Columbia County is a county in Oregon, United States, along the south bank of the Columbia River northwest of Portland. It had a population of 52,589 at the 2020 census and covers 688 square miles (1,780 km2), of which 657 square miles are land and 31 square miles are water, centred near 45\u00b057\u2032N 123\u00b005\u2032W.<\/p>\n
St. Helens is the county seat, and its postal code is 97051. The county has 7 incorporated cities, 2 census-designated places, and more than 30 unincorporated communities. Oregon has no civil townships, so places here are organized directly under the county. Columbia County is in the Pacific time zone.<\/p>\n
Columbia County’s roughly 40 named places range from St. Helens, the county’s largest city, down to single-crossroads communities left over from the 19th-century logging and river-boat era. The table below marks incorporated cities, the two census-designated places (CDP), and unincorporated communities (Unincorp.) that have no municipal government of their own.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Helens<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97051<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Scappoose<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97056<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Clatskanie<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97016<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Vernonia<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97064<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Rainier<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97048<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Columbia City<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97051<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Prescott<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97051<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Deer Island<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97054<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Warren<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97051<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Alston<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Apiary<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Beaver Homes<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Beaver Springs<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Birkenfeld<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Canaan<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Chapman<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Chapman Landing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Clatskanie Heights<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Clear Creek<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Columbia Heights<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Corey Hill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Delena<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Goble<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Inglis<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Johnson Crossing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Keasey<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Kerry<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lindbergh<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Marshland<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mayger<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| McNulty<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mist<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Neverstill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pittsburg<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Quincy<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Reuben<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| South Scappoose<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Spitzenberg<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Treharne<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Trenholm<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| West Saint Helens<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Woodson<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Yankton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Columbia City and Prescott are both small, older river towns sandwiched directly against St. Helens and share its 97051 ZIP delivery area; despite the shared address they remain separately incorporated cities with their own city councils.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nThe smaller unincorporated communities scattered through the interior use the ZIP of whichever post town is closest along the county road network, rather than one of their own.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nColumbia County sits between the Columbia River lowlands, along its northern and eastern edge, and the forested foothills of the Coast Range, which cover most of the county’s interior. The Nehalem River rises in the Coast Range and drains the southern and western part of the county on its way to the Pacific, and Scappoose Bay and several sloughs line the Columbia River shoreline around Scappoose and Deer Island.<\/p>\n The Columbia River itself forms the county’s northern and eastern boundary, so three of its six neighbors are across the water in Washington state: Wahkiakum County, Washington<\/a> to the northwest, Cowlitz County, Washington<\/a> to the northeast, and Clark County, Washington<\/a> to the east. On the Oregon side, Multnomah County<\/a> lies to the southeast, Washington County<\/a> to the south, and Clatsop County<\/a> to the west.<\/p>\n Columbia County’s population was 52,589 at the 2020 census, a density of about 80 people per square mile. St. Helens and Scappoose are by far the county’s largest communities, together holding roughly a third of the county’s residents. Household income runs below the Oregon median of $80,160, reflecting the county’s mix of timber, agricultural and commuter-worker households.<\/p>\n Wood-products and paper manufacturing have anchored the county’s economy since the 19th century, alongside trade, construction and small-scale horticulture in the Scappoose and Warren bottomlands. Roughly half the county’s workers commute into Portland and the wider metro area for work, and the CC Rider transit system connects St. Helens, Scappoose and Warren to TriMet’s Portland-area network.<\/p>\n Columbia County was created on January 16, 1854, carved from the northern half of Washington County, and takes its name from the Columbia River that forms its northern and eastern border. In December 2007, the Nehalem River flooded and inundated much of Vernonia, one of the more severe floods in the county’s modern history.<\/p>\n US Route 30 runs the length of the county along the Columbia River, linking St. Helens, Columbia City, Rainier and Clatskanie to Portland, and US Route 26 crosses the southern part of the county toward Vernonia and the coast.<\/p>\n The nearest commercial airport is Portland International Airport (PDX), about 30 miles southeast of St. Helens.<\/p>\n Where is Columbia County, Oregon?<\/strong> What is the population of Columbia County?<\/strong> How big is Columbia County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Columbia County?<\/strong> How many towns are in Columbia County?<\/strong> |