KLAMATH COUNTY

County Offices
305 Main Street
Klamath Falls 541-883-5134
https://www.klamathcounty.org/

Chamber of Commerce
205 Riverside Drive
Klamath Falls 541-884-5193
https://klamath.org/

With breathtaking beauty and world-class recreational attractions, Klamath County is experiencing a surge of residential growth. Drivers of the local economy include tourism, healthcare, education and local industry. Visitors and residents alike enjoy a strong network of highway links including US Route 7 for north/south travel. Among the county’s many unique features, many homes and businesses including Oregon Institute of Technology are heated via natural geothermal hot wells.

Services
Newcomers to Klamath County will discover state-of-the-art healthcare facilities and services most often found only in larger metropolitan areas. Sky Lakes Medical Center provides world-class care close to home, anchored by an internationally accredited, community-owned, regional acute-care hospital. Sky Lakes offers a comprehensive range of general and specialized care in facilities that include a wellness center and women’s health center. More than 80,000 people in Klamath and Lake counties in Oregon as well as Modoc and Siskiyou counties in California—an area of 10,000 square miles—look to Sky Lake Medical Center for advanced diagnostics and clinical excellence. Sky Lakes is a teaching hospital affiliated with the renowned Oregon Health & Science University Medical School and maintains a heliport for rapid transit. The 176-bed hospital is proud of holding an ISO 9001 certification, which enables Sky Lake to join the ranks of only a handful of hospitals in Oregon that have achieved this distinction. As a benchmark for continuing quality improvement in business and industry, ISO 9001 in a healthcare environment translates into technical excellence that individuals and families can trust.

The educational opportunities in Klamath County are equally impressive, beginning with well-managed local school districts and private-school options. Higher education can begin affordably at Klamath Community College in Klamath Falls, supporting more than 5,000 students of all ages with workforce training, academic transfer degrees, foundational skills development and community education. Klamath Falls is also the proud home of Oregon Institute of Technology, the state’s only public institute of technology. Partnering with industry leaders to ensure programs that lead to top-tier opportunities, OIT is founded on the principles of excellence through hands-on experience and constant adaptation to new technologies. Nearly 90 percent of OIT graduates are either employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of completing their undergraduate degree. Average starting salaries are consistently high, reflecting the overall success of OIT’s experiential philosophy, knowledgeable professors, and small classes with a student-faculty ratio of 20:1. Oregon State University also operates the Klamath Basin Research & Extension Center, working cooperatively with rural communities for healthy people, economies and environments.

Lifestyle
Residents of Klamath County have the advantage of living in one of Oregon’s true outdoor playgrounds, anchored by famous attractions like Crater Lake National Park and the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges. Boating, hiking, ziplining, geocaching, horseback riding, camping, cycling and world-class trout fishing are all popular pastimes in a wildlife-rich area that enjoys an international reputation as a bird-watchers paradise. Klamath Lake, the largest natural lake in Oregon, offers a paradise for sailing, canoeing and other water sports supported by acres of lakeside parks. Golfers will appreciate premier facilities like the Running Y Ranch Resort with Oregon’s only golf course designed by Arnold Palmer or Harbor Links on beautiful Klamath Lake. When the snow flies, nearby alpine centers beckon skiers and winter-sport enthusiasts. Miles of trails, scenic byways, and wineries invite exploration with world-class hiking and cycling available in several wilderness areas just an hour’s drive from Klamath Falls. Lava Beds National Monument offers a uniquely rugged landscape and hundreds of lava tube caves.

The leading city of Klamath Falls is the focal point of historic and cultural attractions, from the Downtown Historic Walking Tour to the Favell Museum, one of America’s three finest collections of Western artifacts. The Senator Baldwin Hotel Museum displays Klamath Falls’ past while a 1930s National Guard Armory showcases the county’s history in an Art Deco-style setting. The Ross Ragland Theater serves as a regional performing arts center showcasing everything from ballet and jazz to off-Broadway shows. Families will appreciate the Children’s Museum of Klamath Falls with its miniature “Our Town” as well as the year-round geothermally heated Ella Redkey Municipal Swimming Pool. Chiloquin is home to the Two Rivers Gallery featuring the work of outstanding local artists, and the Fort Klamath Museum interprets the region’s first military outpost. The crowning glory of Klamath County’s wealth of world-class attractions and landscapes is the annual average of 300 days of sunshine. Whether you choose to settle in bustling Klamath Falls or an intimate rural community, few places in the nation can rival Klamath County for sheer quality of life.

COMMUNITY PROFILES

Chiloquin, Fort Klamath, Rocky Point
City Offices
541-783-2717
https://chiloquin.com/

Chamber of Commerce
541-884-5193
https://klamath.org/

The sparsely populated city of Chiloquin is 30 miles north of Klamath Falls but serves an outlying rural area with a population estimated at 3,000. Nestled in a lovely valley surrounded by mountains, this scenic small town is traversed by the Williamson and Sprague rivers. Major Oregon attractions are just 30 miles from Chiloquin, including Crater Lake National Park, Collier Memorial State Park and Collier Memorial State Logging Museum, Kimble State Park, Spring Creek headwaters and several county parks. Boat ramps in Chiloquin and nearby Rocky Point offer water access to wetland areas, rivers and lakes that attract boaters, hikers, anglers, hunters, and campers. Residents have the advantage of small-town charm and unspoiled landscapes just minutes from urban services and amenities in Klamath Falls. Home to Fort Klamath Museum, the tiny town of Fort Klamath caters to local ranchers and tourists on the way to Crater Lake. Nestled on Pelican Bay, the small unincorporated Rocky Point and its resort have been popular with anglers since the 1900s.

Klamath Falls, Bonanza
Klamath Falls City Offices
541-883-5316
https://www.klamathfalls.city/
Bonanza City Offices
541-545-6566
https://www.oregoncities.us/bonanza/

Chamber of Commerce
541-884-5193
http://klamath.org

The county seat and major urban center of Klamath Falls is just 20 miles from the California border in south-central Oregon, providing services to a regional population of 120,000. Newcomers will be immediately charmed by the magnificent Art Deco and Gothic Revival architectural elements showcased on many of the historic buildings—some of which are adorned by murals. The friendly historic downtown district, with the visitor’s center and the Klamath County Museum as bookends, presents a medley of specialty shops, eateries, wine tasting rooms, galleries, arts and crafts, antiques and collectibles, and quilt shops. Klamath Falls provides world-class advantages that include a regional medical center, a community college campus, and the Oregon Institute of Technology as well as recreational, entertainment and cultural venues. Klamath Falls Airport also hosts the Kingsley Air National Guard Base, training air-to-air combat pilots. The tiny town of Bonanza nestles in the rich agricultural area of Lost River Valley just 25 miles east of Klamath Falls along Highway 70. Lost River flows through Bonanza, adding natural beauty and a source of irrigation for alfalfa, cattle and dairy farms.

Malin
City Offices
541-723-2021
http://cityofmalin.com

Chamber of Commerce
541-884-5193
https://klamath.org/

Approximately 30 miles southeast of Klamath Falls amenities and services, Malin is located near the California border. City Hall is a focal point of government and activity for this small agricultural community, the location of the Malin Chamber of Commerce and the place where residents come each month to pay their utilities. The jewel of Malin is the community park, gracing the town with natural beauty and hosting outdoor activities with facilities that include three baseball diamonds, a children’s play area and a municipal swimming pool. Throughout the year, Malin Park provides a gathering place for family reunions, church events, picnics and barbecues, and colorful seasonal celebrations. During the holiday season, the park is aglow with lights and the site of the annual tree-lighting ceremony. Those who appreciate an intimate atmosphere where neighbors as well as customers and business owners know each other by name, Malin may be the ideal home town.

Merrill
City Offices
541-798-5808
https://cityofmerrill.org/

Chamber of Commerce
541-884-5193
https://klamath.org/

Just five miles from the California border, the community of Merrill still epitomizes much of the small-town charm that led to its incorporation in 1903. Located along Oregon Route 39 just 20 miles southeast of Klamath Falls and northwest of Tulelake, California, Merrill offers easy access to Lower Klamath and Tule lakes in California. The Lost River actually flows by the town, which is also graced by views of Mount Shasta in the Cascade Range. Farming and agribusinesses are the primary drivers of the local economy, evidenced by Merrill’s strong support of agricultural activity. Home to the Klamath Basin Potato Festival since 1937, the town welcomes throngs of visitors to the Spud Bowl and 5K Run, bed races and other competitive events, live entertainment, free baked potatoes with all the toppings, children’s activities and great food. Other points of pride for Merrill include the Friends of Merrill Museum in city center and native son, Carl Barks, who earned fame as the artistic creator of Scrooge McDuck and other Disney characters.