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Community Profile - Oregon City, Oregon 97045 When most Americans think of cities of the Old West, the names that come to mind are those like Sacramento, San Francisco, Carson City and Tucson. But the oldest city of the West is actually a little less famous, and a lot less romanticized. It's Oregon City, stopping off point for explorers, fur traders, mountain men, pioneer settlers and missionaries. Once the largest city in the state, once the state's capital, once the hub of business and industry. While some cities in
other states may have had established populations before Oregon's former
capital, Oregon City was the first west of the Rocky Mountains to incorporate as
a city of the United States and to Like those other more famous cities, Oregon City has a long history of habitation, going back hundreds of years. The area of what is now Oregon City was a locus for the activities of several indian tribes, who fished and traded in the region. Fur trappers and explorers began moving into the area in the first decade of the 19th century. The best known and probably most revered resident of the city was John McLoughlin, a British citizen who headed the Hudson's Bay Company's activities in the region from Fort Vancouver, in what is now Washington. He was appointed to the post in 1823, and founded the settlement that would become Oregon City in 1829 on the east side of the Willamette River at Willamette Falls. A physician by education, McLoughlin tried to balance the interests of his employer and employees against those of the native residents of the area and the white settlers who soon began to arrive. He found these tasks difficult and, while he made many friends, he also made enemies.
By this time, Oregon City was already incorporated, and McLoughlin was well thought of by many of the American settlers, whom he had helped as they arrived in the Oregon Territory. In 1851, McLoughlin was elected mayor of the city he had founded years earlier, and he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. McLoughlin's home, where he died in 1857, still stands—though the home has been moved to a spot on the bluff overlooking downtown Oregon City. The graves of McLoughlin and his wife, Marguerite, lie a few yards from the house, which is now a National Historic Site administered by the National Park Service. From the fur-trapping era thru today, Oregon City and its residents have relied on a variety of industries from fishing to timber to electricity generation. The falls that Dr. McLoughlin found so attractive have been vastly transformed to mingle with the electricity generation turbines and mill houses of modern power plants and paper mills. Oregon City now has a diverse economy, with several large employers in town. Most of the city's more than 30,000 residents, however, work outside of town in a variety of industries throughout the tri-county area of metropolitan Portland.
The city's population has grown dramatically in recent years as residential developers have begun to recognize the potential of what has been a largely undeveloped landscape. The area lies adjacent to an Interstate freeway and within a 20-minute drive of Portland's business core. One of the state's largest shopping district's, in the Clackamas Town Center area, lies within about a 10-minute drive of the city. Developers' realizations of the city's value drove home-building to an all-time high in the city in the late 1990s and early part of this decade. The city's population, nearly stagnant from 1980 to 1990, skyrocketed by 75 percent in the following decade. The population more than doubled in the 17 years after 1990, when the U.S. Census Bureau had estimated the population at 14,698. Oregon City has six elementary schools operated by the Oregon City School District for kindergarten thru 6th grade. The school district has two middle schools, one inside the city and the other just outside the city limits. Both middle schools serve 7th and 8th graders from Oregon City and nearby rural communities like Beavercreek and Redland. The current Oregon City High School opened in September 2003 and now is one of the largest high schools in Oregon. The school had 2,359 students with a student-teacher ratio of 24 to 1 during the 2005-06 school year, the most recent year for which figures were available. The Oregon Department of Education reported that 16.5 percent of the high school's students dropped out by their fourth year as of the 2006-07 school year. Other notable information the department of education reported about schools in Oregon City: 35.7 percent of students were eligible for free or reduced lunch; 12.6 percent were classified as minorities; 3.2 percent spoke English as a second language. As of the first quarter this year of 2008, the median price for a home with an Oregon City mailing address was $297,500, nearly 4 percent above the median price for the entire Portland Metropolitan area (Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties). Homes priced near the median averaged 13 years old with 1,838 square feet comprised of 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms on a 0.19-acre lot. The average market time for homes priced near the median was about 15 weeks. More interesting facts about Oregon City: Annual Events Stevens-Crawford House Annual Plant Sale ¾ The first Saturday in May features a large selection of perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, herbs, ground covers, rhododendrons and roses, many from historic Clackamas County homes. Sale proceeds benefit the restoration of the 100-year-old Stevens-Crawford House, a museum commemorating the architecture and lifestyles of late-19th- and early-20th-century Oregon. The event is presented by Clackamas Heritage Partners in Historic Oregon City. Call 503-655-2866 for more information. Teddy Bear Parade ¾ An annual community parade that collects stuffed animals for emergency services and law enforcement to give to kids in crisis situations. Watch the parade as wends its way from Main Street in downtown to Clackamette Park the second Saturday in May. Get more information at 503-679-4464. Pioneer Family Festival ¾ Oregon City's annual family festival hosts a carnival, live music and entertainment, food, history exhibits and other attractions the second weekend in May. The festival is at Clackamette Park, at the confluence of the Willamette and Clackamas rivers (1905 Clackamette Drive, Oregon City). For more information, call 503-679-4464 or 503-657-8299. Oregon City Open Antique Fair ¾ More than 100 booths of antiques and collectibles available the fourth Sunday in August from 8 to 4 p.m. in downtown Oregon City. Also enjoy live music and food. For more information, call the Oregon City Chamber of Commerce, 503-656-1619. Spirits of Oregon City ¾ Spend an evening on a guided mobile tour of the political history and events of Oregon and its first city, as seen through the city's sites and cemeteries. Tours last about an hour the Friday and Saturday evenings before Halloween and depart about every 20 minutes from the Carnegie Center, 606 John Adams St. Reservations required. Cost and more information available at 503-679-4464. Christmas Tree Lighting ¾ The music starts at 4:30 p.m., and Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive on a fire engine soon after for the traditional tree lighting the first Saturday in December. The Historic Oregon City Merchants Association sponsors the event at Liberty Plaza, next to the court house at 807 Main St. The fire department passes out freebies for the kids, and Santa traditionally is available after the tree lighting for Christmas wishes and pictures. For more information, call HOCMA at 503-656-3722 or the Oregon City Chamber of Commerce at 503-656-1619. Demographics
* State and national total population figures based on U.S. Census Bureau estimates for 2004. Demographic figures based on Census Bureau classifications and report data. Not all category percentages may add up to 100 due to rounding.
Major Employers
School District Contact Information Oregon City School District 1417 12th St. Oregon City, OR 97045 Phone: 503-785-8000 Private Schools North Clackamas Christian School 19575 Sebastian Way Oregon City, OR 97045 503-655-5961
St. John The Apostle Catholic School 516 5th St. Oregon City, OR 97045 503-742-8230 Key Crime Statistics Data reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Oregon State Police show the overall crime rate for Oregon City to be lower than both statewide and national averages. Looking at violent crimes and property crimes separately, the violent crime rate in Oregon City has been well below both state and national averages, while the property crime rate has been considerably lower than the statewide average, but about even with the national average.
^ Figure does not include reported arsons. Source:
Oregon State Police and FBI Uniform Crime Reports. Population adjusted figures are based on estimated
population and number of crimes for 2006. Local Newspapers The Oregon City News Local Economic Development Organizations Oregon
City Chamber of Commerce 1. Report of PSU Population Research Center, March 2008 |
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the early 1840s, the Hudson's Bay Company decided to close Fort Vancouver, and
ordered McLoughlin to move the operations of the fort north to Vancouver Island
in what is now British Columbia. Rather than sending McLoughlin to the new fort,
the company forced his retirement, and McLoughlin moved with his family to a
large home he'd had built in Oregon City.
Although
Oregon City hasn't been a capital since the 1800s, it remains the administrative
seat of Clackamas County, and is home to a variety of county agencies employing
hundreds of workers.
| Craig Loughridge has been an Oregon-licensed real estate practitioner and consultant since 1999. He has represented buyers and sellers in dozens of real estate transactions involving millions of dollars worth of residential, agricultural and investment properties. He is a graduate of the Oregon Realtor® Institute, and a member of the elite Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council. He can be reached at 503-632-8258. |  |
