Cottage Grove, Oregon
Cottage Grove is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. Its population was 9,686 at the 2010 census. It is the third largest city in Lane County. It is on Interstate 5, Oregon Route 99, and the main Willamette Valley line of the CORP railroad. History. Cottage Grove post office was established in 1855 east of present-day Creswell. It was named by its first postmaster, G. C. Pearce, whose home was in an oak grove. In 1861, the office was moved to the present site of Saginaw; then in the late 1860s, to the southwestern -most part of present-day Cottage Grove, on the west bank of the Coast Fork Willamette River. When the Southern Pacific railroad was built through the area in the 1870s, Cottage Grove station was placed more than half a mile northeast of the post office, on the river's east side. This was the start of a neighborhood dispute that lasted for nearly 20 years. The people living near the post office did not want it moved to the railroad station, so a new office was established at the station with the name "Lemati", a Chinook Jargon word that means  mountain. Lemati office ran from November 1893 to September 1894, but in March 1898 the Cottage Grove office was renamed Lemati, and ran that way until it was permanently renamed Cottage Grove in May 1898. The only existing covered railroad bridge west of the Mississippi River, the National Register of Historic Places-listed Chambers Railroad Bridge, is in Cottage Grove. The city restored it in 2011, reopening it on December 3. Cottage Grove received the All-America City Award by the National Civic League in 1968 and 2004. It has been recognized as a Tree City USA by The Arbor  Day Foundation for over a decade. In October 2008, it was the 17th city in the United States to be recognized as a Green Power Community. Lemati. Cottage Grove was incorporated in 1887, but the people on its east side rebelled in 1893 and founded East Cottage Grove. The Oregon State Legislature changed its name to Lemati in 1895; the station's signboard said "Cottage Grove", and "Lemati" in smaller letters. In 1899 an act was passed that consolidated the two towns as Cottage Grove. Geography. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of  , of which, is land and is water. Cottage Grove lies south of the confluence of the Row River and the Coast Fork of the Willamette River. This confluence effectively marks the southern end of the Willamette Valley. Climate. This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Cottage Grove has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps. Demographics. 2010 census. As of the census of 2010, there were 9,686 people, 3,895 households, and 2,469 families living in the city. The population density was  . There were 4,154 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.4% White, 0.3% African American, 1.3% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.1% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.0% of the population. There were 3,895 households, of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.6% were non-families. 29.9% of  all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age in the city was 38.3 years. 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female. 2000 census. As of the census  of 2000, there were 8,445 people, 3,264 households, and 2,183 families living in the city. The population density was 2,561.6 people per square mile (988.1/km). There were 3,430 housing units at an average density of 1,040.4 per square mile (401.3/km). The racial makeup of the city was 92.84% White, 0.15% African American, 1.21% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.55% from other races, and 3.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.94% of the population. There were 3,264 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living  with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population dispersal was 27.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was  37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,442, and the median income for a family was $37,457. Males had a median income of $30,775 versus $23,485 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,550. About 15.6% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.0% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over. Arts and culture. Annual  cultural events. The largest festivals in Cottage Grove are Bohemia Mining Days and the Western Oregon Exposition Heritage Fair & Logging Show. Museums and other points of interest. Cottage Grove is known as the "Covered Bridge Capital of The West" with six covered bridges near the city. Five of the six bridges, Chambers Covered Bridge, Currin Bridge, Dorena Bridge, Mosby Creek Bridge, and Stewart Bridge, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Centennial Covered Bridge is a replica bridge constructed from materials salvaged from dismantled bridges. The Swinging Bridge is a historic suspension footbridge. It is home to 21  murals throughout downtown reflecting the community's history, as well as the Cottage Theatre. Cottage Grove has four museums: Film location. Several films have been filmed in Cottage Grove: Sports. Cottage Grove has two golf courses: Middlefield and Hidden Valley. Middlefield also has a disc golf course. Parks and recreation. Dorena Lake and Cottage Grove Lake are near the city. There is also a system of cycle trails at Mosby Creek. Education. The South Lane School District serves Cottage Grove and the surrounding area. Cottage Grove High School, Al Kennedy High School, Lincoln Middle School, Bohemia and Harrison elementary schools  and the Academy for Character Education are in the city. Lane Community College has a Cottage Grove satellite campus offering credit and enrichment courses. Media. The Chronicle (first published in 1909) is the oldest locally owned newspaper in southern Willamette Valley. Published weekly by Nash Publishing Group, it focuses on hyper-local coverage from Cottage Grove to Creswell to Springfield and other local communities. The company also owns chronicle1909.com, Emerald Valley Magazine, and the annual Emerald Valley Almanac. The "Cottage Grove Sentinel ("circulation of 3,331) is the city's weekly newspaper. KNND is its local radio station. Infrastructure. Transportation. Air . Jim Wright Field is a public airport serving small general aviation aircraft, located one mile (1.6 km) east of Cottage Grove. Bus. Lane Transit District runs bus service to nearby Eugene and Springfield. South Lane Wheels runs shuttle service in downtown Cottage Grove.