Joseph is a city in
Wallowa County,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, United States. Originally named Silver Lake and Lake City, the city formally named itself in 1880 for
Chief Joseph (1840–1904) of the
Nez Perce people. The population was 1,081 at the
2010 census.
History
Joseph was
plat
In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...
ted in 1883,
and the economy was originally based on the land, especially grain and stock. In 1896 the First Bank of Joseph was robbed; one robber was shot and killed, another shot and captured, and a third escaped with the money. On occasion there have been reenactments of the robbery. After a railroad line was completed to Joseph in 1908, a
lumber mill opened, bolstering the economy.
When the
timber industry collapsed in the 1980s, local
unemployment rate approached 17%. However, in 1982 a new industry was born as three
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
foundries opened in the local area.
The city sponsors the annual
Chief Joseph Days Rodeo in late July,
Bronze, Blues and Brews in August since 2001, and
Alpenfest in September, a
Swiss
Swiss most commonly refers to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Swiss may also refer to: Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss Café, an old café located ...
-
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
n festival staged in Joseph and at nearby
Wallowa Lake. Alpenfest resembles an
Oktoberfest but has more
yodeling and
alphorn playing, reflecting the area's reputation as "Oregon's Little Switzerland."
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , all of it land.
Climate
This
climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Joseph has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.
The hottest temperature recorded in Joseph was in July 1919, while the coldest temperature recorded was in December 1924.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 1,081 people, 509 households, and 305 families living in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...
was . There were 590 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.7%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.7%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.9%
Native American, 0.4%
Asian, 0.5%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.7% from
other races, and 2.0% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population.
There were 509 households, of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were
married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.1% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.57.
The median age in the city was 51 years. 17% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.2% were from 25 to 44; 36.1% were from 45 to 64; and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,054 people, 450 households, and 288 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 543 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.88% White, 0.47% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.42% from other races, and 2.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.23% of the population.
There were 450 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the city, the population dispersal was 24.2% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,310, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $25,938 versus $21,563 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $16,163. About 7.9% of families and 12.2% 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 ...
, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
*
Joseph State Airport
*
Wallowa Lake Tramway
Notable people
*
Chief Joseph
*
Rod Scribner
*
Walter Brennan
*
Margaret Osborne duPont
*
Joseph, a band started by Natalie, Allison, and Meegan Closner, named after the town.
References
External links
*
Entry for Josephin the ''
Oregon Blue Book''
City of JosephJoseph Chamber of CommerceChief Joseph Days– official site
{{authority control
Cities in Oregon
Cities in Wallowa County, Oregon
1883 establishments in Oregon
Populated places established in 1883