La Grande is a city in
Union County,
Oregon, United States. Originally named "Brownsville," it was forced to change its name because that name was already being used for a city in
Linn County. Its current name comes from an early French settler, Charles Dause, who often used the phrase "La Grande" to describe the area's beauty. The population was 13,082 at the
2010 census. It is the
county seat of
Union County. La Grande lies east of the
Blue Mountains and southeast of
Pendleton.