Joseph, Oregon
Encyclopedia : J : JO : JOS : Joseph, Oregon
Joseph is a city in Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. Originally named "Silver Lake" and "Lake City", in 1880 the city formally named itself for the Nez Percé chief, Chief Joseph. The population was 1,054 at the 2000 census.
History
Joseph was deeply affected in the 1980s collapse of the timber industry, which resulted in high local unemployment, sometimes approaching 17%. However, beginning in 1982, two local bronze foundries have been opened in Joseph (as well as one in neighboring Enterprise), as well as studios and art galleries specializing in statues. Sales are nation-wide, and include a $2.4 million order for bronze wreathes, armatures, and flagpoles for the National World War II Monument in Washington, D.C. This new industry has helped Joseph to stabilize its economy. However, the David Manuel foundry moved to nearby Hot Lake, outside La Grande, Oregon, in 2006.The city sponsors an annual [Joseph Days Rodeo]each July that's been running more than 60 years and one of the top outdoor small rodeos in the nation, a [Blues and Brews]festival each August since 2001, and an [Alpenfest](Swiss-Bavarian festival staged in the traditional Oktoberfest style) the last weekend of September at nearby Wallowa Lake since 1974.
Geography
Joseph is located at (45.350874, -117.230231)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²), all land.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 1,054 people, 450 households, and 288 families residing in the city. The population density was 478.8/km² (1,234.8/mi²). There were 543 housing units at an average density of 246.7/km² (636.2/mi²). 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 was spread out with 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 for the city was $16,163. About 7.9% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
External link
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.