Canyon City is the county seat of Grant County, Oregon, about a mile south of John Day on U.S. Highway 395. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 669.

Canyon City was established in the 1860s as a result of the discovery of gold in Canyon Creek, which flows through the town. According to Oregon's Golden Years (ISBN 0870042548), the discovery led to land between Canyon City and John Day being worth $500 per square yard ($598/m²). Panning for gold could yield several ounces in each pan of sediment. At the peak of the local gold rush, 10,000 lived in Canyon City, making it larger than Portland at the time.

The town was platted in 1862 and was chosen as the county seat two years later, when Grant County was split from Wasco County. It was incorporated in 1891.

Geography

Canyon City is located at 44°23'27" North, 118°56'56" West (44.390829, _118.948990)¹, a few miles northwest of Canyon Mountain, at an altitude of over 3100 feet (940 m).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.6 km² (1.4 mi²); none of the area is covered with water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 669 people in the town, organized into 257 households and 180 families. The population density is 185.8/km² (480.3/mi²). There are 294 housing units at an average density of 81.7/km² (211.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 90.58% White, 2.84% Native American, 0.15% Black or African American, 2.09% from other races, and 4.33% from two or more races. No one identified himself as Asian or Pacific Islander. 4.63% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 257 households out of which 37.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% are married couples living together, 11.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% are non-families. 24.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.46 and the average family size is 2.94.

In the town the population is spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 107.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $29,940, and the median income for a family is $41,458. Males have a median income of $31,167 versus $23,438 for females. The per capita income for the town is $14,404. 7.8% of the population and 5.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.2% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External link

• Canyon City (http://www.grantcounty.cc/communities/canyonc/) by the Grant County Chamber of Commerce

External links

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=44.390829&longitude=-118.94899&zoom=6)
  • Topographic map from Topozone (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=44.390829&lon=-118.94899&s=200&size=m&layer=DRG100)
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=14&lon=-118.94899&lat=44.390829&w=750&h=500)