Rainier, Oregon
Rainier is a city of 2,130 people in Columbia County, Oregon, founded in 1885.
Why visit Rainier
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 4 parks and trails and 1 place to eat in and around town.
Highlights include Lewis and Clark Bridge.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 80°F; February lows average 35°F.
Weather in Rainier
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Rainier
Rainier is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Rainier had a population of 1,911. Rainier is on the south bank of the Columbia River across from Kelso and Longview, Washington.
From the Wikipedia article Rainier, Oregon (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks1
Lewis and Clark Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 3.5 mi
Historic bridge in Washington state and Oregon, USA
Parks, trails and playgrounds4
Restaurants and cafes1
Outpost 30
Restaurant · Burger, Pizza, Chicken · 1.9 mi
Roadside burger place with a small convenience store inside.
73684 Lower Columbia River Highway
Mo-Th 11:00-19:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-20:00; Su 11:00-17:00
Churches and places of worship2
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 2.0 mi
315 East 2nd Street, Rainier
History
Rainier was founded in 1851 on the south bank of the Columbia River by Charles E. Fox, the town's first postman. First called Eminence, its name was later changed to Fox's Landing and finally to Rainier. The name Rainier was taken from Mount Rainier in Washington, which can be seen from hills above the city. Rainier was incorporated in 1881.
For much of the last quarter of the twentieth century, Rainier was known to the rest of Oregon as home to Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, the only commercial nuclear reactor in the state, which supplied electricity to Portland and its suburbs starting in March 1976. The reactor was closed periodically due to structural problems, and in January 1993, it was decommissioned after cracks developed in the steam tubes. On May 21, 2006, the cooling tower was demolished.
The closing of the Trojan plant precipitated a decline in the number of businesses in the city. While some retail and services are available in the city, currently the only supermarket in the city is a Grocery Outlet. Services are available in neighboring Clatskanie, St. Helens, and in Longview, Washington. Longview is opposite Rainier, across the Columbia River, and connected to Rainier by the Lewis and Clark Bridge.
From the History section of Rainier, Oregon on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Schools, colleges and libraries20
Map of Rainier
28 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48°F | 35°F | 6.5 in |
| Feb | 52°F | 35°F | 4.8 in |
| Mar | 57°F | 38°F | 4.9 in |
| Apr | 62°F | 40°F | 4.1 in |
| May | 69°F | 45°F | 3.1 in |
| Jun | 73°F | 50°F | 2.0 in |
| Jul | 79°F | 53°F | 0.6 in |
| Aug | 80°F | 53°F | 1.0 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 50°F | 2.3 in |
| Oct | 64°F | 44°F | 4.4 in |
| Nov | 53°F | 39°F | 7.2 in |
| Dec | 47°F | 35°F | 7.1 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Longview Hcn (6 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Columbia County has had 12 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2020-09-15: Wildfires And Straight-Line Winds (Fire)
- 2020-03-28: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2017-08-08: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2016-02-17: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2012-03-02: Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Southwest Washington Regional Airport (KLS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 4 miles away.
- Kelso 5 mi northeast, about 7 min by car
- Longview 6 mi north, about 10 min by car
- Columbia City 13 mi southeast, about 20 min by car
- Clatskanie 13 mi west, about 22 min by car
- St. Helens 15 mi south, about 24 min by car
- Warren 17 mi south, about 27 min by car
- Ridgefield 21 mi southeast, about 34 min by car
- Felida 26 mi southeast, about 42 min by car
- Battle Ground 27 mi southeast, about 44 min by car
- Salmon Creek 27 mi southeast, about 44 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Rainier, Oregon, User:akampfer, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lewis&ClarkBridgeSP, Cacophony, CC BY-SA 3.0
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