Malheur County was established in February of 1887. Only 28,000 people live in the nearly 10,000 mile county. Most of the population is in the northeast corner, which includes the county seat of Vale, Ontario, and Nyssa.

Interstate 84, Highway 30, Highway 26, and Highway 20 all converge to within a few miles near Ontario, with highways 20 and 26 crossing the Snake River a little farther south near Nyssa.