Lake County is a county in Oregon, United States, on the high desert plateau of the state’s south-central interior, bordering California and Nevada. It had a population of 8,160 at the 2020 census and covers 8,358 square miles (21,650 km2) — making it Oregon’s third-largest county by area — centred near 42°47′N 120°23′W.<\/p>\n
Lakeview is the county seat, and its postal code is 97630. The county has 2 incorporated cities, 3 census-designated places, and a scatter of unincorporated communities, and it observes Pacific time.<\/p>\n
Lake County has just 2 incorporated cities — Lakeview and Paisley — alongside three census-designated places and several smaller unincorporated communities spread across a vast, sparsely populated landscape. “Unincorp.” below means the place has no municipal government of its own.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeview<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | 2,474<\/td>\n | 97630<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Paisley<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97636<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| New Pine Creek<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97635<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Plush<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97637<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Silver Lake<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97638<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Adel<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97620<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Christmas Valley<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97641<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fort Rock<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97735<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Summer Lake<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 97640<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Quartz Mountain<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Valley Falls<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| West Side<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Blaisdell<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Five Corners<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Lakeview is by far the largest place, home to roughly a third of the county’s residents; everywhere else in Lake County is a small ranching or crossroads community, some little more than a post office and a handful of houses.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nQuartz Mountain, Valley Falls, West Side, Blaisdell, and Five Corners have no ZIP code of their own and are served by the nearest listed post office town.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nLake County sits on Oregon’s high desert plateau, a landscape of fault-block ranges, dry lakebeds, and sagebrush steppe roughly a mile above sea level. Its namesake lakes — Lake Abert, Summer Lake, Hart Lake, and Goose Lake — are mostly shallow, alkaline remnants of a much larger Ice Age lake system, and the Fremont-Winema National Forest covers much of the county’s western and central uplands. Of the county’s total area, 8,139 square miles are land and 219 square miles (2.6%) are water.<\/p>\n Lake County borders Deschutes County to the north, Harney County to the east, Klamath County to the west, and crosses the state line to Modoc County, California, and Washoe County, Nevada, to the south.<\/p>\n Demographics<\/h2>\nLake County had 8,160 residents at the 2020 census, making it one of Oregon’s least populous counties despite its enormous land area — a density of under 1 person per square mile. Lakeview and Christmas Valley are the two largest population centers. Median household income in the county runs well below the Oregon median of $80,160, reflecting its remote, resource-dependent economy.<\/p>\n Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\nRanching, dry-land agriculture, and timber have long anchored Lake County’s economy, though only one sawmill still operates in the county today. Government employment (county, state, and federal land-management agencies) is a major source of jobs, and geothermal energy and outdoor tourism — centered on Fort Rock, Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, Summer Lake’s hot springs, and some of the darkest night skies in the contiguous United States — have become a growing part of the local economy.<\/p>\n History<\/h2>\nLake County was created on October 24, 1874, from parts of Jackson and Wasco counties. It takes its name from the many lakes within its borders, including Lake Abert, Summer Lake, Hart Lake, and Goose Lake. Lakeview, established as the county seat, grew up around the region’s ranching trade and later became a hub for the timber industry that shaped the county through much of the 20th century.<\/p>\n Getting There<\/h2>\nU.S. Route 395 runs north–south through Lakeview, and Oregon Route 31 connects the county to Bend and central Oregon via Silver Lake and Christmas Valley.<\/p>\n
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