-time record high temperature for the State of Oregon, which was set in Jefferson County on the same day.

Demographics

2020 Census

As of the U.S. Census of 2020, there were 19,354 people residing in the city, a growth of 2,609 residents since the 2010 Census. Due to its consistent growth registering as an outlier among rural communities across the U.S., the 2020 Census figure far out-paced the Census Bureau's 2019 estimate for the community of 17,782. This same phenomenon occurred with the community's 2010 Census count far exceeded government estimates from 2009.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 16,745 people, 6,050 households, and 4,184 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 6,373 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 74.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.8%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.3% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.2%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 19.0% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 34.9% of the population. There were 6,050 households, of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.8% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.28. The median age in the city was 30.9 years. 31.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.3% were from 25 to 44; 20.8% were from 45 to 64; and 11% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

Education

K-12

Hermiston School District Hermiston School District 8R is a public school district in Hermiston, Oregon, United States. For the beginning of the 2019–2020 academic year, enrollment totaled 5,809 students in Pre-K through 12th grades with one high school, Hermiston High S ...

is the largest district in Eastern Oregon, with 5,508 students in the 2020-21 school year. The district has one high school,

Hermiston High School Hermiston High School (HHS) is a four-year, public high school in Hermiston, Oregon, United States. Building The main building is a seventy-classroom structure with computer laboratories, two large auditoriums, a library and physical education s ...

, which hosts 1,703 students. Due to the school's size, it is able to offer comprehensive programming and courses for all students. The district also is composed of two middle schools and six elementary schools. There are also two private schools in Hermiston. Voters in the Hermiston School District have shown strong support for education as the district has experienced sustained robust enrollment growth. Voters approved a $69.9 million capital construction bond in November, 2008, and another $82.7 million capital construction bond in November, 2019. The 2019 bond added a new elementary school near the intersection of NE 10th and Theater Lane, and replaced the 57-year old Rocky Heights Elementary School on-site with a larger facility. The 2019 bond will also add capacity for an additional 200 students at Hermiston High School.

High School Sports

Hermiston High School competes at the 3A level in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. This cross-state membership was approved by the WIAA in 2017 in recognition of the lack of comparable sized large high schools elsewhere in Eastern Oregon. The second largest High School in Eastern Oregon was Pendleton, with only 815 students, compared to Hermiston's 1,703. The WIAA membership allows HHS to compete in the Mid-Columbia Conference against high schools from Kennewick, Richland, Pasco, and Walla Walla, Washington and significantly reduce travel times for conference games.

Higher education

Blue Mountain Community College Blue Mountain Community College is a community college located in Pendleton, Oregon, United States, and serves Umatilla and Morrow counties as well as most of Baker County. It was established in 1962 and currently offers Associate of Arts degr ...

has a branch in Hermiston. Eastern Oregon University also hosts

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

and graduate-level courses at the Eastern Oregon Higher Education Center in Hermiston.

Transportation

Highways and roads

Hermiston benefits from being near the exact center of the Pacific Northwest, and at the crossroads of several major interstate highways. Drivers can easily access all four major Northwest metropolitan areas in just a half-day's drive. Portland is less than 3 hours to the West, and drivers can also reach Spokane in less than 3 hours to the northeast, while

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

and Boise are both approximately 4 hours away to the northwest and southeast, respectively. Highways serving Hermiston include Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 30, both of which run east–west,

U.S. Route 395 U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Laurier, where the road ...

, which runs north–south, and Interstate 82, which has its southern terminus near Hermiston and continues north to Ellensburg, Washington. Major transportation-related businesses in Hermiston include Wal-Mart's Northwest Distribution Center, and both

FedEx FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...

and

United Parcel Service United Parcel Service (UPS, stylized as ups) is an American multinational shipping & receiving and supply chain management company founded in 1907. Originally known as the American Messenger Company specializing in telegraphs, UPS has grown t ...

(UPS) have freight distribution facilities in Hermiston.

Rail

Hermiston is on the La Grande Subdivision of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

, constructed originally through the area in the 1870s as the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. Railroad facilities include the Hinkle Locomotive Service and Repair Facility and "hump yard" located just outside the city.

Airports

Hermiston Municipal Airport is a city-owned airport serving General Aviation pilots, corporate jet traffic, agricultural operations, and cargo operations. There are currently no commercial flights out of Hermiston. Tri-Cities Airport is located approximately 40 minutes north of Hermiston, and offers commercial flights to Seattle, Salt Lake City, Denver, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Portland, San Francisco, and Phoenix. In 2014, due to strong growth in demand, the Port of Pasco approved a $42 million renovation and expansion, that will double the size of the current terminal.

Media

Radio

KOHU KOHU (1360 AM, "Real Country") is a radio station licensed to serve Hermiston, Oregon, United States. The station, which began broadcasting in 1956, is owned by West End Radio, LLC, and serves Umatilla County and Morrow County, Oregon. Programmi ...

1360 AM (Country) * KQFM 93.7 FM (AC) * KLKY 96.1 FM (Classic Rock) - Licensed to

Stanfield, Oregon Stanfield () is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,043 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Pendleton– Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography According to the United States Census Burea ...

* KZLY 99.5 FM (Spanish) *

KGTS KGTS (91.3 FM) is a radio station in College Place, Washington, broadcasting to the Walla Walla Valley, including Walla Walla, Washington, and the Tri-Cities. The station oversees the programming for the Positive Life Radio broadcasting networ ...

91.3 FM (Christian) * KOLH 105.9 FM (Catholic -

EWTN The Eternal Word Television Network, more commonly known by its initials EWTN, is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic-themed programming. It is not only the largest Catholic television network in ...

Radio)

Newspapers

*''

The Hermiston Herald ''The Hermiston Herald'' is a weekly paper published in Hermiston, Oregon, United States, since 1906. The ''Herald'' was founded by Horace Greeley Newport and William Skinner. It is published on Wednesdays by EO Media Group (formerly known as the ...

'' (published Wednesday) *'' East Oregonian'' ( Pendleton paper with coverage of Hermiston, published Tuesday through Saturday)

Notable people

* Tucker Bounds, public relations professional *

Bucky Jacobsen Larry William Jacobsen (born August 30, 1975) is a former professional first baseman and designated hitter. He also attended Hermiston High School in Oregon. Career Jacobsen was drafted out of Lewis-Clark State College in the 7th round of the 19 ...

, baseball player *

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championshi ...

, politician *

Shoni Schimmel Shoni Schimmel (born May 4, 1992) is an American professional basketball player. She is a former All-American college player at the University of Louisville and was selected with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2014 draft by t ...

, basketball player * Jim Stuart, football player *

Jared Zabransky Jared Zabransky (born December 4, 1983) is a former professional gridiron football quarterback in the National Football League and the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Houston Texans of the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2007 thou ...

, football player

Annual events

* Hermiston Raceway/Super Oval, paved oval stock car track, races almost every Saturday from late April through the end of September every year. * Farm City Pro Rodeo, annual rodeo held in AugustFarmCityEntry
/ref> * Umatilla County Fair

Footnotes

External links

Entry for Hermiston
in the '' Oregon Blue Book''
City of Hermiston official website
{{authority control Cities in Oregon Cities in Umatilla County, Oregon Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area 1907 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1907