Joseph, Oregon

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Coordinates: 45°21′3″N 117°13′49″W / 45.35083, -117.23028
Joseph, Oregon
Location in Oregon
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Wallowa
Incorporated	1887
Government
- Mayor	Peggy Kite-Martin
Area
- Total	0.9 sq mi (2.2 km²)
- Land	0.9 sq mi (2.2 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km²)
Elevation	4,200 ft (1,280.2 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,054
- Density	1,234.8/sq mi (478.8/km²)
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	Pacific (UTC-7)
ZIP code	97846
Area code(s)	541
FIPS code	41-37900^[1]
GNIS feature ID	1144403^[2]

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 Nez Perce Chief Joseph. The population was 1,054 at the 2000 census.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Transportation
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Joseph was deeply affected by the collapse of the timber industry in the 1980s, which resulted in the local unemployment rate approaching 17%. However, in 1982 a new industry was born with the opening of Valley Bronze, a fine art bronze foundry. In the years since, two more bronze foundries have opened in the local area as well as studios and art galleries specializing in bronze sculpture. Sales are nation-wide, including a $2.4 million order for bronze wreaths, armatures, and flagpoles for the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. This new industry has been instrumental in stabilizing the local economy.

The city sponsors the annual Chief Joseph Days Rodeo each July (one of the top outdoor small rodeos in the nation, running for over 60 years), the Bronze, Blues and Brews festival each August since 2001, and the Alpenfest (Swiss-Bavarian festival staged in the traditional Oktoberfest style) the last weekend of September at nearby Wallowa Lake since 1974.

[edit] Geography

Joseph is located at 45°21′3″N, 117°13′49″W (45.350874, -117.230231)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,054 people, 450 households, and 288 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,234.8 people per square mile (478.8/km²). There were 543 housing units at an average density of 636.2/sq mi (246.7/km²). 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.