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Ontario

Oregon, United States
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History

Ontario, city, Malheur county, eastern Oregon, U.S. It lies at the juncture of the Snake and Malheur rivers, 60 miles (97 km) west of Boise, Idaho, on the historic Oregon Trail. A gateway to the Oregon cattle country, it grew after the building of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1884 and was named for the province of Ontario, Canada. The city has food-processing industries based on the potatoes, sugar beets, alfalfa, onions, and corn (maize) grown in the region, which is irrigated by the Owyhee and Malheur rivers. A tourist centre, the city is close to an area of rugged canyon terrain and Succor State Natural Area. Lake Owyhee (impounded by Owyhee Dam, 1928–32) is nearby. The city hosts an annual Obon (Bon) Festival each July, honouring the area’s large Japanese American population. Treasure Valley Community College was opened there in 1962. Inc. 1899. Pop. (2000) 10,985; (2010) 11,366.

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