The incident, on November 29, 1944, was part of a string of anti-Japanese actions taken in an attempt to prevent removed Japanese Americans from returning to the area after their release from internment by the United States federal government.

National outrage against the community heightened five weeks later when a local Japanese American serviceman died after completing a heroic mission in the Philippines.

Under great pressure, the local American Legion post restored Nisei names to the wall of the county courthouse on April 29, 1945.

[13] Located at the transition zone between wet temperate rainforest to the west, and dry shrub-steppe desert to the east, Hood River has a moderate climate with rainy winters and warm summers (Köppen: Csb), although rainfall there is somewhat less than Portland and other nearby areas in the Willamette Valley.

Temperatures for the year as a whole are slightly cooler than in most other low-elevation towns in the region, especially at night because of air drainage off the surrounding mountains.

[23][24] Long an agricultural center of the Pacific Northwest, Hood River historically was a hub of logging exports and fruit tree orchards.

[26] Hood River first experienced a boom in tourism after being discovered as a site for windsurfing, and more recently kiteboarding.

[27] Hood River County also has some of the best kayaking, mountain biking, downhill and Nordic skiing, and hiking areas in the United States.

[29] All of these factors have led to coverage and acclaim in publications such as National Geographic Adventure, Sunset, Outside, Backpacker, Smithsonian, the New York Times travel section, and others.

[30][31] Hood River has received numerous awards from national magazines, such as "coolest small town" to "fifth best ski-town in America".

[33] Situated against a backdrop of the spectacular Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Hood River has become home to a notable concentration of visual and performing artists, writers, design professionals, business creatives, and culinary establishments.

[35] The group's chair, Mark Steighner, was the musical director of Hood River Valley High School before retiring to head the PAI.

[36] Also based in Hood River is the Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association (CGOA), a non-profit organization that includes six ensembles.

The CGOA initially consisted solely of the Mid-Columbia Sinfonietta, which began performing in 1977 in conjunction with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon.

The association was formed in 2004, adding two choirs, a jazz collective, a string quartet, and a theater group throughout the next ten years.

The city has over two dozen sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places (due in large part to the work of Sally Donovan, a local historian[49]), including the Columbia Gorge Hotel, built in 1920 by Portland timber baron and Columbia Gorge booster Simon Benson.

[citation needed] Smith was influential in state politics, in Oregon agricultural development, in Hood River city administration, and in banking.

Hood River is considered a "sports mecca" and offers some of the best spots for windsurfing, kitesurfing, kayaking, standup paddleboarding, skiing and mountain biking—all for which it draws considerable national attention from many media outlets, such as the New York Times and National Geographic Adventure.

Further, the nation's oldest volunteer search and rescue crew serving a mountain area, the Crag Rats, has its base in Hood River.

Representing the change in town culture is the new garden, greenhouse and zero-energy music and science building at Hood River Middle School as part of the new Outdoor Classroom Project.

The city is also served by an extension campus of Columbia Gorge Community College, based in The Dalles.

[57] The award recognizes the integrity and excellence of the theatre program Harry has built since 1986 at the Hood River Valley High School and of her wider work throughout the community.

The Columbia Gorge News is a weekly paper published on Wednesdays and serving Hood River, The Dalles, and White Salmon, Washington.

[63] The Port of Hood River, founded in 1933, manages a public marina and waterfront economic development projects.