Oroville, Washington

Oroville, Washington
City
Location of Oroville, Washington
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Okanogan
Area
• Total	1.3 sq mi (3.2 km2)
• Land	1.2 sq mi (3.2 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	938 ft (286 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	1,653
• Density	1,336.5/sq mi (516.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98844
Area code	509
FIPS code	53-51970Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1524077Template:GR

Oroville is a city in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,653.

Geography

Oroville is located at 48°56′19″N 119°26′6″W (48.938508, -119.434903).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.2 km²), of which, 1.2 square miles (3.2 km²) of it is land and 0.80% is water.

Oroville is located 4 miles south of the Canadian border, and features an official crossing into Osoyoos, British Columbia.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 1,653 people, 691 households, and 433 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,336.5 people per square mile (514.7/km²). There were 794 housing units at an average density of 642.0/sq mi (247.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.34% White, 0.12% African American, 4.23% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 9.32% from other races, and 3.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.06% of the population.

There were 691 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,301, and the median income for a family was $30,114. Males had a median income of $25,833 versus $21,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,220. About 22.6% of families and 28.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.0% of those under age 18 and 19.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Most of the economy of Oroville and the surrounding areas is based on agriculture. There are numerous orchards within the city limits and a few grape vineyards. During Oroville's heyday as a mining town, its population was over 10,000 with numerous saloons, restaurants, shops and a drive in movie theater. Today the town's economy is depressed with a nearly 30% poverty rate and a median household income of only $22,000. Recently, two vacation cottage developments have been built, one east of Lake Osoyoos called Veranda Beach and one just north of downtown.

History

Oroville was first settled by whites in the late 1850s and known as 'rag town'. The settlement was named Oro, after the Spanish word for gold, in 1892 after the surrounding gold mines, and in an attempt to attract prospectors and merchants. The Post Office objected to the name "Oro," because there was already a town named "Oso" in Washington, so the name was changed to Oroville, in 1909.

External links

• Official Website