Halfway, Oregon

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Halfway, Oregon
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =


imagesize =
image_caption =


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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location in Oregon


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Oregon
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Baker
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Gordon Kaesemeyer
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = 1909
area_magnitude =
area_total_sq_mi = 0.4
area_total_km2 = 1.1
area_land_sq_mi = 0.4
area_land_km2 = 1.1
area_water_sq_mi = 0
area_water_km2 = 0
area_urban_sq_mi =
area_urban_km2 =
area_metro_sq_mi =
area_metro_km2 =
population_as_of = 2000
population_note =
population_total = 337
population_metro =
population_urban =
population_density_km2 = 302.6
population_density_sq_mi = 789.5
timezone = Pacific
utc_offset = -8
timezone_DST = Pacific
utc_offset_DST = -7
latd = 44 |latm = 52 |lats = 42 |latNS = N
longd = 117 |longm = 6 |longs = 38 |longEW = W
elevation_m = 808.02
elevation_ft = 2651
website =
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 97834
area_code = 541
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 41-31650GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1143208GR|3
footnotes =

Halfway is a city in Baker County, Oregon, United States. This town took its name from the fact that the post office, located on the Alexander Stalker ranch, was halfway between Pine and Cornucopia. The population was 337 at the 2000 census.

History

The area was originally used as hunting territory by the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Shoshone and Snake Indian tribes.

It was explored and mapped by Benjamin Bonneville in the 1830s, and first settled by white people in the 1860s. The smaller national forests now combined into the local Wallowa-Whitman National Forest were created in 1908. Halfway was incorporated in 1909.

The town has always been primarily a farming and ranching community. There was a small gold rush to nearby Cornucopia, now a ghost town, and some timber industry in the early 20th century. Major employer the Idaho Power Company now operates three hydroelectric dams on the Snake River.

Halfway earned a place in the history of the dot-com experience when it received, and accepted in December 1999, an offer to rename itself Half.com, Oregon in exchange for $100,000, computers for the school, and other financial subsidies. Since the company half.com was bought by eBay in February 2001, it has not been made clear whether eBay would honor the numerous financial considerations.

The financial conditions that led to the city accepting half.com's offer returned in 2004, when the company owning a promissary note secured by its fairgrounds and improvements demanded payment of over $530,000. Foreclosure of the 83-year-old fairgrounds would endanger the future of the yearly Baker County Fair and the annual rodeo.

Geography

Halfway is located at coor dms|44|52|42|N|117|6|38|W|city (44.878209, -117.110659).GR|1 By highway, it is convert|54|mi|km east of Baker City, along Oregon Route 86. [cite map
publisher = Rand McNally
title = The Road Atlas
url =
edition = 2008
section = Oregon
accessdate = ]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

of any race were 2.08% of the population.

There were 159 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.3% were non-families. 39.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 24.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $17,212, and the median income for a family was $27,813. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $13,194 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,997. About 24.5% of families and 28.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.2% of those under age 18 and 29.5% of those age 65 or over.

References

* [http://town.half.com/index.htm Half.com Town website]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20050315121419/http://www.pinetel.com/~half/change.htm About the name change]
* [http://www.clickz.com/news/article.php/748551 Half.com gimmicks]
* [http://www.designobserver.com/archives/017370.html What Ever Happened to Half.com, Oregon?]

External links

* [http://bluebook.state.or.us/local/cities/ek/halfway.htm Oregon Blue Book listing for Halfway]