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Oregon State...
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Oregon Counties
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Oregon Counties
There are 36 counties in the state of Oregon. The Oregon Constitution does not explicitly
provide for county seats. |
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Polk County, Oregon
Polk County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Dallas
Year Organized: 1845
Square Miles: 741 |
Court House: 850 Main Street
County Courthouse
Dallas, OR 97338-3128
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
The county was named after President James Knox Polk and
originally included the entire southwestern portion of present day Oregon to the
California border.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts:
Census Bureau Quick Facts
History
The Provisional Legislature created
Polk County from Yamhill District on December 22, 1845. The county was named
after President James Knox Polk and originally included the entire southwestern
portion of present day Oregon to the California border. County boundaries were
periodically changed to reflect the creation of Benton and Lincoln Counties.
Polk County today contains 745 square miles and stretches from the Willamette
River on the east to the Coast Range on the west. It is bordered by Yamhill,
Lincoln, Benton, and Marion Counties.
The first county seat was a settlement on the north side of Rickreall Creek
named Cynthian (also known as Cynthia Ann). In 1852 city officials changed the
name to Dallas after Vice President George M. Dallas. By 1856, the lack of an
adequate source of drinking water compelled the town to move more than a mile to
the south. During the 1880s and 1890s, Dallas withstood efforts to move the
county seat to nearby Independence.
Three courthouses have served Polk County. The first was built in Cynthian in
1851 but was dismantled when the town was moved. Soon thereafter the county
built a second courthouse in Dallas, but it was destroyed by fire in 1898.
Construction of the present courthouse began the same year and was completed in
1900. In 1966 the county completed a three-story annex. Further expansion
occurred in 1989 when the Polk County Human Services Department was consolidated
in the newly acquired Academy Building.
For over a century, Polk County was governed by a county court. By the early
1960s the county court had ceased to exercise judicial power and was renamed the
board of commissioners. The board of commissioners acts as the governing body
for the county and is responsible for county administration, management, and
policy.
Polk County's 2000 population of 62,380 represented an increase of 25.92% over
1990.
The major industries of the county are agriculture, forest products,
manufacturing, and education. Western Oregon University is located in Monmouth.
Neighboring Counties:
Cities and Towns:
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- Dallas
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Falls City |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Independence |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Monmouth |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Salem |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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