Island City, OR

Island City is a Union County city on the northeastern edge of La Grande, where Oregon Routes 82 and 237 meet the Grande Ronde Valley. Its name comes from an earlier island setting between the Grande Ronde River and a slough; the slough was later diverted, yet the river still gives the city its geographic starting point. La Grande is immediately to the southwest, making Island City part of a shared valley network while retaining its own city government, streets, local services, and school-and-business routines.

Island City Elementary School, La Grande School District 1, La Grande Country Club, local businesses, churches, and the cemetery supply the town's main civic landmarks. Residential streets and commercial services run along the highway approaches, with La Grande providing the larger regional center. Island City is a place named for water that no longer surrounds it, yet the Grande Ronde, the two highway routes, and its school-and-business circuit still make the name easy to understand.