{"id":7167,"date":"2023-08-27T06:17:39","date_gmt":"2023-08-27T06:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=7167"},"modified":"2026-08-11T21:32:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T21:32:51","slug":"klamath-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/klamath-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Klamath County, Oregon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Klamath County is a county in Oregon, United States, in the south-central part of the state,<br \/>\nabout 78 miles east of Medford. It had a population of 69,413 at the 2020 census, an estimated<br \/>\n70,274 by 2025, and covers 6,136 square miles (15,890 km2) centred near 42\u00b041\u2032N 121\u00b039\u2032W.<\/p>\n<p>Klamath Falls is the county seat and its largest city; its postal code is 97601. The county<br \/>\nholds 5 incorporated cities, 15 census-designated places and roughly 30 smaller unincorporated<br \/>\ncommunities, and it runs on Pacific Time. Its FIPS code is 41035.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Klamath County<\/h2>\n<p>Klamath County is Oregon&#8217;s fourth-largest county by land area but one of its more thinly<br \/>\nsettled ones. It has 5 incorporated cities and 15 census-designated places (CDPs), plus dozens of<br \/>\nunincorporated crossroads and rural communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands<br \/>\nfor census designated place; Unincorp. covers communities the Census Bureau has not mapped as a<br \/>\nCDP. The table below lists all 5 incorporated cities first, then the 12 CDPs and unincorporated<br \/>\nplaces with 2020 census data on record.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Klamath Falls<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>21,813<\/td>\n<td>97601<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Merrill<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>821<\/td>\n<td>97633<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Chiloquin<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>767<\/td>\n<td>97624<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Malin<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>731<\/td>\n<td>97632<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bonanza<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>404<\/td>\n<td>97623<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Altamont, an unincorporated CDP wrapped around Klamath Falls&#8217;s south and east sides, is the<br \/>\ncounty&#8217;s second-largest community by population but has never incorporated as its own city &mdash;<br \/>\nits residents use Klamath Falls mailing addresses. Twelve more CDPs and unincorporated communities<br \/>\nhave 2020 population figures on record; three smaller CDPs (Beaver Marsh, Falcon Heights and<br \/>\nOregon Shores) and roughly 30 other named crossroads have no published count.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Altamont<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>20,233<\/td>\n<td>97601<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Keno<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>1,980<\/td>\n<td>97627<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Running Y Ranch<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>858<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Crescent<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>412<\/td>\n<td>97733<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Rocky Point<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>310<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Gilchrist<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>216<\/td>\n<td>97737<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bly<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>207<\/td>\n<td>97622<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Crescent Lake<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>119<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sprague River<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>80<\/td>\n<td>97639<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Chemult<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>79<\/td>\n<td>97731<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Beatty<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>60<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Fort Klamath<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>43<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>97601 &mdash; Klamath Falls (also serves 97603, and covers Altamont and Running Y Ranch)<\/li>\n<li>97627 &mdash; Keno<\/li>\n<li>97733 &mdash; Crescent<\/li>\n<li>97731 &mdash; Chemult<\/li>\n<li>97737 &mdash; Gilchrist<\/li>\n<li>97622 &mdash; Bly<\/li>\n<li>97639 &mdash; Sprague River<\/li>\n<li>97624 &mdash; Chiloquin (also serves 97604)<\/li>\n<li>97632 &mdash; Malin<\/li>\n<li>97633 &mdash; Merrill<\/li>\n<li>97623 &mdash; Bonanza<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Rocky Point, Crescent Lake, Beatty and Fort Klamath have no post office or ZIP code of their<br \/>\nown; mail there is delivered under the nearest incorporated town&#8217;s code.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Klamath County straddles the line between the Cascade Range and Oregon&#8217;s high desert basin<br \/>\ncountry. Of its 6,136 square miles, 5,941 are land and 194 are water, about 3.2 percent &mdash;<br \/>\nhigh for Oregon, mostly accounted for by Upper Klamath Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Oregon<br \/>\nby surface area, which drains north-to-south through the Link River into the Klamath River at<br \/>\nKlamath Falls. Crater Lake National Park, Oregon&#8217;s only national park, sits largely within the<br \/>\ncounty&#8217;s northwestern corner. Klamath Falls, Chiloquin and Fort Klamath all lie along the<br \/>\nKlamath Basin&#8217;s chain of lakes and marshes; the county&#8217;s eastern half, around Bly and Beatty,<br \/>\nrises into the drier Fremont National Forest highlands.<\/p>\n<p>Deschutes County borders Klamath to the north, Lake County to the east, Siskiyou County and<br \/>\nModoc County in California to the south, Jackson County to the west, and Douglas County and Lane<br \/>\nCounty to the northwest. <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/deschutes-county\/\">Deschutes<br \/>\nCounty<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/lake-county-oregon\/\">Lake County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/siskiyou-county\/\">Siskiyou County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/modoc-county\/\">Modoc County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/jackson-county-oregon\/\">Jackson County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/douglas-county-oregon\/\">Douglas County<\/a> and <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/lane-county-oregon\/\">Lane County<\/a> all border Klamath<br \/>\ndirectly.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Klamath County had a population of 69,413 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the<br \/>\ncounty near 70,274 residents. Klamath Falls and Altamont, its unincorporated southern suburb,<br \/>\ntogether account for well over half the county&#8217;s population. Median household income runs about<br \/>\n$58,830, well below Oregon&#8217;s statewide figure of $80,160 under the 2023 ACS. Population density<br \/>\nworks out to roughly 12 people per square mile of land, low even by Oregon standards outside the<br \/>\nWillamette Valley, reflecting the county&#8217;s vast, sparsely settled Cascade and high-desert<br \/>\nbackcountry.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Health care and social assistance is the county&#8217;s largest employment sector, with about 4,184<br \/>\nworkers, followed by retail trade at 3,688 and educational services at 2,880. Sky Lakes Medical<br \/>\nCenter, based in Klamath Falls, is the county&#8217;s largest single employer and its regional hospital.<br \/>\nThe Klamath County School District and Jeld-Wen, the door and window manufacturer founded in<br \/>\nKlamath Falls, are also major employers. Timber and agriculture, especially potatoes, alfalfa and<br \/>\ncattle, built the county&#8217;s early economy and still anchor its rural towns; Merrill, in the<br \/>\nirrigated Lost River farming district, hosts an annual Potato Festival celebrating that crop.<br \/>\nTourism centers on Crater Lake National Park and the Klamath Basin&#8217;s lakes and wildlife refuges,<br \/>\nwhich draw anglers and birdwatchers to Rocky Point and the Upper Klamath Lake shoreline.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>The Oregon legislature organized Klamath County on 17 October 1882, named for the Klamath<br \/>\npeople, whose reservation and treaty lands cover much of the eastern county. In 1872, a dispute<br \/>\nover forcing a Modoc band under Kintpuash, known as Captain Jack, back onto the Klamath<br \/>\nreservation broke into gunfire near the Lost River outside present-day Merrill, opening the Modoc<br \/>\nWar, which pushed the Modoc into lava-bed strongholds across the California line. The early 1900s<br \/>\nbrought the railroad and the federal Klamath Irrigation Project, which converted roughly 188,000<br \/>\nacres of former lakebed into farmland and set the pattern of water disputes between farmers and<br \/>\nfish and wildlife interests that still shapes the Klamath Basin today. On 5 May 1945, a Japanese<br \/>\nballoon bomb exploded near Bly, killing a minister&#8217;s wife and five children who had found it on a<br \/>\npicnic &mdash; the only fatalities from enemy action on the U.S. mainland during World War II.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>U.S. Route 97 runs north&ndash;south through the county past Klamath Falls, Chemult, Crescent<br \/>\nand Gilchrist, and is the main route toward Bend. Oregon Route 39 runs from Klamath Falls south to<br \/>\nMerrill and the California line. Oregon Route 140 crosses the county east&ndash;west through<br \/>\nKlamath Falls and Bly, and Oregon Route 62 links Klamath Falls to Fort Klamath and Crater Lake&#8217;s<br \/>\nsouth entrance. No interstate highway crosses the county.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Medford &mdash; about 78 miles west<\/li>\n<li>Chiloquin &mdash; about 26 miles north of Klamath Falls<\/li>\n<li>Merrill &mdash; about 20 miles southeast of Klamath Falls<\/li>\n<li>Bonanza &mdash; about 21 miles southeast of Klamath Falls<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Crater Lake\u2013Klamath Regional Airport, six miles south of downtown Klamath Falls, offers limited<br \/>\ncommercial service; Rogue Valley International&ndash;Medford Airport, 78 miles west, is the<br \/>\nnearest larger commercial hub. Amtrak&#8217;s Coast Starlight stops daily at the Klamath Falls station<br \/>\nand at Chemult, connecting Seattle and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Klamath County located?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt sits in south-central Oregon, about 78 miles east of Medford, bordered by Deschutes, Lake,<br \/>\nSiskiyou, Modoc, Jackson, Douglas and Lane counties.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Klamath County?<\/strong><br \/>\n69,413 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 70,274.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Klamath County?<\/strong><br \/>\n6,136 square miles (15,890 km2), of which 5,941 square miles are land, making it Oregon&#8217;s<br \/>\nfourth-largest county by area.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Klamath County?<\/strong><br \/>\nKlamath Falls, organized as the county seat when the county was formed in 1882, is also the<br \/>\ncounty&#8217;s largest city.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns and cities are in Klamath County?<\/strong><br \/>\nFive incorporated cities &mdash; Klamath Falls, Merrill, Chiloquin, Malin and Bonanza &mdash; plus<br \/>\n15 census-designated places and roughly 30 smaller unincorporated communities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes does Klamath County use?<\/strong><br \/>\n97601 and 97603 for Klamath Falls and Altamont; 97624 and 97604 for Chiloquin; 97632 for Malin;<br \/>\n97633 for Merrill; 97623 for Bonanza; plus 97627 (Keno), 97731 (Chemult), 97733 (Crescent), 97737<br \/>\n(Gilchrist), 97622 (Bly) and 97639 (Sprague River).<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Klamath County known for?<\/strong><br \/>\nCrater Lake National Park, Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath Basin&#8217;s fishing and birdwatching,<br \/>\nand the Klamath Irrigation Project that turned former lakebed into farmland in the early 1900s.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/oregon\/\">Towns and<br \/>\nvillages in Oregon<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Klamath County is a county in Oregon, United States, in the south-central part of the state, about 78 miles east of Medford. It had a population of 69,413 at the 2020 census, an estimated 70,274 by 2025, and covers 6,136 square miles (15,890 km2) centred near 42\u00b041\u2032N 121\u00b039\u2032W. Klamath Falls is the county seat and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Klamath County, Oregon","_seopress_titles_desc":"All 5 cities and 17 CDPs and communities in Klamath County, Oregon - type, population and ZIP code for each, plus Crater Lake and Klamath Basin history.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-7167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-oregon","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7167"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9692,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7167\/revisions\/9692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}