The city, in a farming district, was named after the Spanish word for prosperity, apparently because of the good springs found nearby. The Bonanza post office was established in 1875. J. P. Roberts founded the community in 1876 and opened a store there. Bonanza was formally platted in 1878. By around 1900, it was considered the third most important city in Klamath County, after Klamath Falls and Merrill. Daily mail arrived by stagecoach. The chief products of the region were cattle, horses, grain, hay, fruits, and vegetables. Bonanza is an agricultural community with large areas of alfalfa, cattle, and dairy farm use. The Lost River runs near downtown where the Bonanza Big Springs are located. Low water levels have caused groundwater contamination through the springs and added to the regional controversies over water use, endangered suckers and struggling salmon species, and farming.
Education and economy
The community is home to Bonanza Schools, which include all grades from kindergarten through 12. As of 2003, the four largest employers in Bonanza were the Klamath County School District, Bonanza View Dairy, Tom DeJong Dairy, and Haskins Potato.
As of the census of 2010, there were 415 people, 152 households, and 108 families residing in the town. The population density was. There were 169 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the town was 86.3% White, 0.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 9.6% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.7% of the population. There were 152 households of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couplesliving together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.25. The median age in the town was 34.5 years. 30.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 21.9% were from 45 to 64; and 14.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.6% male and 48.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 415 people, 139 households, and 102 families residing in the city. The population density was 497.8 people per square mile. There were 152 housing units at an average density of 182.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 85.54% White, 0.48% African American, 0.96% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.72% Pacific Islander, 5.54% from other races, and 6.51% from two or more races. About 13 percent of the population were Latino of any race. There were 139 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.9% were non-families, 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.40. The age distribution was 34.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,944, and the median income for a family was $36,786. Males had a median income of $21,979 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,213. About 14.7% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.
