Multnomah County
The gateway to Portland's Chinatown from West Burnside. (Oregon State Archives Photo No. mulD0004)
Contact
County Seat: 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland 97214
Phone: 503-823-4000 (General); 503-988-3957 (Court Administrator)
Web: www.co.multnomah.or.us
About
Population: 710,025
Established: Dec. 22, 1854
Elev. at Portland: 77'
Area: 465 sq. mi.
Average Temp.: January 38.9° July 67.7°
Assessed Value: $56,959,073,565
Real Market Value: $130,045,431,296
Annual Precipitation: 37.39"
Economy: Manufacturing, transportation, wholesale and retail trade, and tourism
Related resources
History
Historical
Records Inventory
Scenic
Image
Economic
Information (from OECDD)
"County
Quick Facts" (from U.S.
Census Bureau)
County
Seat Map (from Yahoo!
Maps)
County
Map (from ODOT)
Incorporated cities
Fairview | Gresham | Maywood
Park | Portland | Troutdale | Wood Village
Points of interest
Oregon Historical Center, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland Art Museum, Washington Park and Zoo, Rose Test Gardens, Japanese Gardens, Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls, Blue Lake Park, Oxbow Park, Pittock Mansion, Port of Portland, Memorial Coliseum, Oregon Convention Center.
History and general information
Lewis and Clark made note of the Indian village of Multnomah on Sauvie Island in 1805 and applied that name to all local Native Americans. The name is derived from nematlnomaq, probably meaning “downriver.” Multnomah County was created from parts of Washington and Clackamas Counties by the Territorial Legislature in 1854, five years before Oregon became a state, because citizens found it inconvenient to travel to Hillsboro to conduct county business.
The county is both the smallest in size and largest in population in Oregon. Over 50 percent of its people live in Portland, a busy metropolis dominated by rivers and greenery. The remaining area includes picturesque rural land, from pastoral farms on Sauvie Island to the rugged Columbia River Gorge and the western slopes of Mt. Hood.
County officials
Commissioners—Jeff Cogen (NP) 2011; Deborah Kafoury (NP) 2013, Diane McKeel (NP) 2013, Judy Shiprack (NP) 2013, Ted Wheeler, Chair (NP) 2011; Dist. Atty. Michael D. Schrunk (NP) 2013; Assess. Randy Walruff; Recorder Cindy Swick; Interim Sheriff Dan Staton (NP) 2010; Surv. Robert Hovden; Treas. LaVonne Griffin-Valade (NP) 2011.