Morrow County is a county in Oregon, United States, on the south bank of the Columbia River in the north-central part of the state. It had a population of 12,186 at the 2020 census and covers 2,032 square miles (5,260 km2) of land, centred near 45°25′N 119°34′W.
Heppner is the county seat and its postal code is 97836. The county has 5 incorporated cities and 10 unincorporated communities. Oregon counties have no civil townships. Morrow County is in the Pacific time zone.
Towns & Villages in Morrow County
Morrow County has 5 incorporated cities and roughly a dozen unincorporated places, mostly small farm and rail settlements along U.S. 30 and the Heppner Branch rail line. Unincorporated communities have no local ZIP of their own and are served by the nearest post office town below.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boardman | City | 3,828 | 97818 |
| Heppner | City · seat | 1,187 | 97836 |
| Irrigon | City | — | 97844 |
| Ione | City | — | 97843 |
| Lexington | City | — | 97839 |
| Cecil | Unincorp. | — | 97843 |
| Clarke | Unincorp. | — | 97836 |
| Eightmile | Unincorp. | — | 97836 |
| Ella | Unincorp. | — | 97836 |
| Gooseberry | Unincorp. | — | 97836 |
| Lena | Unincorp. | — | 97836 |
| Morgan | Unincorp. | — | 97836 |
| Pine City | Unincorp. | — | 97818 |
| Ruggs | Unincorp. | — | 97839 |
| Valby | Unincorp. | — | 97836 |
Two 19th-century settlements, Castle Rock and Hardman, were once mapped in the county’s interior hill country but no longer function as populated places.
ZIP Codes
- 97818 — Boardman (also serves Pine City)
- 97836 — Heppner (also serves Clarke, Eightmile, Ella, Gooseberry, Lena, Morgan, Valby)
- 97843 — Ione (also serves Cecil)
- 97839 — Lexington (also serves Ruggs)
- 97844 — Irrigon
Morrow County has five delivery ZIP codes in total, one per incorporated city; every unincorporated community shares the code of its nearest post office town.
Geography
Morrow County stretches from the Columbia River in the north across wheat-farming plateau to forested canyon country in the south, where Ruggs and Eightmile sit near the headwaters of Willow Creek and the Rock Creek drainage. The Columbia forms the county’s entire northern boundary, and Willow Creek, which floods destructively on occasion, runs south to north through Heppner toward the river.
Morrow County borders Gilliam County to the west, Wheeler County to the southwest, Grant County to the south, and Umatilla County to the east. Across the Columbia River to the north lie Benton County and Klickitat County, Washington.
Demographics
Morrow County had 12,186 residents at the 2020 census, a density of about 6 people per square mile across its 2,032 land square miles — among the more sparsely populated counties in the state. Boardman, with 3,828 residents, is the county’s largest city; Heppner, the county seat, has 1,187. Median household income in the county runs below the Oregon median of $80,160, reflecting the county’s agricultural and light-industrial economic base.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture (wheat, cattle, and irrigated row crops), food processing, and logistics anchor the county economy. The Port of Morrow at Boardman, Oregon’s second-largest port by tonnage, hosts grain terminals, food-processing plants, and data-center and power-generation facilities; Lamb Weston’s potato-processing plant is among the area’s largest employers. In the county’s southern hill country, dryland wheat farming and cattle ranching remain the mainstay around Heppner, Lexington, and Ione.
History
Morrow County was organized on February 16, 1885, carved from parts of Umatilla and Wasco counties, and named for Jackson L. Morrow, an early settler and Oregon state legislator. On June 14, 1903, a flash flood tore through Heppner after a cloudburst on Willow Creek, killing roughly 238 people — still Oregon’s deadliest natural disaster. The Willow Creek Dam, completed in 1983 above Heppner, was built to prevent a repeat.
Getting There
Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 30 run along the Columbia River through the northern part of the county, serving Boardman and Irrigon; Oregon Routes 74, 206, and 207 connect the river towns to Heppner, Lexington, and Ione in the interior.
- Hermiston — about 25 miles east of Boardman
- Pendleton — roughly 60 miles from Heppner
- The Dalles — about 85 miles west of Boardman via I-84
- Portland — about 164 miles west of Boardman
The nearest commercial airport is Eastern Oregon Regional Airport in Pendleton.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Morrow County, Oregon?
It is in north-central Oregon, on the south bank of the Columbia River between Gilliam and Umatilla counties.
What is the population of Morrow County?
12,186 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Morrow County?
2,032 square miles of land (5,260 km2), plus 17 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Morrow County?
Heppner is the county seat.
How many towns are in Morrow County?
Five incorporated cities — Boardman, Heppner, Ione, Irrigon, and Lexington — plus about ten unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Morrow County?
97818 (Boardman), 97836 (Heppner), 97839 (Lexington), 97843 (Ione), and 97844 (Irrigon).
What happened in Heppner in 1903?
A flash flood on Willow Creek killed about 238 people, the deadliest natural disaster in Oregon’s history.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Oregon.