We analyzed research using Saturday Night Science from Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped Klaverns by city from 1915-1940. This report analyzes the locations of historic KKK organizations to see where they were the most prevalent in Oregon.
The city in Oregon with the most number of Klaverns was Portland with 2 Klaverns. The city with the most number of Klaverns per capita was Powers with 0.0012 Klaverns. There were historically 18 Klaverns in Oregon, across 17 places in Oregon with at least 1 Klavern during the period of reference.
Hate groups can be hard to measure because, typically, there’s no record of where they exist. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. These cities have historically been the most racist in Oregon based on the number of KKK Klaverns.
This report does not speak to the current people who live there or the current state of the KKK in the same towns or areas.
1 Klaverns · #1 most historically racist in Oregon
1 Klaverns · #2 most historically racist in Oregon
1 Klaverns · #3 most historically racist in Oregon
1 Klaverns · #4 most historically racist in Oregon
1 Klaverns · #5 most historically racist in Oregon
The city of Tillamook is the county seat of Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the southeast end of Tillamook Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The population was 4,935 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #6 most historically racist in Oregon
Located in
Clatsop County, Oregon
Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River where it meets the Pacific Ocean, the city was named after John Jacob Astor, an investor from New York City whose American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811, 206years ago. Astoria was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on October 20, 1876.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #7 most historically racist in Oregon
Located in
Lane County, Oregon
Cottage Grove is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. The population was 9,686 at the 2010 census. Cottage Grove is the third largest city in Lane County. The city is located on Interstate 5, Oregon Route 99, and the main Willamette Valley line of the Union Pacific railroad.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #8 most historically racist in Oregon
Located in
Union County, Oregon
La Grande is a city in Union County, Oregon, United States. Originally named “Brownsville,” it was forced to change its name because that name was being used for a city in Linn County. Its name comes from an early French settler, Charles Dause, who often used the phrase “La Grande” to describe the area’s beauty. The population was 13,082 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Union County. La Grande lies east of the Blue Mountains and southeast of Pendleton.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #9 most historically racist in Oregon
Located in
Wasco County, Oregon
The Dalles is the county seat and largest city of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 13,620 at the 2010 census, and is the largest city on the Oregon side along the Columbia River outside the Portland Metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #10 most historically racist in Oregon
Located in
Umatilla County, Oregon
Pendleton is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. Developed along the Umatilla River, Pendleton was named in 1868 by the county commissioners for George H. Pendleton, Democratic candidate for vice-president in the 1864 presidential campaign. The population was 16,612 at the 2010 census, which includes approximately 1,600 inmates incarcerated at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. The city is the county seat of Umatilla County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Oregon’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Oregon’s historic Klaverns were
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Historically Racist Places In The Beaver State
While there are surveys and public polls on what places might be the most racist, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from where KKK organizations have existed.
Specifically, we analyzed research out of Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped the Klans in each area and gave a history of their recruitment from 1915-1940.
- Number of historic KKK Klaverns (1915-1940) per current resident
Using Saturday Night Science, we analyzed the locations of historic KKK organizations per capita using current population data.
The full plate
Cities With Historically High KKK Membership In Oregon
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Klaverns | Klaverns /100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Powers | 862 | 1 | 116 |
| 2 | Scio | 901 | 1 | 111 |
| 3 | Riddle | 1,128 | 1 | 89 |
| 4 | Mill City | 1,665 | 1 | 60 |
| 5 | Tillamook | 4,957 | 1 | 20 |
| 6 | Astoria | 9,503 | 1 | 11 |
| 7 | Cottage Grove | 9,772 | 1 | 10 |
| 8 | La Grande | 13,090 | 1 | 8 |
| 9 | The Dalles | 15,068 | 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Pendleton | 16,830 | 1 | 6 |
| 11 | Sherwood | 18,687 | 1 | 5 |
| 12 | Ashland | 20,412 | 1 | 5 |
| 13 | Roseburg | 21,858 | 1 | 5 |
| 14 | Newberg | 22,451 | 1 | 4 |
| 15 | Grants Pass | 34,916 | 1 | 3 |
| 16 | Eugene | 158,131 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Portland | 602,568 | 2 | 0 |
Source: VCU Mapping the Klan, 1915-1940; current population data. 17 cities with at least one Klavern.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most Historically Racist Cities In Oregon
When you’re looking at the places in Oregon with the highest number of historical KKK Klaverns per capita, this is an accurate list.
Below is a chart that lists all cities in Oregon with at least one KKK organization from 1915-1940.
The cities with the largest number of KKK Klaverns per capita were Powers, Scio, Riddle, Mill City, Tillamook, Astoria, Cottage Grove, La Grande, The Dalles, and Pendleton.
