Rufus, Oregon
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1980. It stands in the Wasco census division. It lies in ZIP code area 97050. It lies near Scott Canyon. The Survey maps it on the Rufus quadrangle. 268 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 235 feet above sea level.
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Population over time
3 figuresRufus grew from 268 to 268 between 2000 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 268 | |
| 2010 | 249 | -19 (-7%) |
| 2020 | 268 | +19 (+8%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 9 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1953 USGS The Dalles quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1956 USGS The Dalles quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS The Dalles quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Wasco quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1971 USGS Rufus quadrangle1:24000
- 1980 USGS Goldendale quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
7 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of Rufus between 2003 and 2019, burning about 7,116 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 350 acres | Prineville District | 0588 |
| 16 August 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 acres | Washington State Department of Natural Resources Headquarters | not named |
| 2 July 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,100 acres | Washington State Fire Marshal's Office | JUNCTION FIRE |
| 30 June 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 acres | Prineville District | MUD HLOW 2 |
| 11 June 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 acres | Prineville District | 0218 |
| 11 June 2014 | Debris and open burning | 16 acres | Prineville District | 0138 |
| 10 June 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 150 acres | Prineville District | 0270 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 12 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 12 workings within 5 miles of Rufus: 7 past producers, 4 producers, 1 plant. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Gemstone, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Aluminum, Contained or Metal. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Facility) Goldendale Aluminum Smelter | Aluminum, Contained or Metal | Plant | ||
| China Hollow | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| China Hollow | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gemstones Mine | Gemstone | Past Producer | ||
| Gemstones Mine | Gemstone | Past Producer | ||
| Jasper Mine | Gemstone | Past Producer | ||
| Jasper Mine | Gemstone | Producer |
Storms near this place
3 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Rufus in 3 storm reports between 2003 and 2024: 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rufus | - | Mesonet stations along I-84 recorded wind gusts as high as 79 mph in Sherman County. |
| August 2003 | Flash Flood | Rufus | - | Heavy rain led to some flash flooding in the city of Rufus. City hall, emergency services, three residential basements experienced some flooding. In addition, some road damage was also reported. |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rufus | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thornberry | 4.6 miles | 10 | |
| Biggs Junction | 5.4 miles | 10 | |
| Locust Grove | 7.2 miles | 9 | |
| Wasco | 7.4 miles | 11 | |
| Sinks (historical) | 8.4 miles | 9 | |
| Early (historical) | 8.8 miles | 10 | |
| Klondike | 10.1 miles | 9 | |
| Emigrant Springs (historical) | 10.5 miles | 9 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Rufus | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q3458899 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1167721. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.





