Arlington

History

The account of how the city received its name varies; one tradition claims it was named after the lawyer Nathan Arlington Cornish, while another tradition claims that the Southern inhabitants of the city had enough clout to rename the city after Arlington, Virginia, home of general Robert E. Lee. Originally named Alkali, The original townsite was demolished beginning in 1965 due to the scheduled inundation of Arlington by the rising waters of the Columbia River to form Lake Umatilla behind the John Day Dam. A new townsite was completed two years earlier. In 2008, it was discovered that Mayor Carmen Kontur-Gronquist had posted photos of herself in lingerie online, which, along with several other issues, led to her recall from office.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Arlington has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity