Milton-Freewater is a city in
Umatilla County
Umatilla County () is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,075. Hermiston is the largest city in Umatilla County, but Pendleton remains the county seat. Umatilla County is part of ...
,
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. The city received its current name in 1951 when the neighboring rival cities of Milton and Freewater voted to merge. The population was 7,151 at the
2020 census. It is part of the
Pendleton–
Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area. Milton-Freewater is home to a growing wine industry.
History
First settled in 1868, the community was incorporated as Milton by 1873. It is uncertain how the name was chosen; perhaps in hopes of building a mill, or perhaps in honor of English poet John Milton.
Freewater received its name from the offer of free residential water rights to attract new settlers. Before that name was chosen other proposed names had been New Walla Walla and Wallaette. The town was located to the north of and directly adjacent to Milton.
In 1936, a magnitude 6.1
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
centered to the northwest caused significant damage in and around Milton-Freewater. This earthquake was followed by numerous aftershocks and had a temporary effect on the water table.
In the 1960s, Milton-Freewater billed itself as the
pea
The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...
capital of the world. There were several pea canneries in town. It held an annual festival and parade in May, known as the "Pea Festival." In the late 1970s, agricultural practices and crop prices changed the dynamics of the local economy, and peas were no longer grown as abundantly as they previously had been. One by one the canneries closed down. The town dropped the title and the festival. At the time, Milton-Freewater had a popular August event called the "Corn Roast" (started by local resident Thomas Dodd when he was Chamber President in the early 1970s), and the decision was made to increase the festival to a weekend-long celebration which, in 1981, became known as the Muddy Frogwater Festival (the city had sometimes been referred to as Muddy-Frogwater). The festival is now a three-day event held the third weekend in August each year. Festival activities have included frog-jumping contests, concerts, karaoke competitions, the corn roast, and a dance. The Friends of the Library have held a large outdoor book sale at the festival each year since 1993. On the Sunday morning of the festival there is an outdoor interdenominational church service. The city also has sponsored the creation of more than 50
chainsaw sculpture
The art of chainsaw carving is a fast-growing form of art that combines the modern technology of the chainsaw with the ancient art of woodcarving.
The beginning of the art form
The oldest chainsaw artist records go back to the 1950s, which inc ...
frogs at local businesses to help market itself as a "fun town" with a quirky nickname.
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 the ...
, the city has a total area of , all of it land.
Climate
Milton-Freewater 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-ar ...
(BSk) 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.
Demographics
At the 2010
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 incl ...
, there were 7,050 people, 2,479 households and 1,689 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 RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 2,742 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 on ...
, 0.6%
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 ...
, 0.8%
Native American, 0.6%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 24.7% 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 2.5% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...
or
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 2,479 households, of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% 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 t ...
living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.9% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.42.
The median age was 31.5 years. 30.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 11% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.4% were from 25 to 44; 21.2% were from 45 to 64; and 13.1% were 65 years of age or older. The population was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.
The Rocks AVA
The Milton-Freewater area is renowned for its wine. Until February 2015, it was part of the
Walla Walla Valley AVA
The Walla Walla Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Washington state and extending partly into the northeastern corner of Oregon. The wine region is entirely included within the larger Columbia Valley AVA. In addition to ...
, when
The Rocks District of Milton–Freewater American Viticultural Area (The Rocks AVA) was established.
Education
![Milton-Freewater Chamber](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Milton-Freewater_Chamber.jpg)
Schools in Milton-Freewater are under the jurisdiction of the
Milton-Freewater Unified School District and include
McLoughlin High School
McLoughlin High School (formerly McLoughlin Union High School), known as Mac-Hi, is a public high school in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, United States. It is part of Milton-Freewater Unified School District.
It is named after John McLoughlin, a promi ...
,
Central Middle School, Freewater Elementary, Ferndale Elementary School, Gib Olinger Elementary School, and Milton-Stateline Adventist School.
Notable people
*
George Flower
George Albert "Buck" Flower (October 28, 1937 – June 18, 2004) was an American actor, writer, producer, assistant director, production manager, and casting director. He was sometimes credited as Ernest Wall, Buck Flower, George "Buck" Flower ...
, actor, writer and producer
*
Oscar Harstad, former major league baseball pitcher
Sister cities
*
Waimate, New Zealand[http://www.finaldestination.herobo.com/?media=List_of_twin_towns_and_sister_cities_in_the_South_Island]
References
External links
Entry for Milton-Freewaterin 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
1950 establishments in Oregon
Cities in Oregon
Cities in Umatilla County, Oregon
Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area
Populated places established in 1950