Hermiston population surpasses 18,000

Published 1:08 pm Friday, November 16, 2018

Hermiston’s population has passed the 18,000 mark.

Portland State University’s annual population estimate places Hermiston’s population at 18,200 — up 215 people from 2017.

The number secures Hermiston’s title as the largest city in Eastern Oregon for another year. The city passed Pendleton in 2011, and the gap between the two cities continues to grow. Pendleton lost 80 people since last year, bringing its new population estimate to 16,810.

The U.S. Census in 2020 will provide a more complete picture of the population, but the PSU estimate includes births, deaths, employment numbers, school enrollment and voter registration.

Hermiston Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan said Hermiston’s growth has been fairly steady and predictable in recent years, which helps business and housing developers plan ahead. It also helps the city meet demand for infrastructure and services.

“You don’t want to be overly ambitious on growth projections because then you overbuild and a smaller number of people are paying for that, but you also don’t want to under-build and not have capacity,” he said.

The city is currently working on a new water project northeast of town that will include a new water tower and pipes by the spring of 2020. Morgan said there are already housing developers talking to the city about taking advantage of the additional capacity to bring in new housing.

East-end cities in Umatilla County lost population or stayed the same, with the exception of Milton-Freewater, which gained 35 people. On the west side, Umatilla gained 75 people, Stanfield gained 40 and Echo gained five. Overall, Umatilla County’s population increased 0.3 percent to 80,765.

Morgan said he wasn’t surprised to see growth in Umatilla, Stanfield and Echo.

“We’re really more like neighborhoods of the same housing market,” he said.

Stanfield City Manager Blair Larsen echoed that sentiment, noting that new jobs for projects like Lamb Weston’s expansion and Amazon’s new data centers usually result in people moving in to all four west-end cities.

“I think we’re really seeing a rising tide lifting all boats in this area right now,” he said.

Larsen said the city is always looking for ways it can help people who own property in Stanfield to get it developed, and is seeking to add more industrial land around the Interstate 84 interchange. Housing development has been up this year, he said, and Stanfield had 15 homes under construction in February.

“That was the first time in anyone’s memory that we had that many stick-built homes going at once,” he said.

Population increases come with benefits and challenges for cities. Often money that comes to local government from the state is based on population, which is why the state requires PSU to undertake population estimates each year. More people means more money, from the state and from local property taxes.

On the other hand, the growth can also strain resources. Hermiston School District Superintendent Tricia Mooney said the district will be adding two more modular classroom buildings to its campuses over spring break — one at Hermiston High School and one at Sunset Elementary School. They will also be using spaces at the middle schools differently next year to accommodate more students there.

She said enrollment is currently about 50 students higher than it was at this point last year, which is in line with the growth that the district had projected. The district’s smallest class is its high school juniors, at 375 students.

“Obviously growth has been a theme for the district over the last 10 years,” she said.

Mooney said the district is looking forward to continue to partner with the city to address continued growth in the area.

While Umatilla County saw slight growth, Morrow County had a net loss of five residents. Boardman grew by 55 residents, but other parts of the county lost residents.

Overall eight counties in Oregon lost population, mostly in Eastern Oregon. The state’s total population grew by 1.3 percent to 4,195,300 residents, according to PSU’s estimates.

———

Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536.