Multnomah County was created Dec. 22, 1854. It was the 13th county created in Oregon Territory. The land was taken from
 the eastern portion of Washington County and the northern part of Clackamas County. The borders have remained relatively
 unchanged to the present.

 Multnomah County was created when the people living in Portland found it difficult to travel to Hillsboro to conduct
 business at the county seat of Washington County. They also thought they were paying too much in taxes to support the
 farmers in the rural areas surrounding Portland. In 1854, Portland businessmen petitioned the Territorial Legislature for a
 new county and Multnomah County was created at the subsequent session. The county was named after the Multnomah
 Indians who were part of the Chinookan tribe that lived on the eastern tip of what is now Sauvie Island in the Columbia
 River. The City of Portland was chartered in 1851 and made the county seat in 1854. The Multnomah County Commissioners
 met for the first time on Jan. 17, 1855.

 Multnomah County is the smallest county in Oregon, with only 465 square miles. It is bounded by Columbia County and the
 Columbia River on the north, Washington County on the west, Clackamas County on the south, and Hood River County on
 the east. Multnomah County is very diverse with Portland in the west and the Columbia Gorge and Mt. Hood in the east.
 Most of the eastern portion of the county is covered with timber and is sparsely populated.