Quick Facts
| County seat | Lakeview |
|---|---|
| Region | South Central Oregon |
| Population (2020 Census) | 8,187 |
| Land & water area | 7,940 sq mi |
| Population density | 1.0 people per sq mi |
| Established | 1874 |
| Formed from | Jackson and Wasco Counties |
| Name origin | Named for the large number of local lakes and springs. |
| Incorporated cities | 2 |
| Main electric utility | Pacific Power / Surprise Valley Electric |
| FIPS code | 41037 |
| Official county website | lakecountyor.org |
About Lake County
Lake County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,160. Its county seat is Lakeview. The county is named after the many lakes found within its boundaries, including Lake Abert, Summer Lake, Hart Lake, and Goose Lake.
Lake County is in the high desert region known as the Oregon Outback, on the northwestern edge of the Great Basin. The county is generally divided between the communities around Lakeview and Paisley to the south and the communities around Christmas Valley, Fort Rock, and Silver Lake to the north.
Its economy consists largely of agriculture and natural resource management and extraction. It is home to many large cattle ranches, hay farms, and timber holdings (both public and private), as well as several frontier towns and early 20th-century homesteads. Although lumber was once a primary economic driver in Lake County, today only one mill remains, at Lakeview.
Source: adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Cities in Lake County
| City | Population (2020) | Incorporated |
|---|---|---|
| Lakeview ★ | 2,418 | 1889 |
| Paisley | 250 | 1911 |
★ county seat. Cities that span more than one county are listed in each.