Welcome to Yamhill County, Oregon
Yamhill County Today
When my wife and I were looking for a place to live in the Northwest, after searching for weeks we came upon Yamhill County and, for us, the town of Newberg. We are wine lovers, so Yamhill County being the heart of Oregon's wine industry, was a great bonus. I say bonus because, even without the picturesque rolling hills filled with vineyards, the hills around Newberg are the best part of country living...offering great panoramic views of the Willamette Valley and the Coastal Range of mountains to the West.
To the right is a brief history of Yamhill County and the Willamette Valley. The County has made a significant agricultural transition with the advent of the wine industry starting here about 30 years ago. There had been a few wineries here nearly a hundred years ago and most have survived.
The county has also seen significant growth over the last decade. There are few places as ideal as Yamhill County, when considering quality of life, large variety of recreational options, close proximity to shopping of any kind. And, it's only 30 minutes to downtown Portland for an evening out, commuting to/from work or one of Portland's several colleges.
There is something else that struck us after living here a few weeks and it still amazes us - that is the pleasantness of everyone's attitude. Sure, occasionally there is someone who's sour, but rarely in comparison to the politeness and consideration eminating from most Oregonians. Where you will really notice it is asking for service, whether calling the plumber, handyman, appliance repair, returning something to a store, nearly everyone is polite, considerate and competent.
Because Yamhill County is still largely a rural, agricultural area, there are a number of "country estates", homes with acreage, for sale; many of them with property tax deferrals attached because much of the parcel is serving some agricultural purpose (trees for timber, trees and scrubs for landscaping, grazing and raising livestock, vineyards and more),
History of Yamhill County
Yamhill County was the second of the four original districts created by the Provisional Legislature in 1843. Its boundaries were drawn to include all the area from the Willamette River west to the Pacific Ocean and from the Yamhill River south to the California border. The district consisted of 12,000 square miles; however, twelve counties were eventually created from Yamhill County leaving 709 square miles within its present borders. The county shares borders with Washington County to the north, Tillamook County to the west, Polk County to the south, and Marion and Clackamas Counties to the east.
The county was named for the original inhabitants of the area, the Yamhill Indians, a tribe of the Kalapooian family, who lived around the Yamhill River. The tribe was moved to the Grand Ronde Reservation in 1855. The earliest non-native settlers entered the area in 1814; most were employees of the various fur companies operating in Oregon. Many of the American immigrants who came over the Oregon Trail during 1843-1844 settled in the Yamhill region, which became the agricultural center of the Willamette Valley.
LaFayette, at one time the principal trading center of the western Willamette Valley, became the county seat in 1847. The first courthouse, purchased in 1850, was originally a county store in LaFayette. The building was destroyed by fire in January 1857, and all records except probate and land records were destroyed. The next courthouse was built in 1858 and remained in use until the county seat moved in 1889 to McMinnville where a new courthouse was built. The fourth and present courthouse was built in 1964.
Yamhill County government originally consisted of three commissioners, district attorney, assessor, clerk, sheriff, surveyor, and treasurer. In 1964 the probate function was transferred from the jurisdiction of the county court to the district court. The county court was abolished in 1968 and the board of commissioners was established in 1969.
The population of Yamhill County in 2000 was 84,992 representing a 29.66% increase over 1990.
Yamhill County ranks seventh out of Oregon's thirty-six counties in annual market value of its agricultural production. Today, the county's primary industry is agriculture, specifically wheat, barley, horticulture, and dairy farming. Yamhill County is also the center of Oregon's wine industry. One-third of the county is covered with commercial timber, and the economic mainstay of the western part of the county is logging and timber products. Non-seasonal light industries have also located in Yamhill County. Nearly one-fifth of the county's workforce commutes to the Portland metropolitan area.