IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Country around Fossil, OR
Country around Fossil is a rural area of about 800 people in Wheeler County, Oregon, named for the post office its ZIP code uses. It's about 84 miles from Bend, OR and 126 miles from Portland, OR, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 80°F and winter highs 38°F, with about 19 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $250k and rent runs about $725 a month.
800people
$250kTypical home
$725/moRent
80° / 38°Summer / winter
19"Snow
234Sunny days
53Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Rural — about 800 people spread over the area
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 2 people per sq mi
- 126 mi to Portland, OR
- 84 mi to Bend, OR
- 57 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $250k (≈$1,577/mo)
- Median rent $725/mo
- Median household income $55k
- Property tax about 0.7% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 80°F
- Winter highs around 38°F
- Dry summers (dew point 45°F)
- 234 sunny days a year (107 totally clear)
- 131 cloudy days a year
- 52 of 90 winter days are gray
- 53 days a year with rain or snow
- 19" of snow a year
- 8 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- 3 days a year over 100°F
- 7 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
People
- Median age 53
- 21% of households have kids
- 38% are 65 or older
- 19% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 1% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 27 min
- 11% walk or take transit to work
- 68 mi to RDM airport
- 125 mi to PDX (major hub)
- 61 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 86% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1972
- 81% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Hilly terrain
- Elevation 3,947 ft
- 167 mi to the ocean
- 123 mi to a big lake
- 18 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 76 mi to the nearest ski area
- 4 mi to the nearest campground
- No golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- Few or no sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 1 museum within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 46 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 2% of Oregon districts (reading)
- 3 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 42 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 62 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 56 mi to the nearest vet
- 53 mi to the nearest dog park
- 72 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Wheeler County: R+47 in 2024
- Oregon: D+14 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Very low tornado risk
- High wildfire risk
- Moderate earthquake risk
- Very low flood risk
- High drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Low volcano risk