Corvallis, Oregon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Corvallis, Oregon | |
 | |
| Motto: Enhancing Community Livability | |
| Location of Corvallis within Oregon. | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Benton |
| Founded / Incorporated | 1845 / 1857 |
| Mayor | Helen Berg |
| Area | |
| - City | 35.7 km² (13.8 sq mi) |
| - Land | 35.2 km² (13.6 sq mi) |
| - Water | 0.4 km² (0.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 68.28 m (235 ft) |
| Population | |
| - City (2006) | 53,156 |
| - Density | 1,400.2/km² (3,625.6/sq mi) |
| (Estimate) | |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| Website: http://www.ci.corvallis.or.us | |
Corvallis (IPA: [ˌkɔɹ ˈvæl ɪs]) is a city located in central western Oregon, USA. Originally called Marysville, (after early settler Mary Lloyd), the legislative assembly changed the city's name to Corvallis in 1853, from the Latin phrase cor vallis, meaning "heart of the valley." Corvallis was incorporated as a city in 1857. It is the county seat of Benton CountyGR6 and the principal city of the 'Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Benton County.
As of October 2006, the city has an estimated population of 53,156.
Its daily newspaper, The Corvallis Gazette-Times has a weekday circulation of 11,524 and a Sunday circulation of 12,021.
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Corvallis is admired for its tree-lined streets and numerous parks, its historic courthouse, its popular public library,<ref>Corvallis-Benton County Public Library</ref> storefronts, homes, and other structures, its traditional downtown with small shops and restaurants, and its Riverfront Commemorative Park, which runs along the Willamette River, on the eastern edge of downtown. Designated a "Bike-Friendly City," Corvallis has many miles of bike paths, trails, and roadside bicycle lanes. The 577 acre (2.34 km²) Oregon State University campus complements the city with its abundance of trees and handsome buildings. The university also brings a wealth of educational, research, and cultural resources to the community, as well as major college sports events.
Corvallis was the inspiration for "Cascadia" in the Bernard Malamud story, "A New Life."
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 49,322 people, 19,630 households, and 9,972 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,400.2/km² (3,625.6/mi²). There were 20,909 housing units at an average density of 593.6/km² (1,537.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.03% White, 1.16% Black or African American, 0.76% Native American, 6.42% Asian, 0.29% Pacific Islander, 2.52% from other races, and 2.82% from two or more races. 5.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 19,630 households out of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.2% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.7% under the age of 18, 28.4% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,236, 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.
[edit] Geography
Corvallis is located at (44.570780, -123.275998)GR1, at an elevation of 235 feet. Situated midway in the Willamette Valley, Corvallis is about 85 miles south of Portland, 30 miles south of the state capital, Salem, ten miles west of Albany and the I-5 highway, and 44 miles north of Eugene / Springfield. By car, the travel time is about an hour and a half from Portland, and 45 minutes from Eugene/Springfield, taking I-5. Highway 99W, a secondary north-south route, also runs through Corvallis.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.7 km² (13.8 mi²). 35.2 km² (13.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.23% water.
[edit] Public education
[edit] Elementary schools
[edit] Middle schools
[edit] High schools
[edit] External links
[edit] Famous people & groups
- Amadan, Irish music band
- Brad Badger, NFL player
- Brad Bird, animator, writer, and director (The Incredibles, The Iron Giant)
- Meredith Brooks, singer, songwriter, and producer
- Randy Couture, mixed martial artist and UFC Hall of Fame member
- Kevin Gregg, MLB player
- Eyvind Kang, violinist and composer
- Jon Krakauer, author and mountaineer (Raised in Corvallis, Oregon)
- Wayne Krantz, guitarist
- Deane Ogden, film composer
- Linus Pauling, 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and 1962 Nobel Peace Prize recipient (Graduated from Oregon Agricultural College, now Oregon State University)
- Harold Reynolds, former MLB player and former ESPN broadcaster
- Mike Riley, former NFL head coach (San Diego Chargers), currently the Oregon State Beavers head football coach
- Robb Thomas, former NFL player
- Sara Jean Underwood, Playboy model
- Carl Wieman, 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics recipient for creation of the Bose-Einstein Condensate
- The W's, 1990s swing revival band
- Mike Zandofsky, former NFL player
- See also: List of Oregon State University people
[edit] Points of interest
[edit] Rankings and recognition
Image:Corvallis-Benton Public Library.jpg
- A study done by the University of Southern California ranked Corvallis' Oregon State University as the "Safest Pac-10 Campus" (1994). <ref name =OSUHistory90's"> OSU Chronological History: 1990-1999 URL accessed May 31, 2006.</ref>
- A study done by Vegan Magazine ranked Corvallis as "One of the 13 best towns to be a vegetarian" (1995). <ref name="GazetteTimes"> Corvallis: We're number 7! URL accessed May 11, 2006.</ref>
- An article in Parade magazine rated Corvallis as "One of the 10 best cities in which to live" (1996). <ref name="GazetteTimes" />
- Offspring Magazine listed the Corvallis School District as one of the top public school systems in the country (2000). <ref name="GazetteTimes" />
- A study done by Hennen's American Public Library Ratings ranked the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library as one of the top ten libraries in the country based on population size (2002). <ref>Hennen's American Public Library Ratings URL accessed Oct. 30, 2006.</ref>
- USA Today ranked Corvallis fourth in the nation for the highest number of patents issued by city (2002). <ref name ="AboutCorvallis"> About Corvallis URL accessed May 11, 2006.</ref>
- BizDemographics ranked Corvallis 7th out of about 500 cities in the nation for best places to do business (2002). <ref name="GazetteTimes" />
- The Bicycle Transportation Alliance ranked Corvallis as Oregon's most bicycle-friendly city (2002). <ref name="GazetteTimes" />
- The Orange County Register picked Corvallis' Oregon State University as the "Best Pac-10 Campus" (2002). <ref name="GazetteTimes" />
- The National Arbor Day Foundation awarded Corvallis a Tree City USA Award in 2002. <ref name="AboutCorvallis" /> They also awarded Corvallis the Tree City USA Growth Award in 2003. <ref> City of Corvallis wins Tree City USA Growth Award in 2003 URL accessed May 12, 2006.</ref>
- Bike USA listed Corvallis as the 9th most bicycle-friendly city in the nation. <ref name ="AboutCorvallis" />
- The League of American Bicyclists gave Corvallis a gold "Bicycle-Friendly Community" designation in May 2003, one of only four such cities in the nation as of 2006. <ref> League Names Corvallis a Bicycle-Friendly Community URL accessed May 11, 2006.</ref>
- Frommer's Travel Guides, Cities Ranked & Rated ranks Corvallis as the 10th best city of any size in the United States and Canada. <ref>Sperling, Bert, Peter Sander [2004-03-22] (2004-03-22). Cities Ranked & Rated: More than 400 Metropolitan Areas Evaluated in the U.S. and Canada, 1st edition, John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-7645-2562-X. </ref>
- The February 2004 issue of the Harvard Business Review ranks Corvallis as the 15th most creative city in the nation. <ref name="Rankings">What The Media Has to Say About Corvallis! URL accessed May 11, 2006.</ref>
- Bike at Work listed Corvallis as the 9th best city in the nation "As a car free community" (2005). <ref name ="AboutCorvallis" />
- Men's Journal ranked Corvallis as "The 8th best place in the nation to live" in 2003. <ref name="Rankings" /> In April 2005, they moved Corvallis up one place to 7th. <ref name="GazetteTimes" />
- Expansion Management selected Corvallis as a "Five-Star Knowledge Worker Metro", the highest rating achievable (2005). <ref> 2005 Five-Star Knowledge Worker Metros URL accessed May 12, 2006.</ref>
- A survey by the National Science Foundation found Corvallis ranks second in the nation for the number of scientists as a percentage of total employment (12.7 percent) as of 2006. <ref>Corvallis Second In Nation in Percentage of Scientists URL accessed May 11, 2006.</ref>
- Corvallis was the first city on the West Coast and only the third city in the nation to receive the "Green Power Community" designation by the EPA (2006). <ref> Corvallis named 'green power community' URL accessed May 11, 2006; (Pacific Power article) URL accessed September 13, 2006.</ref>
- In 2006, the Morgan Quitno Awards ranked Corvallis as the 20th safest city (of 344) in the 13th Annual America's Safest (and Most Dangerous) Cities publication for metropolitan areas of its size.<ref>City Crime Rankings by Population Group URL accessed October 30, 2006.</ref>
[edit] Sister cities
Corvallis has two sister cities,<ref>Corvallis Sister Cities Association</ref> as designated by Sister Cities International:
[edit] Trivia
- Highest education rate per capita of any city in the state <ref name="AboutCorvallis" />
- Benton County, of which Corvallis makes up the majority of the population, has the lowest church attendance per capita of any county in the nation (25% attendance) <ref> Reeves, Carol (2003-12-21). Where are the faithful?. Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved on 2006-06-11. </ref>
- In legendary film director Billy Wilder's 1944 film noir classic Double Indemnity, the character of Mr. Jackson, played by Porter Hall, is from Medford, Oregon, but mentions Corvallis in this line to Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray): "It's the name! There's a family of Neffs in Corvallis!" Walter Neff replies, "No relation", to which Mr. Jackson says, "Let me see, this man's an automobile dealer in Corvallis. A very reputable man too I'm told."<ref>Double Indemnity (1944) script</ref>
[edit] References
<references />
[edit] External links
- City of Corvallis
- Corvallis Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USAbg:Корвалис
de:Corvallis io:Corvallis, Oregon ja:コーバリス (オレゴン州) pt:Corvallis ro:Corvallis, Oregon sv:Corvallis zh:科瓦利斯
