Corvallis ( ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Benton County in central western

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. 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 does include the 38,000 Oregon State University students attending classes 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 Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

420-acre main campus, Samaritan Health Services, a top 10 largest

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

employer in the state, a 84-acre Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center campus, and a 2.2 million square foot, 197-acre

Hewlett Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, Californi ...

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

campus. Corvallis is a part of the

Silicon Forest Silicon Forest is a Washington County, Oregon, Washington County cluster of computing technology, high-tech companies located in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. The term most frequently refers to the industrial corrid ...

. 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),Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Components
,

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-08-01.Micropolitan Statistical Areas and Components
,

, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-08-01.Combined Statistical Areas and Component Core Based Statistical Areas
,

, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-08-01. 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.David D. Fagan
''History of Benton County, Oregon: Including... a Full Political History, ...Incidents of Pioneer Life, and Biographical Sketches of Early and Prominent Citizens...''
Portland, OR: A.G. Walling, Printer, 1885; p. 422. 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 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 ...

, 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 In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

the land, and surveyed a town site on his own claim, naming the community Marysville.Howard M. Corning, ''Dictionary of Oregon History.'' Portland: Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. The early town quickly became a profitable re-supply center/mercantile as one of the leading stop-overs for miners traveling the

to the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

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 Marys Peak (formerly Mary's Peak and sometimes still spelled this way) is a mountain in Benton County, Oregon, Benton County, Oregon, United States, just southwest of Philomath, Oregon, Philomath. The Kalapuya people call the peak "chatímanwi" ...

. The reference to "Mary" is, instead, believed to be named after the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. 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 Oregon's Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory. The upper chamber Council and lower chamber House of Represent ...

met in Salem, where a petition was presented seeking to change the name of that city to either "Thurston" or "Valena".Charles H. Carey, ''A General History of Oregon Prior to 1861: In Two Volumes: Volume II: To the Civil War.'' Portland, OR: Metropolitan Press, 1936; p. 662. At the same time, another petition was presented seeking to change the name of Salem to "Corvallis", from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

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 The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Oreg ...

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. 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.Bruce Martin, "Bushrod Washington Wilson," ''Oregon Historical Quarterly,'' vol. 39, no. 3 (Sept. 1938), pp. 283-284. 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.

Geography

Corvallis is at

river mile A river mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its river mouth, mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometre, kilometers is the river kilometer. They are an ...

131–32 of the

. Corvallis is bordered on the northwest by the foothills of the

Oregon Coast Range The Oregon Coast Range, often called simply the Coast Range and sometimes the Pacific Coast Range, is a mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges Physiographic regions of the world, physiographic region, in the United States, U.S. state of Or ...

, with Bald Hill providing a view of the town. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which are land and is covered by water.

Climate

Like the rest of the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a 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, the ...

, 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 ''Schoenoplectus acutus'' (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Scirpus acutus, Schoenoplectus lacustris, Scirpus lacustris'' subsp. ''acutus''), called tule , common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a giant specie ...

. Rainfall totals within the town itself are surprisingly variable, due to Corvallis lying right on the eastern edge of the

, 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

, 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 and 23,952 households in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . The racial makeup of the city was 79.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 10% Asian, 1.4%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.8% Native American, 0.3% Hawaiian or

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 6.0% from two or more races. 8.2% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 23,952 households, with an average of 2.24 people per household. 33.8% were married couples living together, 30.7% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 26.6% had a male householder with no spouse present. 40.1% of housing units were owner-occupied. In the city, 13.5% were under the age of 18, and 13.1% were over the age of 65. The median age was 26.4 for males, 29.0 for females, and 27.5 for both sexes.

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

was . There were 23,423 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.8%

, 7.3% Asian, 1.1%

, 0.7% Native American, 0.3% Hawaiian or

, 2.8% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. 7.4% of the population were

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $19,317. About 9.7% of families and 20.6% 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 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 Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

. 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 Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ...

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 The National Clonal Germplasm Repository is a branch of the Agricultural Research Service research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Repository is a gene bank that preserves genetic resources by various means, includ ...

at Corvallis is a

gene bank A gene bank is a type of biorepository that is used across the world to store the genetic material of animals, plants, and other organisms. It preserves their genetic information in the form of reproductive material like seeds, sperm, eggs, emb ...

of the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

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', the annual, sometimes biannual, 'Downtown Corvallis Wine Walk' is 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'' The da Vinci Days Summer Festival 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 Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

. The festival celebrates its 31th anniversary in 2024. * ''Red White and Blue Riverfront Festival'' The Red White and Blue Riverfront Festival takes place annually on 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 the "All-American, Everyone-Can-Join, Fabulous, Fantastic 4th of July Parade!" at 9:30 am through Downtown Corvallis and ends at the Commemorative Riverfront Park. The parade began in 1985. At 10pm there is a fireworks display put on by the "Corvallis Jaycees" along the riverfront. * ''Philomath Frolic & Rodeo'' The Philomath Folic & Rodeo celebrated its 60th Anniversary in 2023 and typically takes place in mid-July and is a family-oriented festival and rodeo focused on the traditions the Philomath community was founded, namely American Western heritage and traditions and the history of the logging industry. The Frolic began in 1953, originally called the 'Philomath Western Frolic', then called the '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'' The Corvallis Celtic Festival is a new 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 2nd annual Corvallis Celtic Festival will be held July 25–28, 2024. * ''Benton County Fair & Rodeo'' The Benton County Fair & Rodeo was first held in 1859 with it typically held annually since 1913 and has been at its current location at the Benton County Fairgrounds in West Corvallis, since 1956. The Benton County Fair & Rodeo celebrated "100 years of Rides, Ribbons & Rodeos" in 2013. The Fair & Rodeo includes carnival games, rides, animals, food, live music and the rodeo. The Benton County Fair is usually scheduled for the first weekend in August. * ''SeptemBeerFest'' Septembeerfest (September Beer Festival) is held annually since 2007 in September, "amongst the trees" in Avery Park in Corvallis. Septembeerfest is a family and pet friendly fun-filled community celebration of the local homebrewers and dozens of local breweries from the craft beer industry as well as a successful fundraiser for the ''"'Heart of the Valley Homebrewers", a non-profit organization. The 17th annual Corvallis Septembeerfest will be held September 7, 2024. * ''Corvallis Fall Festival'' The Corvallis Fall Festival is an Annual Arts Party in Central Park and was founded in 1972, with the 50th occurrence in 2022. * ''BlockTober Fest'' BlockTober Fest celebrated their 10th Anniversary in 2018 and is typically held annually since 2008 to coincide with

Oktoberfest Oktoberfest (; ) is the world's largest , featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October. The annual event attracts more than seven milli ...

, in downtown Corvallis hosted by local craft brew Block 15 Brewing. The Oktoberfest celebration takes place under the traditional big tent occupying one whole city block by their downtown Block 15 brew pub. The celebrations typically feature live German music, German-inspired beer and food, face painting, a Stein Holding Competition, German Spelling Bee, and College Football on the big screen. * ''St. Anne Greek Fest'' The Saint Anne Greek Fest is held annually since 2003, celebrating their 20th Anniversary in 2023. It is typically held in mid-October in the Corvallis metro area

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

of Lewisburg. The Saint Anne Greek Fest is held at the St. Anne Greek Orthodox Church grounds with live traditional Greek music, traditional Greek dances, face-painting, games and traditional Greek food. All the money raised by the festival goes to maintain the Lewisburg Grange Hall just north of the Corvallis city limits. The grange has been one of Benton County's most prominent historic landmarks. Built by executives of the O&C Railroad as a depot in 1911, trains stopped there for just 14 years until it became the grange hall for the unincorporated community of Lewisburg in 1925. The building faced significant peril by the early 1990s. * ''2 Town's Harvest Party'' The 2 Town's Harvest Party has been in place annually since 2010 and typically takes place mid to late October, but before

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

. It is hosted by 2 Town's Ciderhouse, a national leader in alcoholic hard ciders at their main facility. In 2024 they will celebrate their 14th Anniversary. There are typically over 55 Craft beverages on tap, a "pumpkin bar", hot cider bar, cidery tours, photo-booth, raffle, live music and food trucks to celebrate the harvest of locally grown apples for their award-winning ciders, with proceeds going towards a local non-profit or charity. In 2023 over 3,400 people attended the annual Harvest Party. * ''Pastega Christmas Light Display'' The Pastega Christmas Light Display typically takes place just after

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

and last until just after New Years Day. The Pastega Drive-thru Christmas Light Display began in 1981 at a Pepsi Bottling Plant in North Corvallis. It was hosted there for 31 years, until 2013 when the display was moved across town to the Benton County Fairgrounds. The Display features over 200 figures and mechanized scenes. The radiant display of festive lights and mechanized decorations transforms the area into a holiday wonderland enjoyed by thousands. Between 400 and 700 cars visit the display each day it's open. In 2022 over 30,000 people drove through the display. It has been a CorvallisHoliday tradition for over 40 years.

Museums and other points of interest

* Benton County Courthouse * Corvallis Museum (Benton County Historical Society) * Hesthaven Nature Center of the Audubon Society of Corvallis * McDonald State Forest * Peavy Arboretum * William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge * Alsea Falls * Corvallis-Benton County Public Library * Osborn Aquatic Center * Corvallis Farmers' Market * 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'' The Corvallis Art Guild is almost 80 years old. * ''Corvallis Mural Project'' There are over 30 colorful murals around town, most are within walking distance of each other in downtown Corvallis.

Music

Corvallis

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 host a "Music in the Park" summer concert series held at City Park.

Within the Albany-Corvallis-Lebanon Combine Statistical Area

* ''Albany Youth Orchestra'' * ''Albany "River Rhythm's" 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. From the

Dixie Chicks The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. The band consists of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and Emily Stra ...

Herman's Hermits Herman's Hermits are an English rock and pop group formed in 1963 in Manchester and formerly fronted by singer Peter Noone. Known for their jaunty beat sound and Noone's often tongue-in-cheek vocal style, the Hermits charted with numerous tra ...

Sugar Ray Sugar Ray is an American rock band formed in Newport Beach, California, in 1986. Originally playing heavier funk metal and nu metal style music, the band achieved mainstream popularity in 1997 with their more pop-influenced single " Fly". Th ...

and

Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted ...

* ''Albany "Sounds of Summer"'' 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. * ''Lebanon Community Chorus'' * ''Lebanon Summer "Concerts in the Park" Series'' At Academy Square in downtown Lebanon. * ''Lebanon "Summer Bands & Brews" Series' At Strawberry Plaza in South Lebanon. * ''Independence "Rivers Edge Summer Concert Series"'' At Independence's Riverview Riverfront Park. * ''Monmouth "Music in the Park Series"'' At Monmouth's Main Street Park Amphitheater. * ''WOU Chambers Singers'' * ''Western Oregon Voices'' * ''WOU Jazz Orchestra''

Within the Willamette Valley

* ''Salem Pops Orchestra'' * ''Willamette Master Chorus'' * ''Oregon Symphany Orchestra'' * ''Salem Youth Symphony'' * ''Eugene Symphony'' * ''Eugene Concert Choir'' * ''Eugene-Springfield Youth Orchestra'' * ''U of O Chamber Choir'' * ''Organ Symphony''

Sports

As the home of Oregon State University, Corvallis is the home for 17

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

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 British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

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 The Oregon State Beavers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Division I ...

cross-country teams. Beazell Memorial Forest, the largest park maintained by Benton County, is located 10 miles from the town.

Parks in Corvallis

* Willamette Park * Crystal Lake Sports Fields * Avery Park * Wildcat Park * Crystal Lake Sports Park * Peavy Arboretum * Timberhill Natural Area * Central Park * Cloverland City Park * Porter Park * Village Green Sports Fields & Park * Chintimini Park * Bald Hill Natural Area * Jackson-Frazier Wetlands * Riverfront Commemorative Park * Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park * Bruce Starker Arts Park * Witham Hill Natural Area * Arnold Park * Woodland Meadow Park

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."About Corvallis,"
Corvallis Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Bureau, www.visitcorvallis.com/ URL accessed May 11, 2006. 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. Corvallis is also the home of

and the Benton Center campus of Linn-Benton Community College.

Media

Print

* '' Corvallis Gazette-Times'' The Corvallis Gazette-Times is a daily newspaper for Corvallis. The newspaper, along with its sister publication, the '' Albany Democrat-Herald'' of neighboring

Albany, Oregon Albany ( ) is the county seat of Linn County, Oregon, and is the 11th most populous city in the state. Albany is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton count ...

, is owned by

Lee Enterprises Lee Enterprises, Inc. is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 72 daily newspapers in 25 states, and more than 350 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by Alfred Wilson Lee and is b ...

Davenport, Iowa Davenport ( ) is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. Davenport had a population of 101,724 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...

. The paper in its current form was created in 1909 as the result of the merger of two competing weekly newspapers, ''The Corvallis Gazette'' (established 1863), and ''The Corvallis Times'' (established 1888). * ''The Corvallis Advocate'' The Corvallis Advocate is a free alternative newsweekly The Corvallis Advocate is self described 'fiercely independent' and maintain separate departments covering area business, local government, social justice, and parenting. The Advocate states: ''"Our primary purpose is to advocate for our shared community. The Corvallis Advocate is led by an Editorial Board, and is locally owned."'' * '' The Daily Barometer'' The Daily Barometer is an independent campus newspaper of

. It is published weekly. Also known as ''"The Baro"'', the news team covers local news and events and brings awareness to important student issues. Students serve as editors, reporters, and photographers to cover news through the newspaper, website, social media, and online videos. On March 16, 1896, the first issue of a monthly called ''The Barometer'' rolled off the presses at Oregon Agricultural College, today's Oregon State University."The OAC Barometer," in ''The Orange: Volume 2.'' Corvallis, OR: Junior Class of the Oregon Agricultural College, 1908. (unpaginated)

Radio

Local radio stations serving the Corvallis area: * Corvallis: * Within the Albany-Corvallis-Lebanon Combine Statistical Area: * Within the Willamette Valley: Corvallis is part of the Eugene, Salem and Portland, Oregon radio and television market.

Television

* Corvallis: Corvallis has 1 television station within the city and 3 Translator stations. KAOC-TV is an Oregon Public Broadcasting/

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

station. KLSR-TV (FOX 34 Oregon),

KGW KGW (channel 8) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Jefferson Street in southwestern Portland, and its transmitter is located in the city's ...

(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 -

(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 KOIN (channel 6) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Salem, Oregon, Salem–licensed The CW, CW owned-and-operated station KRCW-TV (channel 32). The two ...

and

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.

Air

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 John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

in 1960,

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

and

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama ( Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United Stat ...

. The closest commercial air service is available at Eugene Airport (EUG), , Salem Airport (SLE), or Portland International Airport (PDX), . The Groome Transportation Company provides multiple shuttles daily between Corvallis and the Portland Airport (PDX) with stops in Albany, Salem and Woodburn.

Train

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.

Bus

Long-distance bus service is provided in Corvallis by

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...

. It stops at the Downtown Transit Center and at OSU campus Transit stop (station ID: CVI and CVO).

FlixBus FlixBus (; styled FLiXBUS) is a German brand that offers low-cost Intercity bus service, intercity coach services in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. It is owned by , which also operates FlixTrain, FlixCar, , and Greyhound Lines. F ...

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 a Portland. The Campus Connector – The Groome Transportation Company also provides Shuttle Bus service between the Oregon State University campus and University of Oregon campus in Eugene multiple times daily called the "Campus Connector" with a stop at the Eugene Airport between the two rival university campuses. Local bus service is provided by 3 different transit systems, the Corvallis Transit System (CTS), the Benton Area Transit System (BAT) and the OSU Transit System "Beaver Bus". The Corvallis City Council approved an additional fee on monthly water utility bills in January 2011, allowing all CTS bus service to become fareless. The CTS system runs a total of 12 daytime routes, 10 within the city limits, Monday through Saturday, covering most of the city and converging at the Downtown Transit Center. Additional commuter routes run in the early morning and late afternoon on weekdays, and midmorning and midafternoon on Saturdays. Two short-distance intercity routes are also ran by CTS from the Downtown Transit Center and OSU campus Transit Center. The "Linn-Benton Loop" runs multiple trips daily to the Albany Transit Center/ Albany Amtrak Station (ALY) and Linn-Benton Community College The "Philomath Connection", runs multiple trips daily to downtown

Philomath A philomath () is a lover of learning and studying. The term is from Greek (; "beloved", "loving", as in philosophy or philanthropy) and , (, ; "to learn", as in polymath). Philomathy is similar to, but distinguished from, philosophy in that ...

. Two other intercity routes are run by the Benton Area Transit System (BAT) from the Downtown Transit Center and OSU campus Transit Center. The "99 Express" runs multiple trips daily to Lewisburg and Adair Village. The "Coast to Valley Express" runs multiple trips daily between the Albany Amtrak station (ALY) and the Newport Transit Center with stops in Philomath, Blodgett, Eddyville and Toledo. The Beaver Bus is run by the Oregon State University Transit System for transportation across the main campus. The Beaver Bus has 3 routes from the Reser Stadium Transit Center and has multiple stops throughout campus. Buses arrive at every stop every 15–20 minutes from 7am-7pm. From 2010 to 2011, CTS has seen a 37.9% increase in ridership, partially as a result of going fareless and "the rising cost of fuel for individual vehicles and the desire for residents to choose more sustainable options for commuting to work, school and other activities" According to Tim Bates, the Corvallis Transit System and Philomath Connection had 3,621,387 passenger miles traveled and 85,647 gallons of fuel consumed in fiscal year 2011, a period that covers July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011. In 2019, the local bus system expanded to several more lines throughout the city, and the addition of a minimal Sunday service.

Highways

Highway 34 Oregon State Route 34 is the main connector from Corvallis to I-5, the main arterial north–south route though the state of Oregon, which lies 10–12 miles to the east of the city. Continuing on OR 34 another 9–10 miles east of I-5 is the city of

Lebanon, Oregon Lebanon ( ) is a city in Linn County, Oregon, Linn County, Oregon, United States. Lebanon is located in northwest Oregon, southeast of Salem, Oregon, Salem. The population was 19,690 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Lebanon sits be ...

the 3rd largest city of the Albany-Corvallis-Lebanon CSA. Westward on OR 34 connects Corvallis to Philomath,

, Alsea and Waldport on the

Oregon Coast The Oregon Coast is a coastal region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Oregon Coast Range to the east, and stretches approximately from the California state border in the south to the Columbia ...

. *

Highway 20 US Route 20 is the main connector between the cities of Corvallis and

, which is the 2nd largest city of the Albany-Corvallis-Lebanon CSA. US 20 runs approximately parallel to the Willamette River for 11 miles Northeast of Corvallis until it reaches North Albany and crosses the Willamette River into Downtown Albany. Westward US 20 connects Corvallis to Philomath, Blodgett, Eddyville, Toledo and Newport and the Oregon Coast. * OR 99W

Highway 99W Oregon State Route 99W runs a north–south route and is the main connector between Corvallis and

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

, 44 miles to the South. On Highway 99w in between the cities of Corvallis and Eugene are the cities of Monroe, Oregon and Junction City. To the north on OR 99W from Corvallis are the cities of Adair Village,

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

, Rickreall, Amity and McMinnville.

Bridges

There are eight major bridges in the city, all but two traverse the Mary's River or the

. * Harrison Street Bridge * Van Buren Street Bridge * Willamette River Bridge (Highway 34) * Mary's River Bridge (Highway 99W) * 4th Street Bridge (Highway 99W over Mary's River) * Pacific Highway Bridge (Highway 99W over Railroad in North Corvallis) * 15th Street Bridge (Over Mary's River to Avery Park) * Irish Bend Covered Bridge There are over 100 street and pedestrian crossings that traverse over the tributaries throughout the city. There are 13 creeks and 2 rivers that run through the city.

Bicycle

The

League of American Bicyclists League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

gave Corvallis a gold rating as a Bicycle-Friendly Community in 2011. Also, according to the United States Census Bureau's 2008–12

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, 11.2% of workers in Corvallis bicycle to work. The city of Corvallis is ranked third-highest among 'small' U.S. cities (with populations under 200,000) for bicycle commuters, behind Key West, Florida (17.4%) and Davis, California (18.6%).

Utilities

Water

The city's water system has two water treatment plants, nine processed water reservoirs, one raw water reservoir, and some of pipe. The system can process up to about of water per day. The Rock Creek treatment plant processes water from sources in the 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 of water per day (gpd), though operational characteristics of the , pipeline to the city limits capacity to half that. The Rock Creek Plant output remains steady year round at about . 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 per day, though it has a capacity of per day. The total reservoir capacity is , 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.

Green power

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.'' * Lucia H. Faxon Additon (1847–1919), writer, teacher, social reformer * Edward Allworth (1895–1966), Medal of Honor recipient * Debra Arlyn (born 1986), singer-songwriter * Daniel Atkinson (1921–2024), biochemist at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

who spent his retirement years in Corvallis * Joseph C. Avery (1817–1876), Marysville town founder and politician * Brad Badger (born 1975), NFL player *

Brad Bird Philip Bradley Bird (born September 24, 1957) is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor. He has had a career spanning over four decades in both animation and Live action, live-action. Bird was born in Montana and grew up in Oregon. He ...

(born 1957), Academy Award-winning animator, writer, and director (''

The Incredibles ''The Incredibles'' is a 2004 American animated superhero film written and directed by Brad Bird. Produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, the film stars the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Spencer ...

'', ''

The Iron Giant ''The Iron Giant'' is a 1999 American animated science fiction film directed by Brad Bird and produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation. It is loosely based on the 1968 novel '' The Iron Man'' by Ted Hughes (which was published in the United ...

'', ''

Ratatouille Ratatouille ( , ; ) is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables that originated in Nice and is sometimes referred to as ''ratatouille niçoise'' (). Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include tomato, garlic ...

'') * Kevin Boss (born 1984), NFL

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

Super Bowl XLII Super Bowl XLII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

champion with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

Chris Botti Christopher Stephen Botti ( ; born October 12, 1962) is an American trumpeter and composer. In 2013, Botti won the Grammy Award in the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album, Best Pop Instrumental Album category, for the album Impressions ...

(born 1962), jazz trumpet musician * Meredith Brooks (born 1958), singer, songwriter, producer *

James Cassidy James, Jamie or Jim Cassidy may refer to: * Jim Cassidy (footballer) (1869–?), Scottish football player * James Edwin Cassidy (1869–1951), American Roman Catholic bishop in Massachusetts * James H. Cassidy (1869–1926), United States Represent ...

, member of band

Information Society An information society is a society or subculture where the usage, Content creation, creation, information distribution, distribution, manipulation and information integration, integration of information is a significant activity. Its main drive ...

* Meghna Chakrabarti, journalist, radio producer, NPR * Robert Cheeke, bodybuilder and vegan activist *

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American mixed martial arts commentator, actor, former United States Army sergeant, former professional mixed martial artist, and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestlin ...

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

and UFC Hall of Fame member * Edmund Creffield, founder of "Bride of Christ Church", also known as "Holy Rollers" * Meghann Cuniff (born 1983), legal journalist * Morgan Eckroth (born 1998), barista, winner of the 2022 United States Barista Championship and online content creator * Christopher L. Eisgruber, Rhodes Scholar and 20th president of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

* Atta Elayyan (1985–2019), New Zealand futsal player, murdered in the

Christchurch mosque shootings Two consecutive mass shootings took place in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 15 March 2019. They were committed by a single perpetrator during Friday prayer, first at the Al Noor Mosque in Riccarton, at 1:40p.m. and almost immediately afterwards ...

Dick Fosbury Richard Douglas Fosbury (March 6, 1947 – March 12, 2023) was an American high jumper, who is considered one of the most influential athletes in the history of track and field. He won a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics, revolutionizing t ...

(1947–2023), 1968 Olympics gold medalist and innovator of modern back-first method of high jumping *

Bob Gilder Robert Bryan Gilder (born December 31, 1950) is an American professional golfer. He won six tournaments on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour, where he has ten wins since joining in 2001 Senior PGA Tour, 2001. Early life and ...

(1950–), professional golfer, member of Champions Tour * Gordon Gilkey (1912–2000), artist and educator * Kevin Gregg (1978–), MLB player * Les Gutches (1973–), Olympic wrestler, world champion * Elizabeth Hoffman, actress * Talanoa Hufanga, NFL player * Nick Hundley (1983–), MLB player *

Eyvind Kang Eyvindur Y. Kang (born 23 June 1971) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. His primary instrument is viola, but has also performed on violin, tuba, keyboard instruments, keyboards and others. In addition to his solo work, Kang has w ...

, violinist and composer * Paul Kocher, cryptographer * Jon Krakauer, author ('' Into Thin Air'', '' Under the Banner of Heaven'', etc.) and mountaineer * Wayne Krantz, guitarist * Jane Lubchenco, marine biologist, named in 2009 to head

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...

Bernard Malamud Bernard Malamud (April 26, 1914 – March 18, 1986) was an American novelist and short story writer. Along with Saul Bellow, Joseph Heller, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Norman Mailer and Philip Roth, he was one of the best known American Jewish ...

, author, writer of '' The Natural''; his book ''A New Life'' was based on Corvallis * Ben Masters (1947–), actor, notable for soap opera '' Passions'', stage and film works *

Ralph Miller Ralph H. Miller (March 9, 1919 – May 15, 2001) was an American college basketball coach, a head coach for 38 years at three universities: Wichita (now known as Wichita State), Iowa, and Oregon State. With an overall record of , his teams had ...

(1919–2001), basketball coach, enshrined in

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

* Barbara Minty, (also known as Barbara Minty McQueen) '' Vogue'' model and wife of late actor

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...

* Rebecca Morris, broadcast, radio, and print journalist, ''The New York Times'' bestselling nonfiction author * Sara Nelson (1973–), an American union leader who serves as the international president of the

Association of Flight Attendants The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (commonly known as AFA) is a union representing flight attendants in the United States. As of January 2018, AFA represents 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines. Since 2004, AFA has been part of the C ...

- CWA,

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...

* Mario Pastega (1916–2012), businessman and philanthropist *

Linus Pauling Linus Carl Pauling ( ; February 28, 1901August 19, 1994) was an American chemist and peace activist. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific topics. ''New Scientist'' called him one of the 20 gre ...

(1901–1994), 1954

Nobel Prize in Chemistry The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...

and 1962

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

(graduate of Oregon Agricultural College, now Oregon State) * Naomi Pomeroy (1974–2024), chef and restaurateur * Putsata Reang, journalist, writer * Jason Reed, actor, musician * Harold Reynolds (1960–), MLB player and broadcaster * Doug Riesenberg (1965–), former NFL offensive tackle * Mike Riley (1953–), former head coach of Nebraska Cornhuskers, former coach of NFL's

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

* Nathan Sexton, professional disc golfer and winner of the 2017 United States Disc Golf Championship * Jordan Smotherman, pro hockey player * Robb Thomas, former NFL player *

Ernest H. Wiegand Ernest H. Wiegand (July 10, 1886 – April 1973) was a professor of horticulture at Oregon State University who, in 1925 during Prohibition, developed a brine method that led to the modern maraschino cherry. He won the Nicholas Appert Award in 19 ...

, professor of

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

and developer of modern method of manufacture of the

maraschino cherry A maraschino cherry ( ) is a preserved, sweetened cherry, typically made from light-colored sweet cherries such as the Royal Ann, Rainier, or Gold varieties. In their modern form, the cherries are first preserved in a brine solution usually ...

* Carl Wieman, 2001

Nobel Prize in Physics The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...

recipient for creation of

Bose–Einstein condensate In condensed matter physics, a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) is a state of matter that is typically formed when a gas of bosons at very low Density, densities is cooled to temperatures very close to absolute zero#Relation with Bose–Einste ...

* Bushrod Washington Wilson (1828–1900), pioneer, railroad executive, and county functionary * Mike Zandofsky, former NFL player

Sister cities

Corvallis has two

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

, as designated by

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) with the goal of facilitating partnerships between communities within the United States and other countries by establishing sister cities. Sister cities are agreements of ...

: *

Gondar Gondar, also spelled Gonder (Amharic: ጎንደር, ''Gonder'' or ''Gondär''; formerly , ''Gʷandar'' or ''Gʷender''), is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on ...

, Ethiopia *

Uzhhorod Uzhhorod (, ; , ; , ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality on the Uzh, Uzh River in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. The city is approximately equidistan ...

Zakarpattia Oblast Zakarpattia Oblast (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Закарпатська область), also referred to as simply Zakarpattia (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Закарпаття; Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Kárpátalja'') or Transcar ...

, Ukraine

References

External links

City of Corvallis official website

Entry for Corvallis
in the '' Oregon Blue Book''
Corvallis Convention & Visitors Bureau
{{Authority control Cities in Benton County, Oregon Cities in Oregon County seats in Oregon Willamette Valley Former colonial and territorial capitals in the United States Populated places established in 1845 1845 establishments in Oregon Country Populated places on the Willamette River