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Government Camp, Oregon
Center of business district in Government Camp
Center of business district in Government Camp
Government Camp, Oregon is located in Oregon
Government Camp, Oregon
Government Camp, Oregon
Location in Oregon
Government Camp, Oregon is located in the United States
Government Camp, Oregon
Government Camp, Oregon
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Oregon
County Clackamas
Area
 • Total 0.75 sq mi (1.94 km2)
 • Land 0.75 sq mi (1.94 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
3,891 ft (1,186 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 179
 • Density 239.5/sq mi (92.46/km2)
Time zone UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
97028
FIPS code 41-30250
GNIS feature ID 2584415

Government Camp is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, on the base of Mount Hood and north of Tom Dick and Harry Mountain. It is the only town within 5 miles (8 km) of Mount Hood and therefore is the de facto "mountain town" or "ski town". It is the gateway to several ski resorts, with the most popular being Timberline Lodge and Mount Hood Skibowl. Government Camp also has its own, smaller ski resort, Summit Pass.

The community is located within the Mount Hood Corridor on U.S. Route 26 (the Mount Hood Highway), near its intersection with Oregon Route 35 and the Barlow Pass summit of the Cascade Range. As of the 2010 census, the community had a population of 193. The government's 2016 estimate indicated a population of 121 persons.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
2020 179
U.S. Decennial Census

History

Government Camp was given its name by settlers traveling the Barlow Road, who discovered several wagons abandoned there by the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen. A sign in front of the town's post office states, "Formerly a camp on the old Barlow Road, the village was named in 1849 when U.S Cavalry troops were forced to abandon wagons and supplies here."

Climate

Government Camp's climate is borderline between the dry summer version of a humid continental climate and the extremely rare dry summer versions of a subarctic climate and subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen classification Dsb, Dsc, or Csc), with cool, dry summers and cold, very wet winters with huge snowfall due to the powerful Aleutian Low.

Climate data for Government Camp, Oregon (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 70
(21)
69
(21)
70
(21)
80
(27)
93
(34)
98
(37)
99
(37)
105
(41)
94
(34)
83
(28)
70
(21)
65
(18)
105
(41)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 54.0
(12.2)
52.8
(11.6)
58.2
(14.6)
66.1
(18.9)
74.6
(23.7)
79.6
(26.4)
85.7
(29.8)
87.0
(30.6)
82.8
(28.2)
72.2
(22.3)
59.3
(15.2)
49.3
(9.6)
89.0
(31.7)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 37.1
(2.8)
37.8
(3.2)
41.0
(5.0)
45.1
(7.3)
53.7
(12.1)
59.3
(15.2)
69.2
(20.7)
70.3
(21.3)
64.2
(17.9)
52.7
(11.5)
41.5
(5.3)
35.3
(1.8)
50.6
(10.3)
Daily mean °F (°C) 31.8
(−0.1)
32.0
(0.0)
34.5
(1.4)
37.8
(3.2)
44.9
(7.2)
50.2
(10.1)
58.4
(14.7)
59.3
(15.2)
54.4
(12.4)
44.9
(7.2)
35.9
(2.2)
30.5
(−0.8)
42.9
(6.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 26.4
(−3.1)
26.1
(−3.3)
28.1
(−2.2)
30.5
(−0.8)
36.1
(2.3)
41.2
(5.1)
47.5
(8.6)
48.4
(9.1)
44.6
(7.0)
37.2
(2.9)
30.4
(−0.9)
25.7
(−3.5)
35.2
(1.8)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 12.2
(−11.0)
13.7
(−10.2)
18.8
(−7.3)
22.3
(−5.4)
27.1
(−2.7)
32.8
(0.4)
37.8
(3.2)
38.4
(3.6)
33.0
(0.6)
25.3
(−3.7)
19.0
(−7.2)
12.5
(−10.8)
6.6
(−14.1)
Record low °F (°C) −8
(−22)
−13
(−25)
1
(−17)
12
(−11)
18
(−8)
23
(−5)
29
(−2)
32
(0)
23
(−5)
10
(−12)
−4
(−20)
−12
(−24)
−13
(−25)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 12.61
(320)
9.64
(245)
9.41
(239)
7.78
(198)
5.75
(146)
4.01
(102)
0.88
(22)
1.09
(28)
3.06
(78)
8.42
(214)
12.69
(322)
14.43
(367)
89.77
(2,280)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 48.8
(124)
39.5
(100)
35.6
(90)
17.6
(45)
4.2
(11)
0.6
(1.5)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.2
(0.51)
3.8
(9.7)
30.6
(78)
51.6
(131)
232.5
(591)
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) 55
(140)
53
(130)
53
(130)
32
(81)
9
(23)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
3
(7.6)
21
(53)
42
(110)
55
(140)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 20.2 17.4 19.9 18.7 14.3 10.6 3.8 4.1 7.4 13.1 18.7 21.0 169.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 10.1 9.4 9.2 6.6 2.1 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.1 1.2 7.1 12.1 58.3
Source: NOAA
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