Harney County | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 43°04′N 118°58′W / 43.07°N 118.97°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Oregon |
Founded | February 23, 1889 |
Named for | William S. Harney |
Seat | Burns |
Largest city | Burns |
Area | |
• Total | 10,226 sq mi (26,490 km2) |
• Land | 10,133 sq mi (26,240 km2) |
• Water | 93 sq mi (240 km2) 0.9% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,495 |
• Estimate (2023) | 7,440 |
• Density | 0.7/sq mi (0.3/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
Congressional district | 2nd |
Website | www |
Harney County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,495,[1] making it the sixth-least populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Burns.[2] Established in 1889, the county is named in honor of William S. Harney, a military officer of the period, who was involved in the Pig War and popular in the Pacific Northwest.
Harney County is a rural county in southeastern Oregon.[3][4] It is a five-hour drive from Portland, Oregon[3] and a three-hour drive from Boise, Idaho. The county is bordered by Grant County (to the north), Malheur County (to the east); Washoe County, Nevada and Humboldt County, Nevada (to the south); and Lake, Deschutes, and Crook counties (to the west).[4]
At 10,226 square miles (26,490 km2) in size, the county is the largest in Oregon, and one of the largest in the United States; it is larger in area than six U.S. states.[3][4] The county is the most sparsely populated in Oregon, with a population density of 0.72 per square mile (0.28/km2). The county has just two incorporated cities: Burns, the county seat and the larger city, with 40 percent of the population, and Hines, with 20 percent of the county's population.[4] About 75 percent of the county's area is federal land,[3] variously managed by the Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service.[5] About 10 percent of Harney County's area is part of the Ochoco National Forest and Malheur National Forest.[3] The county also contains the Burns Paiute Indian Reservation within and immediately north of the City of Burns; this 760-acres reservation of the Burns Paiute Tribe is a remnant of the former Malheur Indian Reservation.[4][5][6]
Harney County has a "high desert" topography, with low levels of precipitation.[3] About 500 ranches and farms producing cattle, dairy products and hay operate within the county; in the county, cattle outnumber people 14-to-1.[3] Besides ranching and farming, forestry evolves important industries in the county.[4]
The county is of ecological as well as recreational importance. Along with neighboring Grant County, Harney County has the nation's largest Ponderosa pine forest.[4] The county was also a focus of recent efforts to conserve the sage grouse; in 2014, Harney County ranchers signed 30-year agreements with the federal government to protect the sage grouse.[3] Visitors are attracted to the county for its hunting, fishing, and camping activities.[4]
According to the website of the Harney County Sheriff's Office, the sheriff has a staff of six law enforcement officers.[7] [failed verification] Burns has a separate police department but, as of 2008, did not employ enough officers to provide "24-hour" coverage.[8]