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 Ski Area.

Government Camp, Oregon
Census-designated place
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
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyClackamas
Area
 • Total0.75 sq mi (1.94 km2)
 • Land0.75 sq mi (1.94 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation
3,914 ft (1,193 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total193
 • Density258/sq mi (99.6/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
97028
FIPS code41-30250
GNIS feature ID1162594

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.[1] The government's 2016 estimate indicated a population of 121 persons.[2]

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.[3] Many residents voted against the proposal in order to seek incorporation.[4] In May 2010, residents of the community voted on incorporation,[5] but the measure failed by a vote of 48 against incorporation and 35 in favor of incorporation.[6] Had the city been formed, the city would have had 138 registered voters within the city limits at the time of formation.[3]

  • 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 1951-2005 Government Camp, Oregon
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 35.6
(2.0)		 38.4
(3.6)		 40.7
(4.8)		 45.3
(7.4)		 52.8
(11.6)		 59.4
(15.2)		 68.2
(20.1)		 68.3
(20.2)		 63.2
(17.3)		 53.7
(12.1)		 41.3
(5.2)		 36.6
(2.6)		 50.3
(10.2)
Daily mean °F (°C) 29.9
(−1.2)		 31.9
(−0.1)		 33.8
(1.0)		 37.6
(3.1)		 43.9
(6.6)		 50.0
(10.0)		 57.1
(13.9)		 57.3
(14.1)		 52.8
(11.6)		 45.0
(7.2)		 35.3
(1.8)		 30.9
(−0.6)		 42.1
(5.6)
Average low °F (°C) 24.1
(−4.4)		 25.4
(−3.7)		 26.9
(−2.8)		 29.9
(−1.2)		 35.0
(1.7)		 40.6
(4.8)		 45.9
(7.7)		 46.2
(7.9)		 42.4
(5.8)		 36.2
(2.3)		 29.2
(−1.6)		 25.2
(−3.8)		 33.9
(1.1)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 13.19
(335)		 9.64
(245)		 8.94
(227)		 7.24
(184)		 5.27
(134)		 3.88
(99)		 1.11
(28)		 1.63
(41)		 3.49
(89)		 7.05
(179)		 11.87
(301)		 13.79
(350)		 87.10
(2,212)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 58.8
(149)		 41.5
(105)		 46.6
(118)		 25.1
(64)		 6.9
(18)		 0.6
(1.5)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.2
(0.51)		 5.5
(14)		 31.3
(80)		 50.6
(129)		 267.1
(678)
Source: The Western Regional Climate Center[7]

See also

References
  1. "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.
  2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  3. Guibord, Garth (May 25, 2010). "Government Camp voters reject new city". The Sandy Post. Pamplin Media Group. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  4. Government Camp voters reject village proposal Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine SandyPost.com
  5. Tims, Dana (May 1, 2010). "Government Camp voters will decide whether to incorporate". The Oregonian. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  6. "Government Camp incorporation measure fails". The Oregonian. May 19, 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  7. "Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
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