Bonanza is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in Klamath County,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, United States, near

Klamath Falls Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city wa ...

. The population was 415 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Bonanza is at an elevation of in southern Klamath County near the Oregon–

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

border. The town is at the east end of Oregon Route 70, a spur off

Oregon Route 140 Oregon Route 140 (OR 140) is a State highway#United States, state highway in southern Oregon, United States. It is the longest List of highway route numbers in Oregon, state highway in Oregon, running from the community of White City, Oregon ...

. By highway, Bonanza is about from Klamath Falls and from

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

. The Lost River flows through Bonanza. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Bonanza has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

, abbreviated ''Csb'' on climate maps.

History

The town, in a farming district, was named after the Spanish word for prosperity (literally smooth sea), apparently because of the good springs found nearby. The Bonanza post office was established in 1875. J. P. Roberts founded the community in 1876 and opened a store there. Bonanza was formally

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1878. By around 1900, it was considered the third most important town in Klamath County, after Klamath Falls and

Merrill Merrill may refer to: Places in the United States *Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska *Merrill, Iowa *Merrill, Maine *Merrill, Michigan *Merrill, Mississippi, an unincorporated community near Lucedale in George County *Merrill, Oregon *Merrill, Wisc ...

. Daily mail arrived by stagecoach. The chief products of the region were cattle, horses, grain, hay, fruits, and vegetables. Bonanza is an agricultural community with large areas of

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, ...

, cattle, and dairy farm use. The Lost River runs near downtown where the Bonanza Big Springs are located. Low water levels have caused groundwater contamination through the springs and added to the regional controversies over water use, endangered suckers (fish) and struggling salmon species, and farming.

Education and economy

The community is home to Bonanza Schools, which include all grades from kindergarten through 12. As of 2003, the four largest employers in Bonanza were the Klamath County School District, Bonanza View Dairy, Tom DeJong Dairy, and Haskins Potato.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 415 people, 152 households, and 108 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 169 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 86.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.5% Native American, 9.6% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 27.7% of the population. There were 152 households, of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.25. The median age in the town was 34.5 years. 30.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 21.9% were from 45 to 64; and 14.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.6% male and 48.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 415 people, 139 households, and 102 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 152 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 85.54% White, 0.48% African American, 0.96% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.72% Pacific Islander, 5.54% from other races, and 6.51% from two or more races. About 13 percent of the population were Latino of any race. There were 139 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.9% were non-families, 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.40. The age distribution was 34.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,944, and the median income for a family was $36,786. Males had a median income of $21,979 versus $18,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $10,213. About 14.7% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Dennis Linthicum Dennis Linthicum (born 1956) is an American politician who served in the Oregon Senate from 2017 until 2025. He is a member of the Republican Party. Early life and career Linthicum graduated with a bachelors in economics from University of Cali ...

, state senator * Ryan Stevenson, American musician * Hans-Georg Gottfried Dittmann, award-winning German-Austrian Journalist, exchange student in 1996/97

References

External links

City of Bonanza government information
at oregoncities.us
Entry for Bonanza
in the ''

Oregon Blue Book The ''Oregon Blue Book'' is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon prepared by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. The ''Blue Book'' comes in both print and o ...

'' {{Authority control Cities in Oregon Cities in Klamath County, Oregon 1901 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1901