Prairie City, Oregon

Prairie City is located on state Route 26, in one of the more remote areas of Oregon. This small town lies in the John Day River Valley, along the John Day River. It is positioned on the north side of a wide prairie that inclines to the base of the Strawberry Mountain Range. Strawberry Mountain looks down upon Prairie City, creating one of the most photogenic vistas on the Journey Through Time Scenic Byway. It has a small, but cute downtown area. The downtown area appears to be prosperous; however, this small town lost 12% of its population between 2000 and 2006. In 1862, gold was discovered about three and one half miles above the present location of the town of Prairie City, which was called Dixie. As the gold began to "play out", the town slowly began to migrate toward the "prairie", thus the name later adopted by the town.