Map of Pendleton city, Oregon

Pendleton is a city and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are incarcerated at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution.

Pendleton is the smaller of the two principal cities of the Hermiston–Pendleton Micropolitan Statistical Area. This micropolitan area covers Morrow and Umatilla counties and had a combined population of 92,261 at the 2020 census.

Pendleton city overview:
Name:	Pendleton city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Oregon
County:	Umatilla County
Incorporated:	1880
Elevation:	1,200 ft (400 m)
Total Area:	11.51 sq mi (29.81 km²)
Land Area:	11.51 sq mi (29.81 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	17,107
Population Density:	1,486.27/sq mi (573.85/km²)
ZIP code:	97801
Area code:	458 and 541
FIPS code:	4157150
GNISfeature ID:	1125283
Website:	www.pendleton.or.us

Online Interactive Map

Pendleton online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Pendleton location map. Where is Pendleton city?

Pendleton location on the U.S. Map. Where is Pendleton city. — Pendleton location on the U.S. Map.

Pendleton location on the Oregon map. Where is Pendleton city. — Location of Pendleton in Oregon.

History

A European-American commercial center began to develop here in 1851, when Dr. William C. McKay established a trading post at the mouth of McKay Creek. A United States Post Office named Marshall (for the owner, and sometime gambler, of another local store) was established April 21, 1865, and later renamed Pendleton, after politician and diplomat George H. Pendleton (1825–1889), who served as a U.S. Representative and Senator from Ohio. The city was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on October 25, 1880.

By 1900, Pendleton had a population of 4,406 and was the fourth-largest city in Oregon. The Pendleton Woolen Mills and Pendleton Round Up became features of the city captured in early paintings by Walter S. Bowman. Like many cities in Eastern Oregon, where thousands of Chinese immigrant workers built the transcontinental railroad, it had a flourishing Chinatown that developed as the workers settled here. The sector is supposed to have been underlain by a network of tunnels, which are now a tourist attraction. The authenticity as a Chinese tunnel system has been questioned.

The town is the cultural center of Eastern Oregon. Pendleton’s “Old town” is listed as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) have their property nearby. They have established the Wildhorse Resort & Casino and golf course on the reservation to generate revenue for development and welfare. They have also built the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, for education and interpretation of their cultures.

Pendleton Road Map

Pendleton city Satellite Map

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.52 square miles (27.25 km), all of it land.

The city was built on both sides of the Umatilla River, which has periodically flooded and caused some damage. In the beginning, the river was vital as a transportation and trading route for settlers, as well as a water and power source. It connected the city to the Columbia River.

Pendleton has a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with short, cool winters and hot summers. Pendleton had the highest temperature recorded in Oregon at 119 °F (48 °C) on August 10, 1898, which was later proven to be unreliable. The highest reliable temperature recorded in Pendleton was 117 °F (47 °C) on June 29, 2021.