Riley is an unincorporated community in Harney County, Oregon, United States, located at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 395 and U.S. Highway 20, milepost 104, about 28 miles (45 km) west of Burns, the seat of Harney County. The elevation of Riley is 4,226 feet (1,288 m). The town presently consists entirely of two service establishments with attached apartments: a post office, and a general store with gas pump and garage service. It exists to serve the rural farming and ranching community that surrounds it, and highway travelers.
Riley, Oregon | |
|---|---|
 Post office in Riley | |
  Riley  Riley | |
| Coordinates: 43°32′30″N 119°30′14″W / 43.54167°N 119.50389°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Harney |
| Elevation | 4,226 ft (1,288 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes | 97758 |
| Area code | 541 |
| Coordinates and elevation from United States Geological Survey[1] | |
Farmers grow alfalfa, hay, and root crops.[2]
The town began with the establishment of a post office in about 1885, and was named for stockman Amos Riley of the ranching partnership Riley and Hardin.[3][4] Previously, the nearest post office was at Hardin, 75 miles (121 km) northwest of Riley, so the people who lived along Silver Creek made Riley their new gathering spot.[3] Riley's post office closed in 1919, but was reopened in 1949 after an office at Suntex was closed.[3]
The Oregon Department of Transportation has a camera for road and weather conditions located at the intersection of U.S. 20 and U.S. 395 in Riley, facing west-northwest.[5]
Climate
editAccording to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Riley has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[6]
Points of interest
edit- Chickahominy Reservoir
- Unicorn Ranch
Transportation
editIn the 21st century, Riley is a stop on the Eastern POINT intercity bus line between Bend and Ontario. It makes one stop per day in each direction.[7]
Education
editThe zoned K-8 school is Suntex Elementary School,[8][9] which has a Riley postal address.[10] The previous campus was destroyed in a 1978 fire.[11]
High school students are zoned to Crane Union High School,[12] of Harney County Union High School District 1J.[8]
Harney County is not in a community college district but has a "contract out of district" (COD) with Treasure Valley Community College.[13] TVCC operates the Burns Outreach Center in Burns.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Riley". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. November 28, 1980. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
- ^ "Riley Rural Community". Harney County Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
- ^ a b c McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 812. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
- ^ Harney County Comprehensive Plan
- ^ TripCheck - Road Cams, Road & Weather Conditions in Oregon
- ^ "Riley, Oregon". Weatherbase. CantyMedia. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ "Eastern Point Schedule". Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ a b "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Harney County, OR" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 15, 2022. - Text list - Compare to the highway map.
- ^ "Harney County Sheet 4 of 11" (PDF). Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 11, 2024. - Riley indicated on the map. Compare with school district map.
- ^ "Education". Harney County Economic Development. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
Suntex Elementary School 68178 Silver Creek Road Riley, OR 97758
- ^ "School burns". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Corvallis, Oregon. Associated Press. May 20, 1978. p. 26. - Clipping at Newspapers.com.
- ^ "CUHS Rural Feeder School Districts". Crane Union High School. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ "Oregon Community Colleges and Community College Districts" (PDF). Oregon Department of Community Colleges & Workforce Development. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ "Burns Outreach Center". Treasure Valley Community College. Retrieved July 17, 2022.