Paisley is a city in Lake 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. It is along Oregon Route 31 between Summer Lake and Lake Abert. The population was 250 at the 2020 census.

History

There are two theories regarding the origin of the name "Paisley". One story says that Charles Mitchell Innes, from

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, named the place for Paisley in his home country, in about 1873. Another informant stated that the place was named by Samuel G. Steele, also a native of Scotland. Steele was the first postmaster of the Paisley post office, which was established in 1879. Archeological sites from the 1930s at

Paisley Caves The Paisley Caves or the Paisley Five Mile Point Caves complex is a system of eight caves in an arid, desolate region of south-central Oregon, United States north of the present-day city of Paisley, Oregon. The caves are located in the Summer L ...

and 1966 at

Fort Rock Fort Rock is a tuff ring located on an ice age lake bed in north Lake County, Oregon, Lake County, Oregon, United States. The ring is about in diameter and stands about high above the surrounding plain. Its name is derived from the tall, stra ...

give the oldest known evidence for early Native Americans. Radiocarbon dating of

coprolite A coprolite (also known as a coprolith) is fossilized feces. Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behaviour (in this case, diet) rather than morphology. The name ...

s indicate they are from 12,750 to 14,290 years before the present.

Arts and culture

Paisley is home to an annual Mosquito Festival that raises funds for

vector control Vector control is any method to limit or eradicate the mammals, birds, insects or other arthropods (here collectively called " vectors") which transmit disease pathogens. The most frequent type of vector control is mosquito control using a varie ...

. The festival is held the last full weekend of July. Paisley is also home to the Paisley Players Community Theater, a non-profit organization with a board of directors. The group stages a play each year in the spring, either at the Community Center or the Paisley School Auditorium.

Geography

Paisley is located at an elevation of . 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. The Chewaucan River flows through the city.

Geothermal energy

Paisley sits on top of a supply of hot groundwater. In 1980 on the Colahan Ranch in Paisley, a well was unintentionally drilled into a fault, revealing the hot water. After using the water for irrigation for a time, the Colahans invited the local electricity cooperative to investigate the well's use as a geothermal energy source in 2008. The plant was expected to come online in 2013 with a projected energy output of three

megawatts The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named in honor o ...

using grants from both Federal and State governments for up to seven million dollars. However, by July 2015 the plant had still not come online, and the costs had expanded from a projected twelve million dollars to more than twenty one million dollars, while the amount gained through government grants had fallen to only five million. The plant became operational later that year at a projected 3.1 megawatts capability. The plant was able to generate an estimated 4,129,6800

kilowatt hour A kilowatt-hour ( unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a non-SI unit of energy equal to 3.6 megajoules (MJ) in SI units, which is the energy delivered by one kilowatt of power for one hour. Kilowatt-hours are a commo ...

s of energy over the eight months it was operational during 2016 with a peak output of 2,100

kilowatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

Climate

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, Paisley 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 ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

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 243 people, 125 households, and 67 families residing 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 156 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.8%

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 ...

, 2.1%

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 ...

, 1.2% Native American, 0.8% Asian, and 2.1% 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 1.6% of the population. There were 125 households, of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were

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

living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.4% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.94 and the average family size was 2.58. The median age in the city was 53.6 years. 17.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.1% were from 25 to 44; 33.8% were from 45 to 64; and 26.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 247 people, 115 households, and 80 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 176 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.98% White, 0.81% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.81% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.21% of the population. There were 115 households, out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.56. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 1.6% from 18 to 24, 20.2% from 25 to 44, 34.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,214, and the median income for a family was $30,625. Males had a median income of $21,250 versus $28,125 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 $16,224. About 13.0% of families and 16.9% 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 25.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 8.1% of those 65 or over.

Education

Paisley School, the only school in Paisley School District 11, enrolls students in kindergarten through grade 12. The section of Lake County that Paisley is in is not a part of a

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

district, but the county has a "contract-out-of-district" (COD) with Klamath Community College.

Recreation

Recreational activities including hunting,

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

in the Chewaucan River,

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

in the nearby Fremont and Winema National Forests,

hang gliding Hang gliding is an air sports, air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised, fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium al ...

, rock hounding, and swimming in local lakes and hot springs. The Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, Goose Lake State Recreation Area, and a number of Oregon State Parks are within driving distance of Paisley as well. The Oregon Desert Trail passes through the town.

Transportation

* Paisley Airport

References

External links

*
Entry for Paisley
from 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 o ...

'' {{Authority control Cities in Oregon Cities in Lake County, Oregon 1879 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1879