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Albany is the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
of Linn County, Oregon, and is the eleventh largest city in that state. Albany is located in the
Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east ...
at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the
Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...
in both Linn and
Benton Benton may refer to: Places Canada *Benton, a local service district south of Woodstock, New Brunswick *Benton, Newfoundland and Labrador United Kingdom * Benton, Devon, near Bratton Fleming * Benton, Tyne and Wear United States *Benton, Alabam ...
counties, just east of Corvallis and south of
Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...
. It is predominantly a farming and manufacturing city that settlers founded around 1848. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population of Albany, Oregon was 56,472. Albany has a
home rule charter Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...
, a
council–manager government The council–manager government is a form of local government used for municipalities, counties, or other equivalent regions. It is one of the two most common forms of local government in the United States along with the mayor–council go ...
, and a full-time unelected
city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a " Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief ex ...
. The city provides the population with access to over 30 parks and trails, a senior center, and many cultural events such as the Northwest Art & Air Festival, River Rhythms, Summer Sounds and Movies at Monteith. In addition to farming and manufacturing, the city's economy depends on retail trade, health care, and social assistance. In recent years the city has worked to revive the
downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
shopping area, with help from the Central Albany Revitalization Area.


History

In the historic era, the area of the
Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east ...
that makes up modern-day Albany was inhabited by one of the tribes of the
Kalapuya The Kalapuya are a Native American people, which had eight independent groups speaking three mutually intelligible dialects. The Kalapuya tribes' traditional homelands were the Willamette Valley of present-day western Oregon in the United Sta ...
, a Penutian-speaking, Native American people. The Kalapuya had named the area ''Takenah'', a Kalapuyan word used to describe the deep pool at the confluence of the Calapooia and Willamette rivers. A variation of the place name can also be written as Tekenah. The Kalapuya population in the valley was between 4,000 and 20,000 before contact with Europeans, but they suffered high mortality from new infectious diseases introduced shortly afterward. The tribes were decimated by a
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) ce ...
epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious d ...
that raged through the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...
in 1782–83. A
malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or deat ...
outbreak swept through the region between 1830 and 1833. It is estimated that as many as 90 percent of the Kalapuya population died during this period. That, coupled with the
treaties A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...
signed during the 1850s by the Kalapuya to cede land to the United States, left the area nearly free for
European Americans European Americans (also referred to as Euro-Americans) are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes people who are descended from the first European settlers in the United States as well as people who are descended from more recent E ...
to settle. The first European American settler arrived in 1845; Abner Hackleman was a farmer from Iowa. Taking up a land claim for himself, Hackleman asked Hiram N. Smead to hold another for him until his son arrived from Iowa. In 1846, a year after arriving in Oregon, Hackleman died while returning to Iowa to fetch his family. In 1847 a pair of brothers, Walter and Thomas Monteith, settled in the area, after traveling by ox team along the
Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kans ...
from their native state of New York. They were a family of early prominence in the area; in 1848, they bought a claim of from Hiram Smead for $400 and a horse; they plotted out for the town site. They named the city "Albany" after their hometown of Albany in New York. During the same period, Hackleman's son Abram reached his father's original land claim and built a log house in an oak grove still known as Hackleman's Grove. He later built a house, which still stands at the corner of Fifth and Jackson. The small settlement that formed on the Hackleman land became known as the community of Takenah in 1849. During this early period, the Monteith and Hackleman families were literally and politically on opposite sides of the fence. Residents in the Monteiths' portion of town were mainly merchants and professionals, who aligned with the Republican Party. They tended to sympathize with the Union during the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...
. The residents in Hackleman's portion of town to the east were made up mostly of working-class Democrats who sided with the
Confederacy Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
. The two sides planted a hedge near Baker Street separating their sides of town. With help from Samuel Althouse, the Monteiths built the first frame house in Albany in 1849. The Monteith House was considered the finest house in Oregon at the time. That same year the start of the California Gold Rush had caught the attention of the Monteith brothers, who provided supplies to the gold fields; their profits were seed money for several new businesses in Albany, including the general store. After the Monteiths developed these businesses, Albany became a major hub city in the Willamette Valley. Albany's first school was established in 1851 by the town's first physician, R. C. Hill. The first school teacher was Eleanor B. Hackleman, wife of Abram Hackleman. It was not until 1855 that a building was specifically erected for use as a school. In 1852, the first steamboat, the '' Multnomah'', arrived and the first flour mill was built. On January 8, 1850, a U.S. post office was established in Albany, with John Burkhart appointed as the first U.S.
Postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
. The town was renamed as "New Albany" on November 4, 1850, but the name was changed back to Albany in 1853. In 1851, Albany was designated as the county seat, replacing Calapooia (near modern-day Brownsville and Sweet Home), and all court meetings were held there. The first Albany courthouse was built in 1852 on of land donated by the Monteiths to ensure Albany would remain the county seat. The new two-story octagonal courthouse was completed on April 26, 1853. The courthouse has since been replaced, but the new courthouse stands on the same site. During 1853–1854, residents of the east side of Albany persuaded the
Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...
to name both towns Takenah. Though ''Takenah'' meant "deep pool," in reference to the confluence of the Calapooia and Willamette rivers, it was commonly translated as "Hole in the Ground". Partially due to this translation, the legislature restored the name ''Albany'' to the town in 1855. Finally in 1864, 16 years after the Monteiths founded the town and 19 years after the first European Americans arrived, it became incorporated as a city.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. In 1871, the trains first reached Albany, connecting it to other towns in the valley. The arrival of the first train was celebrated as the greatest event in Albany's history. Albany businessmen raised $50,000 to ensure that the rails would be built through the city, instead of bypassing it a few miles eastward. The train brought the farmers' markets closer to the city, as stagecoaches and steamboats gave way to the railroad. The world's longest wooden railroad drawbridge was built in 1888 for the Albany-Corvallis run. By 1910, 28 passenger trains departed daily from Albany going in five directions. In 1872, the Santiam Ditch and Canal Company was organized, and a canal running from the Santiam near Lebanon was completed that autumn. The canal runs c from the south side of Albany and divides at the corner of Vine and Eight streets, with one branch running down Vine Street and emptying into Calapooia Creek, with a drop of . The other runs down Eighth to Thurston Street. In 1924 Pacific Power installed a turbine where the canal meets the river to generate electricity. In 1984 the city bought the water system from Pacific Power, and shut down the plant in 1991. By 2003 the city had approved a plan to restart the four megawatt-hour hydroelectric plant and in February 2009 the plant opened again. Albany was the headquarters for the Mountain States Power Company from its establishment in 1918 until its merger into Pacific Power & Light (now
PacifiCorp PacifiCorp is an electric power company in the western United States. PacifiCorp has two business units: # Pacific Power, a regulated electric utility with service territory throughout Oregon, northern California, and southeastern Washington. # ...
) in 1954. In the 1940s, the city started the
Albany World Championship Timber Carnival The Albany Timber Carnival was held in Albany, Oregon from 1941 to 2000. The event returned in 2008 and featured competitive logrolling, wood chopping, cross-cut sawing, and Hot Saw Hot Saw is an event or discipline in logging sports. It is also ...
, which drew competitors from all over the world to participate in logging skills contests. The event took place over the four days of the Fourth of July weekend. Men and women would compete in climbing, chopping, bucking, and burling contests. In 2001 the carnival was cancelled because of smaller crowds and the state's declining timber economy. In 1916 Kuo-Ching Li, a Chinese-American engineer, founded Wah Chang Trading Corporation in New York State, but it was based in Albany. He developed it as an international
tungsten Tungsten, or wolfram, is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. Tungsten is a rare metal found naturally on Earth almost exclusively as compounds with other elements. It was identified as a new element in 1781 and first isol ...
ore and concentrate trading company, leading the company until his death in 1961. He served as president until 1960 and then board chairman. The U.S. Bureau of Mines established a research center on the former Albany College campus in 1942, focusing on the development of new metallurgical processes. First known as the Northwest Electro-development Facility, the site produced titanium and zirconium. It fostered the growth of a new rare metals industry in Albany, led by internationally recognized companies such as the Oregon Metallurgical Company, Oremet, and Wah Chang. In the 1970s, Albany attempted to extend its city limits to include a zirconium processing plant of Wah Chang Corporation in order to increase its industrial tax base. Wah Chang responded in 1974 by sponsoring a vote to incorporate the desired properties as Millersburg. When the Bureau of Mines closed in 1996, the facility was transferred to the
United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...
's Office of Fossil Energy. In 2005 the facility became part of the National Energy Technology Laboratory.


Geography

Albany is in the central part of Oregon's most populated region, the Willamette Valley. The city rests along the confluence of the Calapooia and Willamette rivers, and although most of Albany falls within Linn County, a smaller portion of the city rests to the north of its downtown on the west bank of the Willamette River in Benton County. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Albany has within its urban growth boundary. Throughout the city limits and urban growth area, there are limited hills; the city is one of the lowest points along the Willamette Valley, with elevations ranging above sea level. The North Albany District has the most variable elevation, while the downtown and southern end of town have little elevation change throughout.


Climate

Similar to the majority of Western Oregon, Albany's weather is considered to be mild. Albany has generally warm and dry summers during which precipitation drops to in July and temperatures peak at an average of in August. The record high temperature in Albany was in 1981. Winters in Albany are cool and wet. The month with the most precipitation is December with . The coldest month is January, with an average low just above freezing at . The record low temperature was recorded in 1972 at . Albany and the surrounding area was left devastated by the
Columbus Day Storm The Columbus Day Storm of 1962 (also known as the Big Blow, and originally, and in Canada as Typhoon Freda) was a Pacific Northwest windstorm that struck the West Coast of Canada and the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States on October 12, ...
of October 1962.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2010, there were 50,158 people, 19,705 households, and 12,894 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was . There were 20,979 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.8%
White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 0.7%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 1.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.2%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...
, 5.2% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race were 11.4% of the population. There were 19,705 households, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.6% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age in the city was 35.6 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 13.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 40,852 people, 16,108 households, and 10,808 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,571.8/sq mi. There were 17,374 housing units at an average density of 1,093.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 91.68% White, 0.53% African American, 1.22% Native American, 1.14% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 2.65% from other races, and 2.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.09% of the population. There were 16,108 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $39,409, and the median income for a family was $46,094. Males had a median income of $36,457 versus $24,480 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $18,570. About 9.3% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.


Government

Albany has a
home rule charter Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...
and a
council–manager government The council–manager government is a form of local government used for municipalities, counties, or other equivalent regions. It is one of the two most common forms of local government in the United States along with the mayor–council go ...
. A full-time unelected city manager administers the day-to-day operations of the city for the council. The city manager in 2018 is Peter Troedsson. The mayor is elected at large every two years. The six council members represent the three geographic wards of the city and have overlapping four-year terms. The city charter was first adopted in 1891, and the most recent version of the city charter became effective on January 1, 1957, modified since then by ordinances adopted by the council. The mayor, as of 2022, is Alex Johnson II, and the council members are Dick Olsen and Matilda Novak from Ward I, Ray Kopczynski and Stacey Bartholomew from Ward II, and Bessie Johnson and Marilyn Smith from Ward III. Albany City Hall is located on Broadalbin Street in the downtown section of the city and was built in 1995. In 2018, City Hall houses: * City Manager's office * Finance Department * Human Resources Department * Information Technology Department * Municipal Court * Parks and Recreation administrative staff * Public Works Engineering, Building and Planning divisions. The city provides its own fire department, police department, library system, and also provides both their own water supply and wastewater treatment through the Public Works Operations division. and the current wastewater treatment plant was completed in 2009. In total the local government employs around 450 full- and part-time employees with the majority in Police, Fire, and Public Works Operations. The Albany city government was nationally recognized in 2009 and 2010 with the Certificate of Distinction and in 2011 and 2012 with the Certificate of Excellence from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) for its dedication to improving governmental performance. In 2010, 2011 and 2012, the Sunshine Review awarded Albany an A+ perfect score for government transparency and online accessibility with its website along with other government agencies from around the country. Also in September 2010, the League of Oregon Cities awarded Albany the Good Governance Award for the "Where Does My Money Go? and Albany Dashboard" web applications and featured Albany for governmental transparency. In January 2011, Government Computer News cited Albany as one of ten "Top Public Sector Websites" in the nation for government transparency. Other recognition includes a 2016 award for Safest Cities in Oregon from BackgroundChecks.org and 2016 Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers for Assistant City Manager/CIO Jorge Salinas in Government Technology magazine. Albany was a 2015 winner in the e.Republic Center for Digital Government (CDG) Digital Cities Survey. The annual survey recognizes leading examples of cities using technology to improve services and boost efficiencies. Albany is also home to the county government and the Linn County Courthouse.


Economy

Albany calls itself the "rare metals capital of the world", producing
zirconium Zirconium is a chemical element with the symbol Zr and atomic number 40. The name ''zirconium'' is taken from the name of the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium. The word is related to Persian '' zargun'' (zircon; ''zar-gun'' ...
,
hafnium Hafnium is a chemical element with the symbol Hf and atomic number 72. A lustrous, silvery gray, tetravalent transition metal, hafnium chemically resembles zirconium and is found in many zirconium minerals. Its existence was predicted by D ...
and
titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resista ...
. One of the major producers of these metals in Albany is ATI Specialty Alloys and Components (formerly ATI Wah Chang) which has a site that primarily focuses on the production of zirconium. Albany and the surrounding communities are major exporters of grass seed. Other crops produced include
corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn ( North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. ...
,
beans A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes t ...
, mint,
strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid species of the genus ''Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The f ...
, and
hazelnut The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus '' Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species '' Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts accordi ...
s. Linn County is also referred to as the "Grass Seed Capital of the World". The decline of the timber industry and the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs has left Linn County with a relatively high unemployment rate. The Oregon Employment Department does not maintain unemployment statistics for cities. The losses in the timber industry in around Albany have led the city to a more diverse economic base for the city, led by retail trade, health care and social assistance, and manufacturing as the three leading aspects of the economy. Oregon Freeze Dry is a leading employer in the manufacturing sector of the Albany economy with its headquarters located in the city. The company employs over 300 people and was incorporated in 1963. The Albany facility is the company's main research and development site in the industry, and has recently partnered with
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
-based technology company EnerG2 to produce carbon electrode material, in a former distribution center of Oregon Freeze Dry by 2011 bringing a new green technology industry to Albany. Tec Laboratories has made Tecnu poison ivy cleanser and other topical medicines in Albany since 1977. Albany is also home to the Albany Research Center, which is part of National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). They employ a staff of 120. Albany Research Center was founded in 1943, the laboratory specializes in life cycle research starting with the formulation, characterization, and/or melting of most metals, alloys, and ceramics; casting and fabrication, prototype development; and the recycle and remediation of waste streams associated with these processes. Albany has a
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
of $18,570, putting it ranked at 81st in the state.


See also

* Heritage Mall


Arts and culture


Annual cultural events

The annual events in Albany include the Northwest Art and Air Festival, River Rhythms, Summer Sounds (formerly Mondays at Monteith), Veteran's Day Parade, Albany Upstairs Downtown Wine Walk and the Craft Brew Smackdown. The once popular
Albany Timber Carnival The Albany Timber Carnival was held in Albany, Oregon from 1941 to 2000. The event returned in 2008 and featured competitive logrolling, wood chopping, cross-cut sawing, and Hot Saw Hot Saw is an event or discipline in logging sports. It is also u ...
ended in 2000. An attempt to revive the event in 2008 was unsuccessful. The Albany Arts Festival was held from 1970 until the late 1980s.


Museums and other points of interest

Areas of interest include the Thomas and Walter Monteith House. Originally constructed near the Calapooia River, the Monteith house is one of the oldest buildings in Albany. It has been relocated twice, most recently to downtown Albany, where is serves as the Monteith House Museum and is on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
. Whitespires Church, another historically registered building, is the tallest building in town. Th
Albany Regional Museum
features exhibits about Albany history and is housed in a historic building originally built by S.E. Young in 1887. Downtown Albany is a National Historic District, and features antique stores, restaurants, the Albany Civic Theater (one of the oldest civic theaters in Oregon, it has operated continuously since the opening of its first production on March 2, 1951), and one of the oldest Carnegie libraries still being used as a library. Since the early 2000s, a hand-carved
carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in SA) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular pla ...
has been under construction at the Albany Historic Carousel and Museum. Albany has four historic districts including the Albany Municipal Airport, Monteith Historic District,
Hackleman Historic District The Hackleman Historic District in Albany Oregon, was placed on the list of National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982. The district contains 228 historic properties within about a 28 city blocks area. The district was named after A ...
, and the Albany Downtown Commercial Historic District. Albany's historic districts include most of the housing styles built between 1840 and 1920, including Federal, Gothic Revival, American Farmhouse, Second Empire,
Eastlake Eastlake may refer to: Places ;Australia * Kingston, Australian Capital Territory, formerly called Eastlake ** Eastlake Football Club, an amateur Australian Rules Football Club named after that location ;United States * Eastlake, Lake County, C ...
,
Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italia ...
, and
Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...
. Those historic districts were recognized as one of the best places to buy a historic home in the nation by
This Old House ''This Old House'' is an American home improvement media brand with television shows, a magazine, and a websiteThisOldHouse.com. The brand is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The television series airs on the American television networ ...
online. In total there are over 700 historic buildings within the 4 historic districts.


Parks and recreation

The Albany Parks and Recreation Department is the agency responsible for the Senior Center, the Periwinkle Creek Bike Path, and the other trails and parks within Albany. The department's recreation staff spends most of the summer organizing and running the city-organized events that occur at these parks such as River Rhythms, Summer Sounds, and the Northwest Art & Air Festival. The department is in charge of running and maintaining the Albany Community Pool and the Swanson Park Action Center which houses the Albany Cool! Pool. Albany's Parks and Recreation Department aims to make it where everyone within the city limits lives within of a park. Albany's Timber-Linn Memorial Park house the 63rd
Blue Star Blue star or bluestar may refer to: * O-type star (a.k.a. blue star), a stellar classification Animals * ''Linckia laevigata'', a sea star from the Indian and West Pacific Oceans * ''Phataria unifascialis'', a sea star from the East Pacific Bus ...
veterans memorial in the state of Oregon. The memorial is dedicated to Linn County servicemen who lost their lives during all of the 20th century wars. The memorial lists the names of those from Linn County killed in action for each war fought throughout the 20th century. The memorial was sponsored by the Santiam District Garden Club and the Linn County Veterans Memorial Association. Albany's Timber-Linn Memorial Park also hosted the American Veterans Traveling Tribute, a replica of the Vietnam Memorial wall in Washington, D.C., in July 2009. The department also has an urban forestry program which involves the Legacy Forest at
Lexington Park Lexington Park was the name of a former minor league baseball park in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was the home of the St. Paul Saints from 1897 through 1956, when it was replaced by the first version of Midway Stadium. Lexington Park was commission ...
, that consists of commemorative tree planting designed to perpetuate the memory or work of individuals and organizations. A Heritage Tree Program was established to recognize trees having historic significance in the community. The city has also been involved with the
Tree City USA The Arbor Day Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation has more than one million members and has planted more than 350 million trees in neighborhoods, communities ...
program that is sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation since 1993. The city also takes part annually in Arbor Week. Albany has two golf courses, both in North Albany. The Golf Club of Oregon is public, and Spring Hill Golf Club at Albany Golf & Event Center, a former country club, is essentially public. Albany also has one
bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thoug ...
alley, Lake Shore Lanes, which also has a
miniature golf Miniature golf, also known as minigolf, mini-putt, crazy golf, or putt-putt, is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played ...
course outside the bowling alley.


Education

Albany is the home of a two-year junior college called Linn-Benton Community College, which was established in 1966. The college offers certificates and associate degrees and has many transfer and dual enrollment programs with OSU (through a degree partnership program) totaling over 60 programs of study. LBCC serves over 24,000 full- and part-time students in and around Albany and is supported financially through tuition, property taxes and the State of Oregon. The Albany area has also been served since 1979 by the Greater Albany Public School District, including West Albany High School, and South Albany High School, which have a combined enrollment of approximately 2,700 students. Albany is also served by Albany Options School as an alternative to traditional school for grades 6 through 12. In total Greater Albany Public School District serves roughly 8,900 students throughout its 23 different schools. Along with the K-12 schools Albany also offers student services at the Maple Lawn Preschool. The Albany Collegiate Institute was founded in 1867 and served as Albany's higher education institute for 70 years before it was moved to
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...
, and renamed
Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Originally chartered in 1867 as the Albany Collegiate Institute in Albany, Oregon, the college was relocate ...
.


Media


Newspaper

The primary media outlet is the daily newspaper ''
Albany Democrat-Herald The ''Albany Democrat-Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Albany, Oregon, United States. The paper is owned by the Iowa-based Lee Enterprises, a firm which also owns the daily '' Corvallis Gazette-Times,'' published in the adjacent market ...
'' which is owned and published by
Lee Enterprises Lee Enterprises, Inc. is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 77 daily newspapers in 26 states, and more than 350 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by Alfred Wilson Lee and is ba ...
. The ''Democrat-Herald'' started as a political tool for one of Oregon's first senators. The ''Democrat-Herald'' traces its origin to the ''Albany Democrat'' newspaper, founded by Delazon Smith in 1859. Lee Enterprises also publishes the ''Mid-Valley Times'', the Sunday version of the paper.


Radio

Albany has eight different radio stations that are either broadcast or have offices within Albany and many others that serve the area. the FM stations are, 107.9FM KHPE that uses the tagline (HOPE-FM) which is a Christian contemporary music radio station, and 99.9FM KRKT-FM, a country radio station that both broadcast from Albany. There is also 101.5FM KFLY, which is based out of
Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census ...
, but maintains an office in the Albany area. Along with the FM stations there are five AM stations. 790 AM KWIL, is the AM version of KHPE (107.9FM). The others range from adult standard such as KSHO (920 AM), comedy radio and Seattle Mariners baseball games
KTHH KTHH (990 AM broadcasting, AM, "Comedy 990") is a radio station city of license, licensed to serve Albany, Oregon, United States. The station, which began broadcasting in 1959, is currently owned by Bicoastal Media and the broadcast license is hel ...
(990 AM), to sports KEJO (1240 AM), and KGAL (1580 AM) the local news and talk radio station.


Infrastructure


Transportation


Highway

Albany is adjacent to
Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Calif ...
, while
Oregon Route 99E Oregon Route 99E is an Oregon state highway that runs between Junction City, Oregon and an interchange with I-5 just south of the Oregon/ Washington border, in Portland. It, along with OR 99W, makes up a split of OR 99 in the northern part of ...
runs through it in a north and south direction and U.S. Route 20 runs through it in an east and west direction. Just outside the south end of Albany Oregon Route 34 runs from east to west.


Air

Albany Municipal Airport is a
general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation service ...
airport on the eastern edge of Albany and has been open since 1920 and is believed to be the oldest operating airfield in Oregon. In 1998, the airport became the first airport in Oregon to be named to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
, and was the City of Albany's fourth National Historic District, It held its first air show in 1931 and has been home to exhibits, helicopter rides and Young Eagles flights for children as part of the annual Northwest Art & Air Festival. It has a single runway with the specs of 16–34 3,004 X 75, and is an asphalt runway. The closest airports with commercial air service available are the
Eugene Airport Eugene Airport , also known as Mahlon Sweet Field, is a public airport 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Eugene, in Lane County, Oregon, United States. Owned and operated by the city of Eugene, it is the fifth-largest airport in the Pacific Nort ...
to the south and the
Portland International Airport Portland International Airport is a joint civil–military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of the state's passenger air travel and more than 95% of its air cargo. It is within Portland's city li ...
to the north.


Bus

Public transportation within Albany is provided by Albany Transit System (ATS). Connections to Corvallis are provided by bus service via the Linn-Benton Loop and the Valley Retriever Thruway inter-county bus systems. ATS, the Linn-Benton Loop, and the Valley Retriever all provide bus service to and from the Amtrak station.


Train

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Albany from its Albany Station at 10th Avenue SW on two routes. Long-haul train route the '' Coast Starlight'' (with service from
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
to
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
) stops in Albany daily in both directions. Amtrak ''Cascades'' commuter trains operate between
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
and
Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census ...
, and serve Albany several times daily in each direction. The Amtrak ''Cascades'' line is the proposed path of the Pacific Northwest Corridor
high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, line ...
line. The Albany station would be one of many stops along the proposed , passenger line. The station itself was constructed in 1909 for the
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was ...
and is built of
masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...
. It is one of the oldest continuously operating passenger rail stations in the U.S. and has one of the best-equipped engine shops in the northwest. Southern Pacific 4449, a steam locomotive which resides at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
, occasionally visited the shop for repairs when it was residing at the Brooklyn Roundhouse in Portland (before 2012), as did several other locomotives stored at the now-demolished roundhouse. Beginning in 2004, the station and the surrounding area underwent an $11.3 million restoration that was funded with a combination of federal, state, local, and Amtrak money. In 2006 the city received the Award in Downtown Excellence from the Oregon Downtown Development Association for the renovation of the station.


Bridges

Albany has both the
Ellsworth Street Bridge The Ellsworth Street Bridge is a highway bridge that crosses the Willamette River in Albany, Oregon, United States. Built in 1925, the two-lane structure carries U.S. Route 20 in Oregon, U.S. Route 20 eastbound traffic, with the adjacent Lyon Str ...
which was constructed in 1926 and the Lyon Street Bridge that was constructed in 1973. They are both two-lane bridges that make up part of U.S. Route 20. The two bridges connect Linn to the south with Benton county in the north as they pass across the
Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...
. this makes up the major connection of downtown Albany with the north end of town and to Corvallis.


Paths and trails

Albany has many paths and trails open to both pedestrian and bicyclists. Simpson Park Trail is a dirt pedestrian trail with a round trip distance of . The dirt trail starts at the parking lot of Simpson Park and continuing until the path ends in a grassy area with one very narrow path heading back toward the river. Periwinkle Creek Trail though is the longest of all the paved trails. It is a flat bicycle and pedestrian path that runs along Periwinkle Creek from the northwest corner of Grand Prairie Park to the Albany Boys and Girls Club, and travels a round trip distance of . There are many other trails throughout the city to include, Cox Creek Loop and Waverly Lake Loop, Dave Clark Trail, Oak Creek Greenbelt Trail, Takena Landing Trail, Timber Linn Park Trails, and a proposed Swanson Park Connector a paved path on the north side of highway 99 that connects Swanson Park with the nearby Amtrak/Transit Center. Albany has made a growing effort to increase itself as a bicyclist friendly town through increasing the number of paths and trails that are open to them. The city was recently recognised as a Bicycle-Friendly Community for 2010 by the
League of American Bicyclists The League of American Bicyclists (LAB), officially the League of American Wheelmen, is a membership organization that promotes cycling for fun, fitness and transportation through advocacy and education. A Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organiz ...
for its efforts.


Health care

Albany is served by Samaritan Albany General Hospital, a 76-bed medical facility that is the main hospital for the city and has been in operation since 1924. Albany is also served by Samaritan North Albany Urgent Care and Geary Street Urgent Care, both of which are part of Samaritan Health Services. The unaffiliated Albany Family & Specialty Medicine also provides medical services to the community.


Notable people

* Jerry Andrus (1918–2007) – magician * Mike Barrett (born 1968) – TV announcer of the NBA * Charles B. Bellinger (1839–1905) – federal district court judge, editor of the ''State Rights Democrat'' (Now the ''
Albany Democrat-Herald The ''Albany Democrat-Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Albany, Oregon, United States. The paper is owned by the Iowa-based Lee Enterprises, a firm which also owns the daily '' Corvallis Gazette-Times,'' published in the adjacent market ...
'') * Dyrol Burleson 1500m Olympian * George Earle Chamberlain (1854–1928) – 11th Governor of Oregon * Daveigh Chase (born 1990) – actress *
Abigail Scott Duniway Abigail Scott Duniway (October 22, 1834 – October 11, 1915) was an American women's rights advocate, newspaper editor and writer, whose efforts were instrumental in gaining voting rights for women. Biography Abigail S. Duniway was born Abigai ...
(1834–1915) – writer, newspaper publisher, and women's rights advocate * Members of Falling Up – Christian rock band * Alan L. Hart (1890–1962) – physician and novelist, was raised in Albany * Dave Johnson (born 1963) – Olympic athlete and former West Albany High School teacher *
Percy R. Kelly Percy R. Kelly (July 13, 1870 – June 14, 1949) was an American attorney and jurist in the state of Oregon. He was the 26th chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, serving on Oregon’s highest court from 1930 to 1949. Born in Iowa, Kelly ...
(1870–1949) – American attorney and jurist in the state of Oregon * Frank Morse (born 1943) – politician * Sam Shoen (1916–1999) – founder of
U-Haul U-Haul is an American moving truck, trailer, and self-storage rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen in Ridgefield, Washington, who began it in the garage o ...
Corp., operated a barbershop in the St. Francis Hotel at First Ave. and Calapooia St. while a student at Oregon State College in the early 1940s * Delazon Smith (1816–1860) – politician * Elmo Smith (1909–1968) – 27th
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of Oregon *
James K. Weatherford James Knox Weatherford, Sr., (1850–1935) was an attorney, judge, and politician in the American state of Oregon. Weatherford served one term in the Oregon House of Representatives, gaining the position of List of speakers of the Oregon House of ...
(1850–1935) –
Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives #REDIRECT List of speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives {{R from other capitalisation ...
(1876) and State Senator *
Mae Yih Mae Yih (born Chih Feng Dunn May 24, 1928) is a former member of both houses of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oregon. She is the first Chinese American to serve in a state senate in the United States. Early life Yih was born Chih Feng ...
(born 1928) – member of the
Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...


See also

* West Albany


References


Further reading

* ''The City of Albany, State of Oregon.'' Portland, OR: Lewis & Dryden Printing Co., 1891.
"Mayors of Albany: Men Who Have Served Since the Earliest Municipal Organization,"
''Morning Daily Herald'' lbany vol. 4, no. 33 (Jan. 6, 1889), pg. 3.


External links


Entry for Albany
in the ''
Oregon Blue Book The ''Oregon Blue Book'' is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon prepared by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. The ''Blue Book'' comes in both print and o ...
''
Official WebsiteAlbany Chamber of CommerceAlbany Visitors AssociationAlbany Carousel
Documentary produced by
Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for most of the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington. OPB consists of five full-power television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF tra ...
* * *
Albany Covered Bridge Route
{{authority control Cities in Benton County, Oregon Willamette Valley Cities in Oregon County seats in Oregon Cities in Linn County, Oregon Populated places established in 1845 Micropolitan areas of Oregon 1845 establishments in Oregon Country Populated places on the Willamette River