 Multnomah
County was created on December 22, 1854.
It was the thirteenth county created in Oregon Territory. The land
was taken from the eastern portion of Washington County and the northern
part of Clackamas County. The borders have remained relatively unchanged
to the present.
Multnomah
County was created when the people living in Portland found it difficult
to travel to Hillsboro to conduct business at the county seat of
Washington County. They also thought that they were paying too much
in taxes to support the farmers in the rural areas surrounding Portland.
In 1854, Portland businessmen petitioned the Territorial Legislature
for a new county and Multnomah County was created at the subsequent
session. The county was named after the Multnomah Indians who were
part of the Chinookan tribe that lived on the eastern tip of what
is now Sauvie Island in the Columbia River. The City of Portland
was chartered in 1851 and made the county seat in 1854. The Multnomah
County Commissioners met for the first time on January 17, 1855.
Multnomah
County is the smallest county in Oregon, with only 465 square miles.
It is bounded by Columbia County and the Columbia River on the north,
Washington County on the west, Clackamas County on the south, and
Hood River County on the east. Multnomah County is very diverse
with Portland in the west and the Columbia Gorge and Mt. Hood in
the east. Most of the eastern portion of the county is covered with
timber and is sparsely populated.
The
first courthouse was built in 1866. Expanding county business required
the addition of a north wing in 1885 and a south wing in 1889. In
1914 a new courthouse was completed at the same location.
The
voters of Multnomah County approved a home rule charter on May 24,
1966, which became effective January 1, 1967. The primary organizational
change was a governing body consisting of a board of five full-time
county commissioners, which is the policy determining body of the
county. The county commissioners and the auditor became the only
elected officials. In 1968 the board of commissioners established
administrative departments to operate county services and administer
county affairs. The commissioners change the organization and duties
of departments to meet changing needs.
The
principle industries of Multnomah County are manufacturing, transportation,
wholesale and retail trade, and tourism. Tourism attractions in
Multnomah County include the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry,
Washington Park and Zoo, Oregon Historical Center, Portland Art
Museum, Rose Test Gardens, and Japanese Gardens in Portland, and
Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. The Port of Portland,
established in 1891, ranks third in total waterborne commerce on
the West Coast. Portland is one of the five largest auto import
ports in the nation and is the West Coast's leading exporter of
grain and lumber. Portland International Airport is one of the fastest
growing airports on the West Coast, serving as a Northwest regional
hub and gateway to the Pacific Rim.
The
population of Multnomah County has steadily increased since 1860.
The 2000 county population of 660,486 represented an increase of
13.12% over 1990. Portland is the county's largest city with a population
of well over 500,000.
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 The
dawn of the automobile age saw the construction of the
spectacular Columbia River Highway running east from Troutdale
in Multnomah County. The highway, built between 1913 and
1922, blended engineering and art with a vivid appreciation
for the magnificent Columbia River Gorge landscape.
Engineer Sam Lancaster applied lessons from some of the
great European highways but drew his biggest inspiration
from the idyllic surroundings. His goal was to build a
modern transportation route that would take full advantage
of every natural aspect, scenic feature, waterfall, viewpoint,
and panorama. Contemporaries described the results of
his work as a "poem in stone" and called the
highway the "king of roads." It was designated
a national historic landmark in 2000. |
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