Government Camp, Oregon
Government Camp is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, on the base of Mount Hood and north of Tom Dick and Harry Mountain. It is the only town within 5 miles (8 km) of Mount Hood and therefore is the de facto "mountain town" or "ski town". It is the gateway to several ski resorts, with the most popular being Timberline Lodge and Mount Hood Skibowl. Government Camp also has its own, smaller ski resort, Summit Pass.
Government Camp, Oregon | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Center of business district in Government Camp | |
  Government Camp Location within the state of Oregon  Government Camp Government Camp (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 45°18′15″N 121°45′24″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Clackamas |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.75 sq mi (1.94 km2) |
| • Land | 0.75 sq mi (1.94 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,914 ft (1,193 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 179 |
| • Density | 239.63/sq mi (92.46/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 97028 |
| FIPS code | 41-30250 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1162594 |
The community is located within the Mount Hood Corridor on U.S. Route 26 (the Mount Hood Highway), near its intersection with Oregon Route 35 and the Barlow Pass summit of the Cascade Range. As of the 2010 census, the community had a population of 193.[3] The government's 2016 estimate indicated a population of 121 persons.[4]
History
Government Camp was given its name by settlers traveling the Barlow Road, who discovered several wagons abandoned there by the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen. A sign in front of the town's post office states, "Formerly a camp on the old Barlow Road, the village was named in 1849 when U.S Cavalry troops were forced to abandon wagons and supplies here."
Government
Over the last decade, Government Camp went through a revitalization effort due to a Clackamas County urban renewal district. With that district expiring in 2007, the community had been looking at ways to maintain current services. At a town hall meeting on November 17, 2006, citizens voted 41–58 not to form a village.[6] Many residents voted against the proposal in order to seek incorporation.[7] In May 2010, residents of the community voted on incorporation,[8] but the measure failed by a vote of 48 against incorporation and 35 in favor of incorporation.[9] Had the city been formed, the city would have had 138 registered voters within the city limits at the time of formation.[6]
.jpg.webp)
Battle Axe Inn at Government Camp, 1927
Post office at Government Camp with a sign describing its naming
Climate
Government Camp's climate is borderline between the dry summer version of a humid continental climate and the extremely rare dry summer versions of a subarctic climate and subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen classification Dsb, Dsc, or Csc), with cool, dry summers and cold, very wet winters with huge snowfall due to the powerful Aleutian Low.
| Climate data for Government Camp, Oregon (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 70 (21) |
69 (21) |
70 (21) |
80 (27) |
93 (34) |
98 (37) |
99 (37) |
105 (41) |
94 (34) |
83 (28) |
70 (21) |
65 (18) |
105 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 54.0 (12.2) |
52.8 (11.6) |
58.2 (14.6) |
66.1 (18.9) |
74.6 (23.7) |
79.6 (26.4) |
85.7 (29.8) |
87.0 (30.6) |
82.8 (28.2) |
72.2 (22.3) |
59.3 (15.2) |
49.3 (9.6) |
89.0 (31.7) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 37.1 (2.8) |
37.8 (3.2) |
41.0 (5.0) |
45.1 (7.3) |
53.7 (12.1) |
59.3 (15.2) |
69.2 (20.7) |
70.3 (21.3) |
64.2 (17.9) |
52.7 (11.5) |
41.5 (5.3) |
35.3 (1.8) |
50.6 (10.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 31.8 (−0.1) |
32.0 (0.0) |
34.5 (1.4) |
37.8 (3.2) |
44.9 (7.2) |
50.2 (10.1) |
58.4 (14.7) |
59.3 (15.2) |
54.4 (12.4) |
44.9 (7.2) |
35.9 (2.2) |
30.5 (−0.8) |
42.9 (6.1) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 26.4 (−3.1) |
26.1 (−3.3) |
28.1 (−2.2) |
30.5 (−0.8) |
36.1 (2.3) |
41.2 (5.1) |
47.5 (8.6) |
48.4 (9.1) |
44.6 (7.0) |
37.2 (2.9) |
30.4 (−0.9) |
25.7 (−3.5) |
35.2 (1.8) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 12.2 (−11.0) |
13.7 (−10.2) |
18.8 (−7.3) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
32.8 (0.4) |
37.8 (3.2) |
38.4 (3.6) |
33.0 (0.6) |
25.3 (−3.7) |
19.0 (−7.2) |
12.5 (−10.8) |
6.6 (−14.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −8 (−22) |
−13 (−25) |
1 (−17) |
12 (−11) |
18 (−8) |
23 (−5) |
29 (−2) |
32 (0) |
23 (−5) |
10 (−12) |
−4 (−20) |
−12 (−24) |
−13 (−25) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 12.61 (320) |
9.64 (245) |
9.41 (239) |
7.78 (198) |
5.75 (146) |
4.01 (102) |
0.88 (22) |
1.09 (28) |
3.06 (78) |
8.42 (214) |
12.69 (322) |
14.43 (367) |
89.77 (2,280) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 48.8 (124) |
39.5 (100) |
35.6 (90) |
17.6 (45) |
4.2 (11) |
0.6 (1.5) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
3.8 (9.7) |
30.6 (78) |
51.6 (131) |
232.5 (591) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 20.2 | 17.4 | 19.9 | 18.7 | 14.3 | 10.6 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 7.4 | 13.1 | 18.7 | 21.0 | 169.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 10.1 | 9.4 | 9.2 | 6.6 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 7.1 | 12.1 | 58.3 |
| Source: NOAA[10][11] | |||||||||||||
See also
- Mount Hood Village, Oregon, a census-designated place
- Village (Oregon)
- Zigzag Mountain
References
- "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Government Camp CDP, Oregon". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
- "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- Guibord, Garth (May 25, 2010). "Government Camp voters reject new city". The Sandy Post. Pamplin Media Group. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- Government Camp voters reject village proposal Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine SandyPost.com
- Tims, Dana (May 1, 2010). "Government Camp voters will decide whether to incorporate". The Oregonian. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
- "Government Camp incorporation measure fails". The Oregonian. May 19, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
- "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Government Camp, OR". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
External links
- Government Camp Village from the Clackamas County Dep't of Transportation and Development
- Mt Hood Cultural Center & Museum
- Webcam of U.S. 26 road conditions near Government Camp, from Oregon Department of Transportation
Municipalities and communities of Clackamas County, Oregon, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  Clackamas County map | |
| Hamlets | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities |
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| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |