Morrow

Formed February 16, 1885 (26^th county)

Morrow County (12,187), Heppner (1,185), Boardman (3,831)

The stone American Renaissance courthouse was built in 1902 at Court Street at May Street.  May Street is Oregon State Highway 74.  Edgar M. Lazarus provided the designs.  The courthouse features a tower with a working clock.  Morrow County was established on February 16, 1885 from Umatilla County as the 26^th county with Heppner as the only county seat.  It is named for settler Jackson L. Morrow.  The county seat is named for settler Henry Heppner. 

Morrow County government consists of a treasurer, a sheriff, an attorney, an administrator, and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Five District Court Judges serve Morrow and Umatilla counties (judicial.)  The county is on the northern border with Washington.  The Columbia River forms its northern border.  Portland, Oregon is west and Pendleton, Oregon is east of the county.  The county center is 9.7 miles Northwest of Heppner nearer Lexington.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Washington and Umatilla, Grant, Wheeler, and Gilliam counties. 

The area of the county is 2033 square miles.  It is 17 out of 36 in the state.  It ranks 29 out of 36 in population in the state.  It has a density of 6.0 persons per square mile making it 27 out of 36 in the state.  Morrow County has 62.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 84 goes east to west on the northern part of the county from Umatilla County to Gilliam County.  United States Highway 730 comes in from Umatilla County, east, and terminates.  The county could be described as a pistol pointing south.  Heppner is located near the center of the county.  Boardman is on the northern border of the county.  Heppner is the county seat and Boardman is the largest city.  Heppner is 9.7% of the county population while Boardman is 31.4% of the county population.  The county is pronounced MOE-ROE.  The county seat is pronounced HEP-NUR.  This county is in the Pendleton-Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area.