About Klamath County 

Oregon has long boasted about the state’s quality of life. Klamath Falls is a gem of a small town in a prosperous county, rich in recreational opportunities with an active cultural and civic life.  The lush river environment attracted immigrants in the early  1800s, and in 1863, they and the Oregon volunteers established Fort Klamath, platted along a short river linking two large lakes. That town, Linkville, later became Klamath Falls.  The falls are gone, but today the town hums as a commercial hub in farming, lumber and livestock.

Population:
Klamath Falls Area: 40,100
Klamath County: 70,085
Commercial Area: 120,000
Population Ratio:
Male: 50.1%
Female: 49.9%
Persons 18-44 yrs: 23,591

Oregon Institute of Technology:
Oregon Institute of Technology, a member of the Oregon University System, is the only public institute of technology in the Pacific Northwest. OIT offers bachelor’s degree programs in the engineering and the health technologies, management, and applied sciences. All programs combine advanced technology with an intensive real world approach to learning. OIT graduates are heavily recruited by industry, and year after year, accept jobs at starting salary levels that lead all other public universities in the state. Visit their website at: http://www.oit.edu/.


Klamath Community College:
KCC offers academic choices in 10 different program fields, with
two-year degrees, one-year certificates, and courses on college
success. Also available is a state university transfer program, which allows students to take the first two years of a four-year degree at lower tuition rates than at Oregon universities. KCC also offers essential services to local businesses, including training opportunities. Community education classes are offered to the general public covering a wide variety of general interest categories. Visit their website at: http://www.kcc.cc.or.us/.

Primary and Secondary Education:
Our students consistently score above the national average. The city district has seven elementary, three junior high, and three high schools, which enroll over 4,000 students. The county schools have over 6,000 students in 14 elementary schools, two junior high schools, and five high schools. Parochial education is available at three schools in the city.

Churches:
There are 70 churches in the region serving almost 40 denominations.

Medical Service:
Merle West Medical Center is staffed by over 75 physicians and 1,000 employees, and has a bed capacity of 176. A full service cancer treatment center, heart center, kidney dialysis center, and occupational health facility provide care for a four-county region, which encompasses 120,000 people. Smaller clinics, nursing homes, home health care, and complete ambulance/rescue meet a full range of needs.

Employment:
The average civilian labor force is 29,190.

Airport
Klamath International Airport - 10,301 ft. cargo qualified and pad runway. Restaurant, lounge, car rental agencies and rental spaces are available. Alaska Airlines provides air service to Klamath Falls.

Industry:
In 1909, the Bureau of Reclamation initiated the first massive irrigation project in the U.S. on the south edge of the city. Agriculture, in all forms, continues to heavily influence the community’s economy. In meeting the challenges of the new global economy, high tech industry and light manufacturing industries have been targeted to diversify the economy.  The addition of the Running Y® Ranch, the only full service destination resort in Southern Oregon, has helped to increase and diversify the county’s tourism efforts. Several industrial parks provide locations conducive to business growth and development.

Geothermal Energy:
Hot water is produced underground in many regions and is used to heat homes, businesses, the hospital, the college campus, and downtown sidewalks.

Cost of Living:
Using the ACCRA cost of living Index for the 4th quarter of 1999, Klamath Falls had a composite index of 99.6 compared to the national average of 100.  A comparative breakdown of cost of living in Klamath County and other cities follows:
 

Taxes:
Property taxes in Oregon are limited to $15 per thousand by law,
however, this amount can be exceeded by vote of local residents for special levies and bonds.

Utilities:
PacificCorp. provides electrical services. General commercial rates per 1,000 kw range between $0.055 to $0.033. Water in the city and surrounding area is supplied by the city of Klamath Falls. Natural gas is available from Avista Utilities.  Downtown geothermal hookup is available for cost effective heating.

Commerce:
Klamath Falls serves as the direct marketing center for 120,000
residents in northern California and southern Oregon, which includes four counties: Siskiyou, Modoc, Lake, and Klamath.

Transportation:
The City of Klamath Falls Airport (LMT) offers daily flights by Horizon Airlines (800-547-9308) with regularly scheduled service to Portland (PDX).  Amtrak offers railroad service for passengers, while Burlington Northern-Santa Fe and Union Pacific provide nationwide commercial freight service. Bus travel is accessed through Greyhound Bus Line.  Numerous trucking companies provide service to all parts of the country.  Basin Transit Service provides local bus service (883-2877).  We also have local taxi cabs and several car rental agencies.

Retirement:
The low cost of living, variety of services, quality of life, and location make the Klamath Basin a popular place to retire. There are numerous retirement living facilities providing a wide range of community choices.