Seneca is a city in

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States * Grant County, Arkansas * Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...

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 located in the Blue Mountains about south of Canyon City, on U.S. Route 395, on the edge of the

Malheur National Forest The Malheur National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon. It contains more than in the Blue Mountains (Pacific Northwest), Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. The forest consists of Great Basi ...

. The population was 199 at the 2010 census.

History

Seneca post office was established in 1895 and named by postmaster Minnie Southworth for her brother-in-law, prominent Portland judge Seneca Smith. While early homesteaders moved into the valley in the late 1800s, Seneca only began growing in the 1929 when it became the northern terminus of the now-vacated Oregon and Northwestern Railroad, owned by the Edward Hines Lumber Company, which extended south to

Burns Burns may refer to: Astronomy * 2708 Burns, an asteroid * Burns (crater), on Mercury People * Burns (surname), list of people and characters named Burns ** Burns (musician), Scottish record producer Places in the United States * Burns, ...

. At that time, large-scale shipping of

Ponderosa Pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is t ...

logs from Seneca and the surrounding national forest began to the Hines

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

in Hines. The company established a planing mill and railroad shops in Seneca, and it became essentially a

company town A company town is a place where all or most of the stores and housing in the town are owned by the same company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schoo ...

. In 1940 Seneca's population was 275.

Logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucksincorporated as a city in 1970 as lumber company control began to wane. According to the 1980 census, Seneca's population was 285. The estimated population in 2007 was 270.

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 land. Situated at the confluence of Bear Creek and the Silvies River, Seneca is in Bear Valley at the northern edge of the

Great Basin The Great Basin () is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets to the ocean, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja Californi ...

Climate

Seneca has a humid continental influenced

semi-arid 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 se ...

(

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 ...

''BSk/Dsb/Dsc'') with warm daytime temperatures in summer and cool to cold nighttime temperatures all year. Average high temperatures throughout the year are relatively mild for a subarctic climate. It is right on the border of a semi-arid

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

with the fourth warmest month of the year straddling . Seneca experiences the coolest weather in Grant County and has the distinction of the coldest official temperature recorded in Oregon: in 1933.

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 199 people, 95 households, and 60 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 128 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.0%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, and 0.5% 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 1.0% of the population. There were 95 households, of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% 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, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.53. The median age in the city was 52.5 years. 16.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15% were from 25 to 44; 35.6% were from 45 to 64; and 25.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.3% male and 47.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 223 people, 95 households, and 64 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 115 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.10% White, 0.45% Asian, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.90% of the population. There were 95 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,333, and the median income for a family was $26,806. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $23,750 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 $12,636. About 24.0% of families and 19.8% 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 22.5% of those under the age of 18 and none of those 65 or over.

Economy

The main industries in Seneca are cattle

ranch A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of landscape, land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often ap ...

ing and timber production.

Education

Seneca is served by the Grant School District (formerly the John Day School District). Seneca School is a K- 5 school. After 5th grade students attend Grant Union High School in John Day. Seneca School was built in the 1930s to serve the employees of the Hines Lumber Company. As of 2011, the school had 58 students.

References

External links

Entry for Seneca
in the '' Oregon Blue Book''
Seneca Community Profile
from the Oregon Business Development Commission
Seneca History Project
from Seneca School
Historic images of Seneca
from Salem Public Library {{authority control Cities in Oregon Cities in Grant County, Oregon Company towns in Oregon 1895 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1895