| Official Name: | Crane, Oregon |
| Settlement Type: | Census-designated place |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Oregon#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Crane |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Oregon |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Harney |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 10.42 |
| Area Total Km2: | 26.98 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 10.42 |
| Area Land Km2: | 26.98 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 116 |
| Population Density Km2: | 4.30 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 11.14 |
| Coordinates: | 43.4153°N -118.5783°W |
| Timezone: | PST |
| Utc Offset: | -8 |
| Timezone Dst: | PDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -7 |
| Elevation Ft: | 4134 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 97732 |
| Area Code: | 541 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 41-16450 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Footnotes: | Coordinates and elevation from United States Geological Survey[1] |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
Crane is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Harney County, Oregon, United States, northeast of Malheur Lake on Oregon Route 78. Its population was 116 at the 2020 census.[3]
Crane was named for the prominent local features Crane Creek and Crane Creek Gap.[4] Crane Creek Gap is the pass between the Harney Basin and the drainage basin of the South Fork Malheur River.[4] Crane Creek is probably named for the sandhill crane, which was once abundant in eastern Oregon.[4] Crane post office was established in 1895 and discontinued in 1903.[4] When the Union Pacific Railroad[5] was completed from Ontario, Oregon, in 1916, the post office was reopened.[4]
Until the railroad was finished to Burns in 1924, Crane was an important livestock shipping point,[4] and the town was thriving with its five restaurants, four hotels, three garages, two general merchandise stores, a warehouse, a lumber yard, livery stables, a dance hall, a newspaper, a bank and a movie theater.[5] After a series of fires, the latest in 1938, however, the town never returned to its former prosperity.[5] As of 2011, the businesses in Crane included a post office, a gas station, which is combined with a café and tavern, a farm supply store, and a local realtor.[5]
Taylor Perse of Eugene Weekly stated that the community effectively reoriented itself around Crane Union High School.[6] The Associated Press wrote that the school became "Crane's sole reason for being".[7]
Crane is in eastern Harney County along Oregon Route 78 (Steens Highway), which leads northwest to Burns, the county seat, and southeast to U.S. Route 95 at Burns Junction.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Crane CDP has an area of 27sqkm, all of it land. It is 6miles northeast of Malheur Lake and by road northeast of the main entrance to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
As of the 2020 census, there were 116 people, 65 housing units, and 52 families. There were 110 White people, 1 person from some other race, and 5 people from two or more races. 4 people were Hispanic or Latino.[8]
The ancestry was 35.1% Irish, 27.7% German, 24.5% English, 21.3% Scottish, and 2.1% French.
The median age was 56.5 years old. 22.3% of the population were older than 65, with 14.9% between the ages of 65 to 74, and 7.4% older than 85.
The median household income was $31,389. 24.5% of the population were in poverty.
Crane Union High School and Crane Elementary School are in Crane. The high school, which draws students from a large rural district, is a boarding school.[5] The high school is of the Harney County Union High School District 1J, while the elementary school is of Harney County School District 4.[9]
Harney County is not in a community college district but has a "contract out of district" (COD) with Treasure Valley Community College.[10] TVCC operates the Burns Outreach Center in Burns.[11]
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Crane has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[12]