Corvallis

History

Establishment

In October 1845, Pennsylvanian Joseph C. Avery arrived in Oregon. Avery took out a land claim at the mouth of Marys River, where it flows into the Willamette River, and in June 1846 took up residence there in a log cabin hastily constructed to hold what seemed a potentially lucrative claim. Avery's primitive 1846 dwelling was the first home within the boundaries of today's city limits and his land claim included the southern section of the contemporary city.

Avery was quickly joined by other settlers along the banks of the Willamette River, including a 640-acre (260 ha) claim directly to his north taken in September 1846 by William F. Dixon. The discovery of gold in California in 1848 temporarily stalled the township development. Like many of his neighbors, Avery left his Oregon home to try his hand at gold mining in the fall of that year. His stay proved to be brief yet profitable. In January 1849, Avery returned to Oregon with a small stock of provisions with plans to open a store on his land.

During 1849, Avery opened his store at the site, platted the land, and surveyed a town site on his own claim, naming the community Marysville. The early town quickly became a profitable re-supply center/mercantile as one of the leading stop-overs for miners traveling the Willamette River to the California Gold Rush mines. The city was thought to have been originally named after early settler Mary Lloyd, but now the name is credited to early French fur trappers who camped near Marys Peak. The reference to "Mary" is, instead, believed to be named after the Virgin Mary.

In the summer of 1851, Joseph Avery and William Dixon each granted back-to-back 40-acre (16 ha) land parcels from their land holdings for the establishment of a county seat. Avery's holding lay to the south and Dixon's to the north, with the Benton County Courthouse marking the approximate line of demarcation between these two land parcels.

Name change

In December 1853 the 5th Oregon Territorial Legislature met in Salem, where a petition was presented seeking to change the name of that city to either "Thurston" or "Valena". At the same time, another petition was presented seeking to change the name of Salem to Corvallis, from the Latin meaning "heart of the valley", while a third resolution was presented to the upper house seeking to change the name of Marysville to Corvallis.

A heated debate followed, with the name ultimately awarded to Corvallis in an act passed on December 20 of that same year. By way of rationale, the name "Marysville" was successfully argued to duplicate the moniker of a town in California, located on the same stagecoach route and that a name change was thus necessary to avoid confusion.

Territorial Capitol

A faction within the deeply divided legislature elected to make Corvallis the capital of the Oregon Territory in December 1855. After the 6th Territorial Legislature convened there, the capital was returned to Salem, which would eventually be selected as the permanent seat of state government. A plaque commemorates the former capital.

Corvallis was incorporated as a city on January 29, 1857.

19th-century growth

Corvallis had a three-year boom beginning in 1889, which began with the establishment of a privately owned electrical plant by L.L. Hurd. A flurry of publicity and public and private investment followed, including construction of a grand county courthouse, planning and first construction of a new street railway, construction of a new flour mill along the river between Monroe and Jackson Avenues, and construction of the Hotel Corvallis, today known as the Julian Hotel.

In addition, a carriage factory was launched in the city and the town's streets were improved, while the size of the city was twice enlarged through annexation. Bonds were issued for a city-owned water works, a sewer system, and for public ownership of the electric plant. A publicity campaign was launched to attempt to expand the tax base through new construction for new arrivals. This effort proved mostly unsuccessful, however, and in 1892, normality returned, with the city saddled with about $150,000 in bonded debt.

The early 20th century

In the first half of the 1900s, before WWII ended, Corvallis mostly grew westward, close to OSU in what is mostly now College Hill West Historic District.

Geography

Corvallis is at river mile 131–32 of the Willamette River. Corvallis is bordered on the northwest by the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range, with Bald Hill providing a view of the town.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.30 square miles (37.04 km2), of which 14.13 square miles (36.60 km2) are land and 0.17 sq mi (0.44 km2) is covered by water.

Climate

Like the rest of the Willamette Valley, Corvallis lies in the Marine West Coast climate zone, with Mediterranean characteristics. Under the Köppen climate classification scheme, Corvallis has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb). Temperatures are mild year round, with warm, dry, sunny summers and mild, wet winters with persistently overcast skies. Spring and fall are also moist seasons with varied cloudiness, and light rain falling for extended periods.

Winter snow is rare, but occasionally does fall, and amounts can range between a dusting and a few inches that do not persist on the ground for more than a day. The northwest hills will often experience more snow. During the midwinter months after extended periods of rain, thick, persistent fogs can form, sometimes lasting the entire day. This can severely reduce visibility to as low as 20 feet (6.1 m). The fog often persists until a new storm system enters the area. This fog could be seen as a type of tule fog.

Rainfall totals within the town itself are surprisingly variable, due to Corvallis lying right on the eastern edge of the Oregon Coast Range, with a small portion of the town inside of the range. Rainfall amounts can range from an average of 66.40 inches (1,687 mm) per year in the far northwest hills, compared to 43.66 inches (1,109 mm) per year at Oregon State University, which is located in the center of Corvallis.

Because of its close proximity to the coastal range, Corvallis can experience slightly cooler temperatures, particularly in the hills, than the rest of the Willamette Valley. The average annual low temperature is 42 °F or 5.6 °C, 4.2 °F (2.3 °C) less than that of Portland just 85 miles (137 km) to the north. Despite this, temperatures dropping far below freezing are still a rare event.

Demographics

Corvallis is the largest principal city of the Albany-Corvallis-Lebanon CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Corvallis metropolitan area (Benton County) and the Albany-Lebanon micropolitan area (Linn County), which had a combined population of 229,209 at the 2023 U.S. Census Estimates.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 59,922 people living in Corvallis, which translated to a population density of 4,200.3 people per square mile (1,621.7 people/km2). The median age was 27.5 years; 13.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.3 males age 18 and over.

There were 23,876 households, of which 19.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 33.8% were married-couple households, 26.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 25,732 housing units, of which 7.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 40.1% were owner-occupied and 59.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.2%.

99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas.

2010 census

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 54,462 people, 22,283 households, and 10,240 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,004.5 people per square mile (1,546.1 people/km2). There were 23,423 housing units at an average density of 1,722.3 per square mile (665.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 83.8% White, 7.3% Asian, 1.1% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.3% Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 2.8% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. 7.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 22,283 households, of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.0% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city, 14.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 32.4% was from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26.4 years. For every 100 males there were 98.7 females.

2000 census

As of the 2000 U.S. Census the median income for a household in the city was $35,437, and the median income for a family was $53,208. Males had a median income of $40,770 versus $29,390 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,317. About 9.7% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

In 1903, Franz Edmund Creffield, commonly known as Edmund Creffield (circa 1870–1906), a German-American religious leader who called himself Joshua, founded a movement in Corvallis which became known locally as the "Holy Rollers". He referred to himself as the second coming of Jesus.

Corvallis lies in the middle of the Unchurched Belt. A 2003 study, released once every 10 years, listed Benton County (of which Corvallis makes up the majority of the population) as the least religious county per capita in the United States. Only one in four people indicated that they were affiliated with one of the 149 religious groups the study identified. The study indicated that some of the disparity, however, may be attributed to the popularity of less common religions (ones not included as an option in the study) in the Pacific Northwest.

Economy

The campus of Oregon State University, which is the major local employer, is located near the edge of the main downtown area.

Other major employers include Samaritan Health Services, SIGA Technologies, Evanite Fiber, ONAMI, and HP Inc., which has a large printing research and development operation in the northeast area of town. Because of this relative concentration of employment and the need for diversity, the city launched a website to attract creative industry to the region by branding it with the slogan "Yes Corvallis".

The National Clonal Germplasm Repository at Corvallis is a gene bank of the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. The gene bank preserves temperate fruit, nut, and agronomic crops from around the world.

Corvallis was ranked number 48 on the 100 best places in the US to live and launch a business by Fortune Small Business 2008. This places Corvallis as the second-best place in Oregon to launch a business, after Portland (number 6). Bend (number 87) and Eugene (number 96) were other Oregon localities ranked in the top 100.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

Downtown Corvallis Wine Walk, previously known as 'Rhapsody in the Vineyard' is an annual, sometimes biannual, hosted by the Corvallis Area Chamber of Commerce and is held in downtown Corvallis since 2012. It pairs local wineries up with, and inside of, downtown local retailers. Attendees get to sample wine and shop local. Anywhere between 15 and nearly 40 wineries and retailers participate annually. It typically takes place in late Spring or early Fall, with the 21st Wine Walk occurring in May 2024.

Da Vinci Days Festival and Kinetic Sculpture Race is an annual festival held in Corvallis since 1988. The science, technology, and art based festival includes live music, a kinetic sculpture race during the summer event, and lecture series in the spring. The festival is named after Italian inventor, artist, and writer, Leonardo da Vinci. The festival celebrates its 31th anniversary in 2024.

Red White and Blue Riverfront Festival occurs ever July 4 on the downtown Riverfront Park banks of the Willamette River with food, vendors and a main stage with live bands. The day begins with a parade through downtown Corvallis and ends at the Commemorative Riverfront Park. The parade began in 1985. A fireworks display is presented by the Corvallis Jaycees along the riverfront.

Philomath Frolic & Rodeo is a family-oriented festival and rodeo focused on the traditions of the Philomath community was founded, namely American Western heritage and traditions and the history of the logging industry. It typically is held in mid-July. Originating in 1953 as the 'Philomath Western Frolic', it was later renamed 'Philomath Buckaroo and Loggers' Frolic'. In 1983 land was donated and an arena was contracted at Skirvin Park, creating what has since been known as the Philomath Frolic & Rodeo. The rodeo attracts over 5,000 spectators each year and has been distinguished as the Northwest Professional Rodeo Association "Rodeo of the Year" eight times (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006 and 2007).

Corvallis Celtic Festival is a newer summertime celebration held in late July, in and around Central Park in Corvallis. It celebrates Celtic culture through lively music performances, participatory sessions, spirited dancing, and engaging workshops that showcase Celtic traditions. The 3rd annual Corvallis Celtic Festival was held July 24–27, 2025.

Museums and other points of interest

Benton County Courthouse

Corvallis Museum (Benton County Historical Society)

Corvallis Arts Center

Hesthaven Nature Center of the Mid-Willamette Bird Alliance

McDonald State Forest

Peavy Arboretum

William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge

Alsea Falls

Corvallis-Benton County Public Library

Osborn Aquatic Center

Corvallis Farmers' Market

Corvallis Arts Walk

Vineyard Mountain

The Majestic Theatre

Whiteside Theatre

PRAx (Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Performing Arts)

Art galleries

The Arts Center

Giustina and Murdock Galleries

Fairbanks Gallery

Art in the Valley

Pegasus Art Gallery

Corvallis Art Guild

Corvallis Mural Project

There are over 50 murals in and near town, and most within walking distance of each other in downtown Corvallis.

Music

Corvallis is home to the Corvallis-OSU Symphony, which celebrated its centennial in 2005. According to the OSU College of Liberal Arts website (as of 2022) the symphony is the oldest continuously operating orchestra in the state of Oregon.

Other musical organizations include:

Corvallis Youth Symphony Association

Chintimini Chamber Music Festival

Chamber Music Corvallis

Corvallis-OSU Piano International

Corvallis Guitar Society

Corvallis Community Band (Host annual "Summer Concerts in the Park" series at Central Park)

Willamette Valley Symphony

Heart of the Valley Children's Choir

Hilltop Big Band

Along with these the Corvallis Environmental Center offers the "SAGE Live Music Concert Series" every summer at Bruce Starker Arts Park in Southwest Corvallis. In the Corvallis metro area, Philomath also hosts a "Music in the Park" summer concert series held at City Park.

Albany Youth Orchestra

Albany "River Rhythms" concert series

Named Oregon's best festival of its size in 2014, for over 30 years the River Rhythms concert series draws in acts with a wide variety of musical styles at Albany's Monteith Riverfront Park.

Albany "Summer Sounds"

Live music in a relaxed outdoor atmosphere, the Summer Sounds concert series is a Monday night concert series at Albany's Monteith Riverpark each summer since 1997.

Sports

As the home of Oregon State University, Corvallis is the home for 17 NCAA Division I OSU teams (7 men's, 10 women's). Corvallis is also the home of the Corvallis Knights baseball team, who play in the summer at OSU's Goss Stadium. The Knights play in the West Coast League, an independent collegiate summer baseball league with teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta.

Parks and recreation

Corvallis is recognized as a Tree City USA. The city has at least 47 public parks within and adjacent to the city limits. One such park is Avery Park and Natural Area, which is one of Corvallis' most popular parks. The Avery Park Cross Country Course is located in the park. It is the home course for the Oregon State Beavers cross-country teams. Beazell Memorial Forest, the largest park maintained by Benton County, is located 10 mi (16 km) from the town.

Parks in Corvallis

Corvallis and the greater Willamette Valley is known for its extensive trails, natural areas and parks system. There are over 40 parks and natural areas with miles of trails within the city limits and urban growth boundary.

Corvallis Parks & Natural Areas:

Allen Berg Natural Area

Arnold Park & Natural Area

Avery Park

Bald Hill Natural Area

Brandis Natural Area

Bruce Starker Arts Park

Caldwell Natural Area

Central Park

Chepenafa Springs Park

Chintimini Park

Chip Ross Park & Natural Area

Cloverland City Park

Crystal Lake Sports Fields & Park

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park

Eric Scott McKinley Skate Park

Forest Dell Natural Area

Garfield Park

Grand Oaks Park

Jackson-Frazier Wetlands

Mary's River Natural Area

Noyes Natural Area

Parks in Albany–Corvallis–Lebanon CSA

There are over 67 Benton and Linn County Parks in the Albany–Corvallis–Lebanon CSA, 78 city parks, 2 national forest, 1 national wildlife refuge, 2 state forest and multiple rivers and lakes in the region.

Albany–Corvallis–Lebanon Forest, Parks and Natural Areas:

Alsea Falls Recreation Site

Cummins Creek Wilderness

Drift Creek Wilderness

Green Peter Reservoir

Foster Reservoir

Marys Peak

McDonald-Dunn Research Forest

McDowell Creek Falls

Middle Santiam Wilderness

Raninbow Falls

Rock Creek Wilderness

Sahalie Falls

Santiam State Forest

Siuslaw National Forest

Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site

Waterloo Falls

Willamette National Forest

William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge

Government

Helen Berg served as mayor of Corvallis for three terms from 1994 until 2006. Berg was the first female mayor of Corvallis, and the longest-serving mayor of the city to date. The current mayor is Charles Maughan, elected in 2022.

The City of Corvallis uses the City Council/City Manager form of government with a weak mayor. The City Council is made of nine city councilors who represent their representative wards and are elected to two-year terms. The City Manager is appointed by the City Council and serves at the pleasure of the City Council. The City Manager primary job is to run the administrative day-to-day operations of the city.

The Corvallis Police Department provides law enforcement services to the city.

Education

Education has had a place in Corvallis since the earliest days of the town, with the first school building constructed in 1848 and put to use in 1850.

During the first decade of the 21st century, local boosters claimed that Corvallis had the highest education rate per capita of any city in the state of Oregon.

Public schools in the city are administered by the Corvallis School District, with two acting high schools, Corvallis High School and Crescent Valley High School. Both high schools' attendance boundaries cover portions of the city limits, and the former is in the city limits. Corvallis is also the home of Oregon State University and the Benton Center campus of Linn-Benton Community College.

Media

Print

Willamette Living Magazine – lifestyle publication based in Corvallis.

Corvallis Gazette-Times – a daily newspaper. The paper was created in 1909 as the result of the merger of two competing weekly newspapers, The Corvallis Gazette (established 1862), and The Corvallis Times (established 1888).

The Corvallis Advocate – a free alternative newsweekly.

Radio

Local radio stations serving the Corvallis area:

Television

Corvallis:

Corvallis has 1 television station within the city and 3 Translator stations. KAOC-TV is an Oregon Public Broadcasting/ PBS station. KLSR-TV (FOX 34 Eugene), KGW (NBC 8 Portland) and KATU (TV) (ABC 2 Portland) have translators within the city.

-KAOC-TV

Translator stations for:

-KLSR-TV (FOX 34 Oregon) at K14GW-D

-KGW (NBC 8 Portland) at K16ML-D

-KATU (TV) (ABC 2 Portland) at K08PZ-D

Within the Albany-Corvallis-Lebanon Combine Statistical Area:

There is 1 additional television station within the Albany-Corvallis-Lebanon combine statistical area and 1 additional Translator station in the Albany-Corvallis-Lebanon combine statistical area. KSLM-LD is based in Dallas, Oregon. KPDX (FOX 12 Portland) has a translator in neighboring Albany.

-KSLM-LD (Dallas, Oregon) at KVDO-LD in Albany

-KPDX (FOX 12 Portland) at K20DD-D in Albany

Within the Willamette Valley:

Corvallis is a part of the Eugene radio and television market with stations such as KVAL, KEZI and KMTR. Corvallis also is within the Salem and Portland area TV market worth stations such as Portland-Salem's CW, KATU, KOIN and KGW are also available on select cable providers.

Infrastructure

Transportation

In 2009, the Corvallis metropolitan statistical area (MSA) ranked as the highest in the United States for percentage of commuters who biked to work (9.3%), and the second-highest percentage of commuters who walked to work (11.2%). More than one of five Corvallis commuters traveled to work via some form of active transportation. In 2013, the Corvallis MSA represented the fifth-lowest mode share for commuting by private automobile (72.6%). During the same period, 8.8% of Corvallis-area commuters biked, another 7.9% walked, and 7.7% worked from home.

Corvallis Municipal Airport (CVO) serves private and corporate aircraft. Many well known celebrities have flown in and out of the Corvallis Municipal Airport over the years including John F. Kennedy in 1960, Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama.

The closest commercial air service is available at Eugene Airport (EUG), 35 miles (56 km), Salem Airport (SLE), 40 miles (64 km) or Portland International Airport (PDX), 95 miles (153 km).

The Groome Transportation Company provides multiple shuttles daily between Corvallis and the Portland Airport (PDX) with stops in Albany, Salem and Woodburn.

Historically Corvallis had a very busy passenger train station and depot that was located downtown. They are no longer in use, but have been moved to other areas in the city, preserved, and repurposed. The Corvallis passenger train station is currently the Corvallis Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant. Passenger service is currently provided by the Amtrak Cascades line at the nearby Albany Amtrak Station (ALY).

There are 2 freight lines that run through the city regularly.

Long-distance bus service is provided in Corvallis by Greyhound. It stops at the Downtown Transit Center and at OSU campus Transit stop (station ID: CVI and CVO).

FlixBus provides Regional service from the Downtown Transit Center and OSU campus Transit Center. There are 4 daily trips southbound to Eugene and the U of O campus, and 4 daily northbound trips to Albany, Salem, and Portland.

Utilities

The city's water system has two water treatment plants, nine processed water reservoirs, one raw water reservoir, and some 210 miles (340 km) of pipe. The system can process up to about 19 million US gallons (72,000 m3) of water per day.

The Rock Creek treatment plant processes water from sources in the 10,000-acre (40 km2) Rock Creek Municipal Watershed near Marys Peak. The three sources are surface streams, which are all tributaries of the Marys River. Rock Creek has a processing capacity of 7 million US gallons (26,000 m3) of water per day (gpd), though operational characteristics of the 9-mile (14 km), 20-inch (51 cm) pipeline to the city limits capacity to half that. The Rock Creek Plant output remains steady year round at about 3 million US gallons (11,000 m3).

The H.D. Taylor treatment plant obtains water from the Willamette River, and has been expanded at least four times since it was first constructed in 1949. Its output varies seasonally according to demand, producing from 2 to 16 million US gallons (7,600 to 60,600 m3) per day, though it has a capacity of 21 million US gallons (79,000 m3) per day.

The total reservoir capacity is 21 million US gallons (79,000 m3), though measures to voluntarily reduce water usage begin when reservoir levels fall below 90% of capacity, and become mandatory at 80% or below. As part of its ongoing water-conservation program, the water department jointly publishes a guide to water-efficient garden plants.

According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency report on its "green power communities", Corvallis is among the top cities in the nation in terms of buying electricity produced from renewable resources. Corvallis purchases more than 126 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually, which amounts to 21% of the city's total purchased electricity.

Fire department

The Corvallis Fire Department is headed by Fire Chief Ben Janes as of February 14, 2022, and currently has four stations in the City and 1 station located in the Corvallis Rural Fire Protection District which is staffed by 1 paid Lieutenant and several Interns. A sixth fire station was shuttered several years ago due to budgeting shortfalls and remains closed to date. Corvallis Fire provides ALS ambulance service for all of Benton County with 6 frontline ambulances. In 2024 CFD ran around 12,000 calls for service. The Corvallis Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2240 represents all line personnel and prevention staff.

Notable people

This list excludes persons whose only connection to Corvallis is attendance or employment at Oregon State University.

Sister cities

Corvallis has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

Gondar, Ethiopia

Uzhhorod, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine