Pendleton, Oregon

File:US-OR(1891) p704 PENDLETON.jpg

File:Oregon - Pendleton - NARA - 68147464 (cropped).jpg

A European-American commercial center began to develop here in 1851, when William C. McKay established a trading post at the mouth of McKay Creek. A United States Post Office named Marshall (for the owner, and sometime gambler, of another local store) was established April 21, 1865, and later renamed Pendleton, after politician and diplomat George H. Pendleton (1825–1889), who served as a U.S. Representative and Senator from Ohio.{{cite web|url=https://pendleton.or.us/history-pendleton|title=History of Pendleton|publisher=The City of Pendleton|access-date=May 1, 2017|archive-date=December 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209152213/https://pendleton.or.us/history-pendleton|url-status=dead}} The city was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on October 25, 1880.{{cite journal|last=Leeds|first=W. H.|year=1899|title=Special Laws|journal=The State of Oregon General and Special Laws and Joint Resolutions and Memorials Enacted and Adopted by the Twentieth Regular Session of the Legislative Assembly|publisher=State Printer|location=Salem, Oregon|page=747|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gsCwAAAAIAAJ&q=%22ocean%20grove%22%20seaside%20oregon&pg=PA747}}

By 1900, Pendleton had a population of 4,406 and was the fourth-largest city in Oregon. The Pendleton Woolen Mills and Pendleton Round Up became features of the city captured in early paintings by Walter S. Bowman. Like many cities in Eastern Oregon, where thousands of Chinese immigrant workers built the transcontinental railroad, it had a flourishing Chinatown that developed as the workers settled here. The sector is supposed to have been underlain by a network of tunnels, which are now a tourist attraction. The authenticity as a Chinese tunnel system has been questioned.{{cite web|title=Asian American Comparative Collection: Asian American Sites and Museum Exhibits in the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin, and Canada|url=http://webpages.uidaho.edu/aacc/museums.htm|publisher=University of Idaho|first=Priscilla|last=Wegars|access-date=September 3, 2014|quote=Pendleton – Pendleton Underground. An interesting tour of downtown Pendleton basements. However, some guides call them "Chinese tunnels" thus perpetuating a stereotype for which there is no basis in fact. See "Ongoing Research" for a discussion of so-called "Chinese tunnels."}}

The town is the cultural center of Eastern Oregon. Pendleton's "Old town" is listed as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.{{cite web |author=Sargent, Gail (James Lynch & Associates)|url={{NRHP url|id=86003260}}|format=PDF|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: South Main Street Commercial Historic District|date=October 10, 1986|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=August 29, 2014}}

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) have their property nearby. They have established the Wildhorse Resort & Casino and golf course on the reservation to generate revenue for development and welfare. They have also built the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, for education and interpretation of their cultures.{{cite encyclopedia|last=Scanlan|first=John|title=Pendleton|url=http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/pendleton/ |encyclopedia=The Oregon Encyclopedia|publisher=Portland State University and the Oregon Historical Society|access-date=May 20, 2014}}

File:Grain Elevators (Pendleton, Oregon).jpg

Pendleton Woolen Mills is a maker of wool blankets, shirts, and an assortment of other woolen goods. Founded in 1909 by Clarence, Roy and Chauncey Bishop, the company built upon earlier businesses related to the many sheep ranches in the region. A wool-scouring plant opened in Pendleton in 1893 to wash raw wool for shipping. In 1895, the scouring mill was converted into a mill that made wool blankets and robes for Native Americans. Both businesses failed to survive, but the Bishops, with the help of a local bond issue, enlarged the mill and improved its efficiency. They developed a successful line of garments and blankets with "vivid colors and intricate patterns."{{cite web|title=Company History|publisher=Pendleton Woolen Mills|url=http://www.pendleton-usa.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageName=CompanyHistory&parentName=Heritage|year=2014|access-date=August 27, 2014}}

St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton is a 25-bed medical center.{{cite journal|title=St. Anthony Hospital|journal=U.S. News & World Report|issue=Best Hospitals|url=http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/or/st-anthony-hospital-6920380|year=2014|access-date=August 27, 2014}}

Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution (EOCI) in Pendleton is the only place in Oregon where inmates make "Prison Blues" denim clothing. The prison also operates a commercial laundry serving customers that include EOCI, the Snake River Correctional Institution, Pendleton High School, a local flour mill, and other entities. In addition, some EOCI inmates work as clerks or have jobs in food service or maintenance.{{cite web|title=Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution|url=http://www.oregon.gov/DOC/OPS/PRISON/Pages/eoci.aspx#General_Information|publisher=Oregon Department of Corrections|access-date=June 6, 2014}}

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|10.52|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all land.{{cite web|title=State and County Quick Facts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/41/4157150.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=July 8, 2014|access-date=August 27, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824082431/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/41/4157150.html|archive-date=August 24, 2014|df=mdy-all}}

The city was built on both sides of the Umatilla River, which has periodically flooded and caused some damage. In the beginning, the river was vital as a transportation and trading route for settlers, as well as a water and power source. It connected the city to the Columbia River.

Pendleton has a cool semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk) with short, cool winters and hot summers. Pendleton had the highest temperature recorded in Oregon at {{convert|119|°F|1|disp=or}} on August 10, 1898,{{cite web|title=Record highest temperatures by state|url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/pub/data/special/maxtemps.pdf|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date=June 23, 2011|date=December 2003}} which was later tied on June 29, 2021, at the Pelton Dam COOP weather station in Jefferson County, and the Moody Farms Agrimet weather station in Wasco County.{{cite web|last=Loikith|first=Paul|title=The 2021 Pacific Northwest Heatwave (Heat Dome)|url=https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/heat-dome-2021/|publisher=Oregon Historical Society|work=Oregon Encyclopedia|date=April 20, 2023|access-date=August 26, 2024}} The highest temperature recorded in Pendleton in recent times was {{Convert|117|°F|1|disp=or}} on June 29, 2021.

{{Weather box

| location = Pendleton, Oregon (Eastern Oregon Regional Airport), 1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1892–present

| single line = Yes

| Jan record high F = 71

| Feb record high F = 76

| Mar record high F = 83

| Apr record high F = 95

| May record high F = 103

| Jun record high F = 117

| Jul record high F = 114

| Aug record high F = 119

| Sep record high F = 104

| Oct record high F = 93

| Nov record high F = 80

| Dec record high F = 75

| Jan avg record high F = 60.7

| Feb avg record high F = 61.6

| Mar avg record high F = 69.4

| Apr avg record high F = 77.4

| May avg record high F = 88.0

| Jun avg record high F = 95.2

| Jul avg record high F = 102.6

| Aug avg record high F = 101.0

| Sep avg record high F = 92.6

| Oct avg record high F = 80.0

| Nov avg record high F = 66.5

| Dec avg record high F = 59.9

| year avg record high F = 104.2

| Jan high F = 41.7

| Feb high F = 46.4

| Mar high F = 55.0

| Apr high F = 61.8

| May high F = 70.9

| Jun high F = 78.4

| Jul high F = 89.2

| Aug high F = 87.6

| Sep high F = 78.0

| Oct high F = 63.5

| Nov high F = 49.1

| Dec high F = 40.8

| year high F =

| Jan mean F = 34.9

| Feb mean F = 38.0

| Mar mean F = 44.4

| Apr mean F = 50.1

| May mean F = 57.9

| Jun mean F = 64.6

| Jul mean F = 73.0

| Aug mean F = 71.8

| Sep mean F = 63.5

| Oct mean F = 51.5

| Nov mean F = 40.7

| Dec mean F = 34.2

| year mean F =

| Jan low F = 28.0

| Feb low F = 29.6

| Mar low F = 33.7

| Apr low F = 38.3

| May low F = 45.0

| Jun low F = 50.7

| Jul low F = 56.7

| Aug low F = 56.0

| Sep low F = 49.0

| Oct low F = 39.4

| Nov low F = 32.3

| Dec low F = 27.5

| year low F =

| Jan avg record low F = 11.7

| Feb avg record low F = 15.8

| Mar avg record low F = 23.1

| Apr avg record low F = 28.5

| May avg record low F = 33.5

| Jun avg record low F = 41.2

| Jul avg record low F = 47.2

| Aug avg record low F = 46.0

| Sep avg record low F = 37.8

| Oct avg record low F = 25.7

| Nov avg record low F = 18.8

| Dec avg record low F = 12.1

| year avg record low F = 3.7

| Jan record low F = -26

| Feb record low F = -21

| Mar record low F = 1

| Apr record low F = 17

| May record low F = 22

| Jun record low F = 30

| Jul record low F = 38

| Aug record low F = 30

| Sep record low F = 21

| Oct record low F = 11

| Nov record low F = -13

| Dec record low F = -28

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 1.52

| Feb precipitation inch = 1.19

| Mar precipitation inch = 1.33

| Apr precipitation inch = 1.21

| May precipitation inch = 1.45

| Jun precipitation inch = 1.05

| Jul precipitation inch = 0.26

| Aug precipitation inch = 0.31

| Sep precipitation inch = 0.53

| Oct precipitation inch = 1.09

| Nov precipitation inch = 1.39

| Dec precipitation inch = 1.50

| year precipitation inch =

| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

| Jan precipitation days = 12.3

| Feb precipitation days = 9.9

| Mar precipitation days = 11.6

| Apr precipitation days = 9.6

| May precipitation days = 9.6

| Jun precipitation days = 6.5

| Jul precipitation days = 2.4

| Aug precipitation days = 2.2

| Sep precipitation days = 3.8

| Oct precipitation days = 8.2

| Nov precipitation days = 11.6

| Dec precipitation days = 12.5

| Jan snow inch = 3.8

| Feb snow inch = 4.5

| Mar snow inch = 0.7

| Apr snow inch = 0.0

| May snow inch = 0.0

| Jun snow inch = 0.0

| Jul snow inch = 0.0

| Aug snow inch = 0.0

| Sep snow inch = 0.0

| Oct snow inch = 0.1

| Nov snow inch = 1.2

| Dec snow inch = 5.4

| year snow inch =

| unit snow days = 0.1 in

| Jan snow days = 2.9

| Feb snow days = 2.2

| Mar snow days = 1.1

| Apr snow days = 0.0

| May snow days = 0.0

| Jun snow days = 0.0

| Jul snow days = 0.0

| Aug snow days = 0.0

| Sep snow days = 0.0

| Oct snow days = 0.1

| Nov snow days = 1.2

| Dec snow days = 3.7

| source 1 = NOAA

{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USW00024155&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Pendleton, OR

|access-date = April 14, 2023

}}

| source 2 = National Weather Service

{{cite web

|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=pdt

|publisher = National Weather Service

|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Pendleton

|access-date = April 14, 2023

}}

| source =

}}

{{US Census population

|1870= 243

|1880= 730

|1890= 2506

|1900= 4406

|1910= 4460

|1920= 6837

|1930= 6621

|1940= 8847

|1950= 11774

|1960= 14434

|1970= 13197

|1980= 14521

|1990= 15126

|2000= 16354

|2010= 16612

|2020= 17107

|footnote=source:{{cite book|last=Moffatt|first=Riley Moore|title=Population History of Western U.S. Cities and Towns, 1850–1990|location=Lanham, Maryland|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=1996|page=214|isbn=978-0-8108-3033-2}}{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:41&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=Oct 12, 2022}}

}}

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $36,800, and the median income for a family was $47,410. Males had a median income of $31,763 versus $23,858 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,551. About 8.7% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

As of the census of 2010, there were 16,612 people, 6,220 households, and 3,789 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1579.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 6,800 housing units at an average density of {{convert|646.4|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 87.3% White, 1.4% African American, 3.2% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.6% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.7% of the population.

There were 6,220 households, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the city was 36.9 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 12.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.4% male and 46.6% female.

File:Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution2.jpg

In addition to the woolen mills, Pendleton is also famous for its annual rodeo, the Pendleton Round-Up.{{cite journal |last=Furlong |first=Charles Wellington |author-link=Charles W. Furlong |date=August 1916 |title=The Epic Drama of The West |journal=Harper's Monthly Magazine |volume=CXXXIII |issue=795 |page=368 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r_svAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA368 |access-date=August 16, 2009 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.pendletonroundup.com/p/about/147|title=History|publisher=Pendleton Round-Up|access-date=August 28, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pendletonchamber.com/pendleton-roundup|title=Pendleton Round-Up|work=Travel Pendleton|publisher=Pendleton Chamber of Commerce|access-date=August 28, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903082024/http://www.pendletonchamber.com/pendleton-roundup|archive-date=September 3, 2014|df=mdy-all}} First held in 1910, it is part of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)-sanctioned rodeo circuit.{{cite web|title=Pendleton Round-Up|publisher=Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame|url=http://www.prorodeohalloffame.com/inductees/by-category/rodeo-committees/pendleton-round-up/|access-date=August 29, 2014}} It is among the top ten PRCA venues in terms of prize money.

Pendleton is also home to the annual Pendleton Whiskey Music Festival [https://www.pendletonwhiskymusicfest.com/]. This annual event is held in the historic Pendleton Round-up Arena in July. Past performers have included Maroon 5, Toby Keith, Zac Brown Band, Pitbull, Blake Shelton, and Post Malone.

The Festival of Trees is held in early December each year. It is a fundraising event produced by the St. Anthony Hospital Foundation.{{cite web|title=CHI St. Anthony Hospital Foundation|url=http://www.sahpendleton.org/foundation-home.aspx|year=2014|publisher=St. Anthony Hospital Foundation|access-date=August 31, 2014}}

File:Rainbow Cafe exterior in downtown Pendleton, OR.jpg

Local arts institutions include the Pendleton Center for the Arts (in the town's old Carnegie Library building){{cite web |author=Donovan, Sally (Donovan Associates) |url={{NRHP url|id=97000848}}|format=PDF|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Umatilla County Library |date=August 15, 1997|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=August 29, 2014}} and Crow's Shadow Institute of the Arts on the nearby Umatilla Indian Reservation.{{cite web|title=About Us |url=http://www.crowsshadow.org/pages/about|publisher=Crow's Shadow Institute of the Arts|access-date=August 29, 2014}}

The Heritage Station Museum operated by the Umatilla County Historical Society is located in the historic 1909 Pendleton Train Depot. The museum offers two galleries covering regional and local history as well as a one-room schoolhouse, family cabin, caboose, barn, and signal house.{{Cite web|url=https://heritagestationmuseum.org/home/|title=Umatilla County Historical Society|website=Heritage Station Museum}}

The Pendleton Farmers' Market operates on Friday evenings from May through October on South Main Street.{{cite web|title=Food for Oregon: Pendleton Farmers' Market|url=http://foodfororegon.oregonstate.edu/pendleton-farmers-market|publisher=Oregon State University Extension Service|access-date=August 28, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207155236/http://foodfororegon.oregonstate.edu/pendleton-farmers-market|archive-date=February 7, 2016|df=mdy-all}}

Pendleton Underground Tours features the history of Pendleton and a tour through the tunnels and the brothels. It is open year-round.{{Cite web|url=http://pendletonundergroundtours.org/|title=Pendleton Underground Tours|website=Pendleton Underground Tours}}

The city hosts the annual Oregon School Activities Association 2A basketball tournament at the Pendleton Convention Center. Eight teams of boys and eight of girls compete for their respective championships during a four-day tournament. Civic leaders regard the influx of family and other fans the second-most important boost to the local economy, behind the Round-Up. Total attendance at the tournament in 2010 exceeded 13,000.{{cite news|last=Wright|first=Phil|title=Getting Ready for the Party; Pendleton Prepares for Basketball Invasion|url=http://www.eastoregonian.com/news/getting-ready-for-the-party-pendleton-prepares-for-basketball-invasion/article_b330b084-450b-11e0-a4de-001cc4c03286.html|newspaper=East Oregonian|location=Pendleton|date=March 2, 2011|access-date=August 27, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140827202422/http://www.eastoregonian.com/news/getting-ready-for-the-party-pendleton-prepares-for-basketball-invasion/article_b330b084-450b-11e0-a4de-001cc4c03286.html|archive-date=August 27, 2014|df=mdy-all}}

The Pendleton Aquatic Center, managed by Pendleton Parks & Recreation, features two tower water slides as well tubes and smaller slides, three pools, a diving well, and picnic areas. The aquatic center is adjacent to the high school.{{cite web|title=Cool Fun at the Pool in Pendleton|url=http://www.pendletonparksandrec.com/aquatic-center|publisher=Pendleton Parks & Recreation|year=2014|access-date=August 27, 2014}}

Highways serving Pendleton include Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 30 running east–west and U.S. Route 395 running north–south. The city is also served by Oregon Route 37 and Oregon Route 11.{{cite book|title=Oregon Road & Recreation Atlas|publisher=Benchmark Maps|year=2012|edition=5th|location=Santa Barbara, California|pages=42–43|isbn=978-0-929591-62-9}}

Pendleton lies along the Union Pacific Railroad (UP), constructed originally through the area in the 1880s by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company (OR&N). In 1880, the OR&N began construction of a rail line from Portland through the Columbia Gorge to eastern Oregon. It reached Umatilla and Wallula in 1881, Pendleton in 1882, and then La Grande, Baker City, and Huntington, where by 1884 it met the UP line from Utah. Since Pendleton was also connected by rail to the Northern Pacific line at Wallula and Walla Walla, by 1885 it was a stop on two transcontinental lines. The UP absorbed the OR&N line in 1889.{{cite web|last=Minor|first=Woodruff|title=Ordinance 3835 Exhibit E|url=http://www.pendleton.or.us/sites/pendleton.or.us/files/File/Exhibit%20E%20Tech%20Memo%2011.3%20Historic%20Resources%20Inventory.pdf|publisher=City of Pendleton|date=August 31, 2012|access-date=August 27, 2014}}

Between 1977 and 1997, the city was a regular stop along the former route of Amtrak's Pioneer between Chicago and Seattle via Salt Lake City and Portland.{{cite web|title=Restore the Pioneer Train!|url=http://pioneertrain.org/|publisher=Pioneer Restoration Organization|year=2014|access-date=August 27, 2014}}

Regional public aviation service is through Eastern Oregon Regional Airport, {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} outside Pendleton. The airport is owned by the City of Pendleton.{{cite web|title=AirportIQ 5010: Eastern Oregon Regional at Pendleton|url=http://www.gcr1.com/5010web/airport.cfm?Site=PDT&AptSecNum=0|publisher=GCR, Inc.|year=2014|access-date=August 27, 2014}} Boutique Air offers daily flights between Pendleton and Portland, which began in 2016.{{cite web|last=Sierra|first=Antonio|date=August 15, 2016|title=Pendleton drops SeaPort for Boutique Air|url=https://www.eastoregonian.com/news/local/council-drops-seaport-for-boutique-air/article_b2a58b13-a19c-5306-a873-8bbeaa55a673.html|access-date=June 14, 2017|website=eastoregonian.com}}

Two newspapers are published in Pendleton. The East Oregonian is a daily with a circulation of about 6,800. The Pendleton Record is a weekly with a circulation of about 900.{{cite web|title=Newspapers Published in Oregon|url=https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Pages/cultural/media-newspapers.aspx|work=Oregon Blue Book|publisher=Oregon Secretary of State|year=2014|access-date=September 5, 2014}}

KFFX-TV (Fox 11), a television station based in Pendleton, serves a market that also includes the Washington cities of Yakima, Pasco, Richland, and Kennewick.{{cite web|title=KFFX Channel 11|url=http://www.stationindex.com/tv/callsign/KFFX|publisher=Station Index|access-date=September 3, 2014}} Oregon radio stations based in or near Pendleton include: KTIX ({{Frequency|1240|AM}}); KUMA ({{Frequency|1290|AM}}); OPB station KRBM ({{Frequency|90.9|FM}}); KLKY ({{Frequency|96.1|FM}}) with translator K237DS ({{Frequency|95.3|FM}}); KNHK-FM (101.9) with translator K262CJ ({{Frequency|100.3|FM}}); KWHT ({{Frequency|103.5|FM}}); and KWVN-FM (107.7).{{cite web |year=2014 |title=Oregon Radio Stations |url=https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Pages/cultural/media-radio.aspx |access-date=September 5, 2014 |work=Oregon Blue Book |publisher=Oregon Secretary of State}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Tracy Baker – Major League Baseball player; born in Pendleton{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com:8080/players/b/bakertr01.shtml|title=Tracy Baker|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=September 2, 2014}}
• Walter S. Bowman, professional photographer; based in Pendleton from the late 1880s to mid-1930s{{Cite web|url=http://boundless.uoregon.edu/digcol/gh/bowman.html|title=Historical Photograph Collection: The Walter S. Bowman collection, 1890-1925|publisher=University of Oregon Libraries|access-date=September 2, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012034522/http://boundless.uoregon.edu/digcol/gh/bowman.html|archive-date=October 12, 2008|df=mdy-all}}
• John Bunnell – hosted World's Wildest Police Videos; born in Pendleton{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0120524/bio|title=John Bunnell Biography|website=Internet Movie Database|access-date=September 2, 2014}}
• Dave Cockrum – comic book artist; born in Pendleton{{cite web|title=Dave Cockrum|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1079211/bio|website=IMDb|access-date=September 3, 2014}}
• Dave Kingman – Major League Baseball player, three-time All-Star; born in Pendleton{{cite web|title=Dave Kingman|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=117092#gameType=%27R%27|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|access-date=September 3, 2014}}
• Michael J. Kopetski – former representative for Oregon's 5th congressional district; born in Pendleton{{cite web|title=Kopetski, Michael J.|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=K000312|work=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|publisher=Office of the Historian|access-date=September 3, 2014}}
• James Lavadour – painter; lifelong resident of Umatilla Reservation{{cite news|author=Farr, Sheila |date=September 16, 2005 |title=Desolation, Transformation: James Lavadour's Landscapes of the Mind |work=The Seattle Times |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2002497889_lavadour16.html |access-date=September 3, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021013618/http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2002497889_lavadour16.html |archive-date=October 21, 2012 }}
• Bob Lilly – Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle; graduated from Pendleton High School in 1957{{cite web |url=http://www.boblilly.com/biography/ |publisher=BobLilly.com |title=Biography |access-date=March 13, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308043818/http://www.boblilly.com/biography/ |archive-date=March 8, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}
• Donald McKay – scout and leader of the Warm Springs Indians during the Modoc War
• William Cameron McKay, Oregon pioneer physician, scout
• Elaine Miles – actress who played Marilyn Whirlwind on Northern Exposure; early childhood on Umatilla Reservation{{cite journal|last=Taylor|first=Catherine|title=Marilyn Speaks!|url=http://www.radiancemagazine.com/issues/1993/elaine.html|journal=Radiance|publisher=Radiance: The Magazine for Large Women|issue=Fall 1993|access-date=September 3, 2014}}
• Frances Moore Lappé – author and activist; born in Pendleton{{cite web|title=Frances Moore Lappé |url=http://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/frances-moore-lappe|publisher=Americans Who Tell the Truth|access-date=September 1, 2014}}
• Lee Moorhouse - Indian agent in Pendleton and amateur photographer
• Charles Sams - Director of the National Park Service; native of Pendleton{{cite web |title=Charles F. Sams III |url=https://news.va.gov/102438/veteranoftheday-navy-veteran-charles-f-sams-iii/ |website=VA News |access-date=7 January 2024}}
• Roy Schuening – football player, Oregon State and NFL; born in Pendleton{{cite web|title=Roy Schuening|publisher=NFL Enterprises|url=http://www.nfl.com/player/royschuening/314/careerstats|year=2014|access-date=August 31, 2014}}
• Gordon Smith – 1997–2009 U.S. Senator (R) from Oregon, born in Pendleton{{cite web|title=Smith, Gordon Harold, (1952– )|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=s001142|work=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|publisher=U.S. Senate Historical Office|access-date=August 31, 2014}}
• Milan Smith – judge on United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; born in Pendleton{{cite web|title=Smith, Milan Dale Jr.|work= Biographical Directory of Federal Judges|url=http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/nGetInfo?jid=3113&cid=999&ctype=na&instate=na|publisher=Federal Judicial Center|access-date=September 1, 2014}}
• Kenneth Snelson – sculptor and photographer; childhood in Pendleton{{cite web|title=Kenneth Duane Snelson|url=http://www.blackmountaincollegeproject.org/Biographies/SNELSON%20KENNETH%20BIO/SNELSON%20KENNETH%20BIO.htm|publisher=Black Mountain College Project|access-date=September 1, 2014}}
• Dan Straily – Major League Baseball player; grew up in Pendleton{{cite news|last=Mazzolini|first=A. J.|title=Pitcher Straily Climbs Ladder Towards MLB|newspaper=East Oregonian|url=http://www.eastoregonian.com/sports/pro/pitcher-strailey-climbs-ladder-towards-mlb/article_d54ac168-7eea-11e1-a211-0019bb2963f4.html|date=April 4, 2012|access-date=September 2, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130122231155/http://www.eastoregonian.com/sports/pro/pitcher-strailey-climbs-ladder-towards-mlb/article_d54ac168-7eea-11e1-a211-0019bb2963f4.html|archive-date=January 22, 2013|df=mdy-all}}
• Archie R. Twitchell - test pilot and actor {{cite web |title=Archie Raymond Twitchell |url=https://www.b-westerns.com/villain44.htm |website=b-Westerns |access-date=June 18, 2022}}
• Quade Winter, opera singer

{{div col end}}

Pendleton has a sister city relationship with Marikina, a municipality-turned-city in the Philippines. The relationship was established in 1971 when then mayor Eddie O. Knopp and Marikina mayor Osmundo de Guzman had their daughters temporarily switch schools in their respective towns. By 1974, Knopp visited Marikina after Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos declared a nationwide martial law two years prior, and expressed that based on the "excellent peace and order situation" he saw while in the country, the United States could try implementing martial law in towns rampant with violence and crime.{{cite book|last=Del Rosario|first=Simeon G.|title=How Martial Law Saved Democracy in the Philippines|date=1974|publisher=SGR Research and Publishing|page=28|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79aOAAAAMAAJ|access-date=November 12, 2024}}

Another sister city of Pendleton is the town of Minamisōma, in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Minamisoma is {{convert|16|mi|km}} north of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was damaged by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Since then, Japanese exchange students from Minamisoma have continued to visit Pendleton, though students from Pendleton have stopped visiting Minamisoma over growing radiation concerns.{{cite news|title=Pendleton Weighs Safety of Visits to Sister City|publisher=KGW|url=http://www.kgw.com/story/news/2014/07/25/12563066/|date=September 14, 2013|access-date=August 28, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140828193829/http://www.kgw.com/story/news/2014/07/25/12563066/|archive-date=August 28, 2014|df=mdy-all}}

• McKay, Oregon
• McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge
• McKay Reservoir

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|Pendleton, Oregon}}

{{Collier's Poster|Pendleton}}

• {{official website}}
• [https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Pages/local/cities/l-r/pendleton.aspx Pendleton listing] in the Oregon Blue Book
• {{Oregon Encyclopedia|pendleton|Pendleton}}
• [http://www.pendletonchamber.com/ Pendleton Chamber of Commerce]

{{Umatilla County, Oregon}}

{{Oregon}}

{{Oregon county seats}}

{{authority control}}

Category:1851 establishments in Oregon Territory

Category:Cities in Oregon

Category:Cities in Umatilla County, Oregon

Category:County seats in Oregon

Category:Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area

Category:Populated places established in 1851