Corvallis ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Benton County in central western Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2023 Census Population Estimates, the population was 61,087, making it the 9th most populous city in Oregon. This includes the 24,900 Oregon State University students at the main campus in Corvallis, over 5,250 of whom live in one of 16 residence halls on the main campus. Corvallis is the location of Oregon State University's main campus, Samaritan Health Services, a top 10 largest non-profit employer in the state, an Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center campus, and a , Hewlett Packard research and development campus. Corvallis is a part of the Silicon Forest. Corvallis is the westernmost city in the contiguous 48 states with a population larger than 50,000.
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.
History
Establishment In October 1845, Pennsylvanian Joseph C. Avery arrived in Oregon. Note that a clear typographical error in the original source has Avery's date of arrival as "October 1846", but the beginning of his residence in "June 1846." 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.Fagan, History of Benton County, Oregon, p. 423.
Avery was quickly joined by other settlers along the banks of the Willamette River, including a 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 land parcels from their land holdings for the establishment of a county seat.Fagan, History of Benton County, Oregon, p. 424. 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.Fagan, History of Benton County, Oregon, p. 425.
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 , of which are land and 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 . 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 per year in the far northwest hills, compared to 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 , less than that of Portland just 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 . 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.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 44,518 74.3% Black or African American 778 1.3% American Indian and Alaska Native 525 0.9% Asian 5,786 9.7% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 222 0.4% Some other race 2,320 3.9% Two or more races 5,773 9.6% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 6,061 10.1%
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 . There were 23,423 housing units at an average density of . 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.