Lake County is one of Oregon's 36 counties. It is located in the southeastern part of the state, next to the California border, and is very large: it is Oregon's third largest county, with an area of 7,940 square miles, about 90% of the size of New Jersey. Like much of Eastern Oregon, it is sparsely populated, with 8,160 residents according to the 2020 Census. Since these numbers are very close, Lake County has a population density of a little over 1 person per square mile. Of the county's population, about one-third lives inside of the county seat, Lakeview, Oregon, and probably one half lives in its vicinity.
Lake County takes its name from several large lakes. The area is very arid, being part of the Great Basin, but rainfall creates several large seasonal lakes. The irrigated valleys are used for agriculture, but most of the land area of the county is either mountainous or high desert. Due to the lack of precipitation and distance from transportation hubs, the county's population is stagnant, with it having basically the same number of people as it did 100 years ago. Despite the beautiful terrain, this is not an easy place to live.
Lake County is probably the hardest Oregon county to access, since accept for a small portion of US-20 that passes through the north of the county, there are no major highways that go through it. And as of now, Lake County is the only county in Oregon I have not been to, something I hope to change at some point.