Clackamas

Formed July 5, 1843 (1^st county)

Clackamas County (421,404), Oregon City (37,580), Lake Oswego (40,800)

The red brick Art Deco structure was constructed in 1937.  It sits at the intersection of Main and 8^th streets.  Oregon State Highway 99 East is one block to the northwest of the location.  F. Marion Stokes provided the courthouse designs.  The structure has been enlarged.  A 1962 Juvenile Courthouse and a 1937 Administration Building support the courthouse.  There was a classic 1884 courthouse previously in Oregon City, the only county seat.  The county was formed on July 5, 1843 as an original county.  The county is named for the Native American tribe.  Oregon City is named for the territory and state. 

Clackamas County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Eleven District Court Judges serve Clackamas County.  Clackamas County is in the northwest part of the state.  Portland, Oregon is directly north and Salem, Oregon is southwest of the county.  The county center is 9.5 miles East-Southeast of Oregon City near Beavercreek.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Multnomah, Hood River, Wasco, Marion, Yamhill, and Washington counties. 

The area of the county is 1868 square miles.  It is 18 out of 36 in the state.  It ranks 3 out of 36 in population in the state.  It has a density of 225.6 persons per square mile making it 4 out of 36 in the state.  Clackamas County has 55.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 5 crosses north to south in the county from Multnomah County to Marion County.  United States Highway 26 enters from Wasco County, east, and exits into Multnomah County, north.  The highest point in Oregon, Mount Hood, is on the county’s eastern border.  The county’s shape is a fat coffee mug.  Oregon City is located in the northwest quarter of the county.  Lake Oswego is in the northwest corner of the county and extends into Multnomah and Washington counties.  Oregon City is the county seat and Lake Oswego is the largest city.  Oregon City is 8.9% of the county population while Lake Oswego is 9.7% of the county population.  The county is pronounced KLAK-A-MAS.  The largest city is pronounced LAEK OS-WEE-GOE.  This county is in the Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton Metropolitan Statistical Area.