Corvallis ( ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and 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 st ...

of Benton County in central western

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the population was 59,922. Corvallis is the location of

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...

and Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. Corvallis is the westernmost city in the contiguous 48 states with a population larger than 50,000.

History

Establishment

In October 1845, Joseph C. Avery arrived in Oregon from the east.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; pg. 422. Note that a clear typographical error in the original source has Avery's date of arrival as "October 1846", but 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 b ...

, 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 Corvallis and his land claim included the southern section of the contemporary city.Fagan, ''History of Benton County, Oregon,'' pg. 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 development of a township, with Avery leaving his Oregon claim to try his hand at mining in the fall of that year. His stay proved to be brief, and in January 1849, Avery returned to Oregon with a small stock of provisions with a view to opening a store. 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 land claim, naming the community Marysville.Howard M. Corning, ''Dictionary of Oregon History.'' Portland: Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. The city was possibly named after early settler Mary Lloyd, but now the name is thought to be derived from French fur trappers' naming of Marys Peak after the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

. 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,'' pg. 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 Representati ...

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; pg. 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 branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

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.

Incorporation

A faction within the deeply divided legislature sought 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 Union as the State of Oregon. O ...

, and in December 1855 the 6th Territorial Legislature initially convened there before returning to Salem later that month—the town 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 mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the river kilometer. They are analogous to vehicle roa ...

131–32 of the Willamette River. 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 region, in the U.S. state of Oregon along the Pacific Ocean. This north-south ru ...

, with Bald Hill providing a view of the town. 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. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

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

Climate

Corvallis falls within the dry-summer temperate climate zone, also referred to as warm-summer Mediterranean (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

'' 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 Tule fog () is a thick ground fog that settles in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley areas of California's Central Valley. Tule fog forms from late fall through early spring (California's winter season) after the first significant rai ...

. 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 Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

that includes the Corvallis metropolitan area (Benton County) and the Albany-Lebanon micropolitan area (Linn County), which had a combined population of 202,251 at the 2010 U.S. 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 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 $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 t ...

, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 54,462 people, 22,283 households, and 10,240 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 4004.5 people per square mile (1,547.2/km²). There were 23,423 housing units at an average density of 1,722.3 per square mile (665.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.8%

White White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 7.3%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 1.1%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.69% Native American, 0.33% Hawaiian or

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 2.8% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

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

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 22,283 households, of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.0% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.82. In the city, the population was spread out, with 14.9% under the age of 18, 32.4% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26.4 years. For every 100 males there were 98.7 females.

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". Corvallis lies in the middle of the

Unchurched Belt The Unchurched Belt is a region in the far Northwestern United States that has low rates of religious participation. The term derives from ''Bible Belt'' and the notion of the unchurched. The term was first applied to the West Coast of the Unit ...

. 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 The Samaritan Health Services (SHS) is a non-profit, integrated delivery healthcare system consisting of five hospitals in Oregon and is headquartered in Corvallis, Oregon. Operations SHS operates five hospitals and has over five hundred emp ...

SIGA Technologies SIGA Technologies, Inc. is an American pharmaceutical company founded in 1995, currently based in New York City, which develops and sells pharmaceutical solutions for the antiviral treatment of smallpox, monkeypox, cowpox, and vaccinia complicatio ...

, Evanite Fiber, ONAMI, and

HP Inc. HP Inc. is an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, that develops personal computers (PCs), printers and related supplies, as well as 3D printing solutions. It was formed on Novembe ...

, 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 ea ...

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, inclu ...

at Corvallis is a

gene bank Gene banks are a type of biorepository that preserves genetic material. For plants, this is done by in vitro storage, freezing cuttings from the plant, or stocking the seeds (e.g. in a seedbank). For animals, this is done by the freezing of ...

of the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...

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

Da Vinci Days Da Vinci Days is an annual festival held in Corvallis in the U.S. state of Oregon. 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 festi ...

festival and

kinetic sculpture race Kinetic sculpture races are organized contests of human-powered amphibious all-terrain works of art. The original cross country event, the World Championship Great Arcata To Ferndale Cross Country Kinetic Sculpture Race, now known as the Kinetic ...

* Corvallis Fall Festival Annual Arts Party in Central Park was founded in 1972, with the 39th occurrence in 2011.

Museums and other points of interest

* Benton County Courthouse * Hesthavn Nature Center of the Audubon Society of Corvallis * McDonald State Forest * Peavy Arboretum * Corvallis-Benton County Public Library * Corvallis Farmers' Market * Vineyard Mountain

Art galleries

* The Arts Center * Giustina and Murdock Galleries * Fairbanks Gallery

Music

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 *Willamette Valley Symphony *Heart of the Valley Children's Choir *Hilltop Big Band

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 level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

OSU teams (7 men's, 10 women's) in the

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

. Corvallis is also the home of the

Corvallis Knights The Corvallis Knights, founded as the Aloha Knights, are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Corvallis, Oregon. Founded in 1990 in Beaverton by Dan and his brother Joe Segel, the Knights moved to Corvallis from Gresham in 2007. They p ...

baseball team, who play in the summer at OSU's

Goss Stadium Goss Stadium at Coleman Field is a college baseball park in the northwest United States, on the campus of Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. It is home to the Oregon State Beavers of the Pac-12 Conference. Through the 2014 se ...

. The Knights play in the

West Coast League The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta. The WCL was previously named the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCB ...

, an independent collegiate summer baseball league with teams from

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, Oregon,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Parks and recreation

Corvallis is recognized as a

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 ...

. 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 athletic teams that represent Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I ( Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for ...

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

Parks in Corvallis

Willamette ParkAvery Park
* Wildcat Park
Timberhill Natural Area
* Central Park * Cloverland City Park * Porter Park
Chintimini Park
* Bald Hill

Government

Corvallis City Hall - Corvallis, Oregon (2018)

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 Biff Traber, elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. 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.

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. Corvallis is also the home of

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

Media

* ''

Corvallis Gazette-Times The ''Corvallis Gazette-Times'' is a daily newspaper for Corvallis, Benton County, Oregon, United States. The newspaper, along with its sister publication, the ''Albany Democrat-Herald'' of neighboring Albany, Oregon, is owned by Lee Enterprises ...

'', daily newspaper * ''The Corvallis Advocate'', free

alternative newsweekly An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting ...

* ''

The Daily Barometer ''The Daily Barometer'' is an independent campus newspaper of Oregon State University, in Corvallis, Oregon. It is published weekly during the fall, winter, and spring quarters, and monthly during the summer. Also known as The Baro, the news tea ...

'', the Oregon State University campus newspaper Corvallis is part of the Eugene, Oregon, radio and television market. Portland area TV stations like

KATU KATU (channel 2) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside La Grande–licensed Univision affiliate KUNP (channel 16). Both stations share studios on N ...

KOIN Koin or KOIN may refer to: * KOIN, a TV station in Portland, Oregon * Koin, Guinea Koin, Guinea (Pular: 𞤂𞤫𞤧-𞤯𞤢𞤤𞤭𞥅𞤪𞤫 𞤑𞤮𞤴𞤭𞤲) is a town and sub-prefecture in the Tougué Prefecture in the Labé Regi ...

and

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' ...

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.

Bus

Buses at Corvallis Transit's Downtown Transit Center (2018)

Long-distance bus service is provided in Corvallis by

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgenc ...

. It stops at the Greyhound station in downtown Corvallis (station ID: CVI). Local bus service is provided by Corvallis Transit System (CTS). 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 system runs a total of eight daytime routes 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. When Oregon State University is in session, CTS also runs the "Night Owl", a set of late-night routes running Thursday through Saturday. Two other short-distance intercity buses, the Linn-Benton Loop (to Albany) and the Philomath Connection, also stop at the Downtown Transit Center. From 2010 to 2011, CTS has saw a 37.87% 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. This means that riders in 2011 got 42.28 passenger miles per gallon. In 2019, the local bus system expanded to several more lines throughout the city, and the addition of a minimal Sunday service.

Bicycle

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 organizat ...

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 a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

, 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).

Air

Corvallis Municipal Airport Corvallis Municipal Airport is five miles southwest of Corvallis, in Benton County, Oregon. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a ''general aviation'' facility. The airport offers full service a ...

serves private and corporate aircraft. The closest commercial air service is available at

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 Nor ...

, , or

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 l ...

, .

Bridges

* Van Buren Street Bridge *Willamette River Bridge (Highway 34) * Irish Bend Covered Bridge

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 staffed by 1 paid Lieutenant and several Resident 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 5 frontline ambulances. In 2021 CFD ran almost 10,000 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 Edward Christopher Allworth (July 6, 1895 – June 24, 1966) was an American officer in the United States Army during World War I. Biography Allworth was born in Battle Ground, Washington, Allworth graduated from Oregon State University in 1916 ...

(1895–1966), Medal of Honor recipient *

Debra Arlyn Debra Irene Arlyn (born February 27, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist from Oregon. Her musical style is a blend of pop, adult contemporary, jazz and R&B, arranged and performed on piano, with lyrics that deal with love and rela ...

(born 1986), singer-songwriter * Joseph C. Avery (1817–1876), Marysville town founder and politician * Brad Badger (born 1975), NFL player *

Brad Bird Phillip Bradley Bird (born September 24, 1957) is an American film director, animator, screenwriter, producer, and voice actor. He has had a career spanning forty years in both animation and live-action. Bird was born in Montana and grew up i ...

(born 1957), animator, writer, and director (''

The Incredibles ''The Incredibles'' is a 2004 American computer-animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Brad Bird, it stars the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah V ...

'', ''

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

'', ''

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

'') *

Kevin Boss Kevin Michael Boss (born January 11, 1984) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New York Giants out of Western Oregon University. With the Giants, he won Super Bowl XLII over ...

(born 1984), NFL

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

, Super Bowl XLII 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

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

(born 1962), jazz trumpet musician *

Meredith Brooks Meredith Ann Brooks (born June 12, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist best known for her 1997 hit song "Bitch", for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award. Career Brooks started her music career in 1976 as a member of ...

(born 1958), singer, songwriter, producer *

James Cassidy James Cassidy may refer to: * James Cassidy (musician), American bass and keyboard player * James Edwin Cassidy (1869–1951), American Roman Catholic bishop in Massachusetts * James H. Cassidy (1869–1926), United States Representative from Oh ...

, member of band

Information Society An information society is a society where the usage, creation, distribution, manipulation and integration of information is a significant activity. Its main drivers are information and communication technologies, which have resulted in rapid inf ...

* Robert Cheeke, bodybuilder and vegan activist *

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he becam ...

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

and

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Hall of Fame member * Edmund Creffield, founder of "Bride of Christ Church", also known as "Holy Rollers" * Christopher L. Eisgruber, Rhodes Scholar and 20th president of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

Atta Elayyan Atta Mohammed Elayyan ( ar, عطا عليان; 21 June 1985 – 15 March 2019) was a Jordanian-New Zealand futsal player, coach, businessman, and developer. As a futsal player, Elayyan played on the New Zealand national futsal team and coached ...

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

Christchurch mosque shootings On 15 March 2019, two consecutive mass shootings occurred in a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The attacks, carried out by a lone gunman who entered both mosques during Friday prayer, began at the Al Noor Mosque ...

Dick Fosbury Richard Douglas Fosbury (born March 6, 1947) is an American retired high jumper, who is considered one of the most influential athletes in the history of track and field. Besides winning a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics, he revolutionized the h ...

(1947–), 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. Early years Born in Corvallis, Oregon ...

(1950–), professional golfer, member of Champions Tour *

Gordon Gilkey Gordon Waverly Gilkey (March 10, 1912 – October 28, 2000) was an American artist, educator, and promoter of the arts from Oregon. A native Oregonian, he served during World War II in Europe collecting art stolen by the Nazis for which he w ...

(1912–2000), artist and educator *

Kevin Gregg Kevin Marschall Gregg (born June 20, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Florida / Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blu ...

(1978–), MLB player *

Les Gutches Leslie Lyle Gutches (born February 21, 1973, Medford, Oregon) is an American former amateur wrestler and coach. His accomplishments include becoming world champion in freestyle wrestling at the 1997 World Wrestling Championships, the Dan Hodge ...

(1973–), Olympic wrestler, world champion * Elizabeth Hoffman, actress *

Talanoa Hufanga Talanoa Hufanga (born February 1, 2000) is an American football safety for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC. Early years Hufanga attended Crescent Valley High School in Corvall ...

, NFL player *

Nick Hundley Nicholas John Hundley (born September 8, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and current front office executive. He is currently a special assistant to the general manager for the Texas Rangers. He played in Major League Ba ...

(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, keyboards and others. In addition to his solo work, Kang has worked extensively wit ...

, violinist and composer * Paul Kocher, cryptographer *

Jon Krakauer Jon Krakauer (born April 12, 1954) is an American writer and mountaineer. He is the author of bestselling non-fiction books—'' Into the Wild''; ''Into Thin Air''; ''Under the Banner of Heaven''; and '' Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat ...

, author (''

Into Thin Air ''Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster'' is a 1997 bestselling nonfiction book written by Jon Krakauer. It details Krakauer's experience in the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, in which eight climbers were killed and sev ...

'', ''

Under the Banner of Heaven ''Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith'' is a nonfiction book by author Jon Krakauer, first published in July 2003. He investigated and juxtaposed two histories: the origin and evolution of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

'', etc.) and mountaineer *

Wayne Krantz Wayne Krantz is an American guitarist and composer. He has performed and recorded with Steely Dan, Michael Brecker, Donald Fagen, Billy Cobham, Chris Potter, David Binney, and Carla Bley. Since the early 1990s, Krantz has focused primarily ...

, guitarist *

Jane Lubchenco Jane Lubchenco (born December 4, 1947) is an American environmental scientist and marine ecologist who teaches and conducts research at Oregon State University. Her research interests include interactions between the environment and human well-be ...

, marine biologist, named in 2009 to head

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

Bernard Malamud Bernard Malamud (April 26, 1914 – March 18, 1986) was an American novelist and short story writer. Along with Saul Bellow, Joseph Heller, and Philip Roth, he was one of the best known American Jewish authors of the 20th century. His baseba ...

, author, writer of ''

The Natural ''The Natural'' is a 1952 novel about baseball by Bernard Malamud, and is his debut novel. The story follows Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy whose career is sidetracked after being shot by a woman whose motivation remains mysterious. The story mo ...

''; his book ''A New Life'' was based on Corvallis * Ben Masters (1947–), actor, notable for soap opera ''

Passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and ...

'', 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 pres ...

* Barbara Minty, (also known as Barbara Minty McQueen) ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' 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 the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

* 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-

CWA CWA or Cwa may refer to: Organisations * CWA Constructions, a Swiss manufacturer of gondolas and people mover cabins, a division of Doppelmayr Garaventa Group * Catch Wrestling Association, a former German professional wrestling promotion * Contin ...

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...

Mario Pastega Mario Pastega (1916–2012) was an American businessman. A soft-drink bottler in the state of Oregon for nearly six decades, Pastega was elected to the Beverage World Hall of Fame in 2002. Pastega is best remembered as a patron of education and as ...

(1916–2012), businessman and philanthropist *

Linus Pauling Linus Carl Pauling (; February 28, 1901August 19, 1994) was an American chemist, biochemist, chemical engineer, peace activist, author, and educator. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific top ...

(1901–1994), 1954

Nobel Prize in Chemistry ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...

and 1962

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...

(graduate of Oregon Agricultural College, now

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

) * Jason Reed, actor, musician *

Harold Reynolds Harold Craig Reynolds (born November 26, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman from to , most prominently as a member of the Se ...

(1960–), MLB player and broadcaster *

Doug Riesenberg Douglas John Riesenberg (born July 23, 1965) is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and started in Super Bowl XXV. Born in Carroll, Iowa, Riesenberg moved ...

(1965–), former NFL offensive tackle * Mike Riley (1953–), football head coach of

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...

, former coach of NFL's

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

Nathan Sexton Nathan Sexton is an American professional disc golfer currently sponsored by Innova Champion DiscsAmong his most notable accomplishments are his 2003 Junior I Boys PDGA World Championship and his 2017 United States Disc Golf Championship win, wh ...

, professional disc golfer and winner of the 2017

United States Disc Golf Championship The United States Disc Golf Championship is a disc golf tournament held at the Winthrop Gold Course, on the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The professional event has been held annually as a PDGA sanctioned Major since 1 ...

* Jordan Smotherman, pro hockey player *

Robb Thomas Robb Douglas Thomas (born March 29, 1966) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) who played from 1989 to 1998. High school career Thomas graduated from Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Oregon in ...

, 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 is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

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 cherry, Royal Ann, Rainier cherry, Rainier, or Gold varieties. In their modern form, the cherries are first pre ...

* Carl Wieman, 2001

Nobel Prize in Physics ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...

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 densities is cooled to temperatures very close to absolute zero (−273.15 °C or −459.67&n ...

* Bushrod Washington Wilson (1828–1900), pioneer, railroad executive, and county functionary *

Mike Zandofsky Michael Leslie Zandofsky (born November 30, 1965) is a former American football offensive lineman who played in the National Football League (NFL). Early life Zandofsky attended Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Oregon and starred in football ...

, former NFL player

Sister cities

Corvallis has two

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is 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 are early examples of inter ...

, as designated by

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit organization, nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establish ...

: *

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 t ...

, Ethiopia *

Uzhhorod Uzhhorod ( uk, У́жгород, , ; ) is a city and municipality on the river Uzh in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. The city is approximately equidistant from the Baltic, the Adriatic and the B ...

Zakarpattia Oblast The Zakarpattia Oblast ( uk, Закарпатська область, Zakarpatska oblast) is an administrative oblast located in western Ukraine, mostly coterminous with the historical region of Carpathian Ruthenia. Its administrative centre is ...

, Ukraine

References

External links

City of Corvallis official website

Entry for Corvallis
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 on ...

''
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

History

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19th-century growth

Geography

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

Religion

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Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

Museums and other points of interest

Art galleries

Music

Sports

Parks and recreation

Parks in Corvallis

Government

Education

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Bus

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Fire department

Notable people

Sister cities

See also

References

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