Merrill is a city in Klamath County,

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, United States. The population was 844 at the 2010 census. Merrill is an agricultural area and is home to an annual Potato Festival. The area was also part of the

Klamath Basin The Klamath Basin is the region in the U.S. states of Oregon and California drained by the Klamath River. It contains most of Klamath County and parts of Lake and Jackson counties in Oregon, and parts of Del Norte, Humboldt, Modoc, Siskiyou ...

water crisis pitting agricultural interests against endangered species water requirements, tribal interests, and environmentalists. Merrill was the birthplace and boyhood home of Carl Barks, the Disney comics artist who created Scrooge McDuck, among other characters. It is home to the Raiders of Lost River Jr./Sr. High School.

Geography

Merrill is at an elevation of in southern Klamath County, near the Oregon–California border. It is along

Oregon Route 39 Oregon Route 39 is an Oregon state highway that runs between the city of Klamath Falls in Southern Oregon, and the California border between Merrill, Oregon, and Tulelake, California. Route description Oregon Route 39 begins at an interchange wi ...

southeast of

Klamath Falls Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city was ...

and northwest of

Tulelake Tulelake ( ) is a city in northeastern Siskiyou County, California, United States. The town is named after nearby Tule Lake. Its population is 902 as of the 2020 census, down from 1,010 from the 2010 census. Tulelake peace officers are author ...

Lower Klamath Lake Lower Klamath Lake is a lake in Siskiyou County, California. At one time it was connected to Upper Klamath Lake. It currently is used to hold overflow water for Klamath Project irrigation uses. The lake is in Northern California, near the borde ...

and

Tule Lake Tule Lake ( ) is an intermittent lake covering an area of , long and across, in northeastern Siskiyou County and northwestern Modoc County in California, along the border with Oregon. Geography Tule Lake is fed by the Lost River. The eleva ...

, both in California, are slightly south of Merrill. By highway, the city is from Klamath Falls and from Portland. The Lost River flows by Merrill.

Mount Shasta Mount Shasta ( Shasta: ''Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki''; Karuk: ''Úytaahkoo'') is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of , it is the second-highest peak in the Cascades ...

in the Cascade Range southwest of Merrill, although it lies across the California state line, is visible from the city. 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 t ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

The region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . 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, notabl ...

system, Merrill has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Merrill, Oregon
/ref>

History

Merrill was named for rancher Nathan S. Merrill, who settled at this location in 1890. A post office was established in Merrill in 1896. H. E. Momyre was the postmaster. The first business in Merrill was a

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

Economy

As of 2002, the five largest employers in Merrill were the Malin Potato Coop, Klamath County Public Schools, the Martin Food Center, the Merrill Grain and Feed Center, and Country Boy Meats.

Demographics

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 in ...

of 2010, there were 844 people, 308 households, and 221 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was . There were 347 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 70.9%

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 o ...

, 0.1%

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 ...

, 1.5% Native American, 23.8% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 3.7% 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 forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 43.1% of the population. There were 308 households, of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.2% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.23. The median age in the city was 35.7 years. 29% of residents were under the age of 18; 10% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 12.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 897 people, 344 households, and 230 families residing in the city. The

was 2,045.4 people per square mile (787.1/km²). There were 380 housing units at an average density of 866.5 per square mile (333.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.13% White, 0.11% African American, 1.00% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 19.18% from other races, 6.35% from two or more races; 33.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 344 households, out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.1% were non-families, 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.22. The age distribution was 28.4% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,304, and the median income for a family was $27,639. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $19,583 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $11,803. Approximately 19.9% of families and 24.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 32.0% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Entry for Merrill
in the ''

Oregon Blue Book The ''Oregon Blue Book'' is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon prepared by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. The ''Blue Book'' comes in both print and on ...

'' {{Authority control Cities in Oregon Cities in Klamath County, Oregon 1903 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1903