Oak Grove is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Clackamas County Clackamas County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 421,401, making it Oregon's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Oregon City. The county was named after the Nati ...

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, in the

Portland metropolitan area The Portland metropolitan area is a metro area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered on the principal city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identifies it as the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, ...

. For statistical purposes, 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 th ...

has defined Oak Grove as a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

(CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name. The population was 16,629 at the 2010 census.

History

Oak Grove was named at the suggestion of Edward W. Cornell, a member of the surveying party that

plat 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 bea ...

ted the townsite in the 1890s. The company that was developing the property had not been able to come up with a good name for the place, and Cornell suggested "Oak Grove" after a crew ate lunch in a stand of

oak trees An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

in the northwestern part of the tract. The area was served first from the

Milwaukie Milwaukie is a city mostly in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States; a very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County. The population was 20,291 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1847 on the banks of the Willamette River, the c ...

post office. In 1904, Creighton post office was established, named for Susan Creighton, on whose

donation land claim The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, sometimes known as the Donation Land Act, was a statute enacted by the United States Congress in late 1850, intended to promote homestead settlements in the Oregon Territory. It followed the Distribution-Pr ...

the office stood. Postal authorities did not name the office "Oak Grove" in order to avoid duplication. There had once been an Oak Grove post office in Josephine County. The first postmaster was noted Oregon botanist Thomas J. Howell. Oak Grove railroad station was originally named "Center", and another station, St. Theresa, was originally named "Oak Grove". In order to prevent confusion, in 1907 the Post Office Department changed the name of the post office to "Oak Grove", and the Center railroad station was renamed to match. The railroad no longer passes through the community. Concord School is a historic building and former school (Concord Elementary School) in Oak Grove. Oak Grove is home to a LINCC library operated by Clackamas County.Library Hours & Locations
from the Clackamas County website

Geography

Oak Grove is located in northwestern Clackamas County, bordered to the north by the city of

, to the east by unincorporated Oatfield, to the south by unincorporated Jennings Lodge, and to the west by 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 ...

, whose opposite shore hosts the cities of West Linn and

Lake Oswego Lake Oswego () is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located about south of Portland and surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town w ...

Oregon Route 99E Oregon Route 99E is an Oregon state highway that runs between Junction City, Oregon and an interchange with I-5 just south of the Oregon/Washington border, in Portland. It, along with OR 99W, makes up a split of OR 99 in the northern part of ...

runs through Oak Grove as McLoughlin Boulevard; it leads north to downtown Portland and south to

Oregon City ) , image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845 , image_flag = , image_seal = Oregon City seal.png , image_map ...

. According to the

, the Oak Grove CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 6.35%, is water. Hog Island, an island in the Willamette River, is located within the boundaries of Oak Grove.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 12,808 people, 5,641 households, and 3,249 families residing in the CDP. 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 4,379.6 people per square mile (1,693.6/km²). There were 6,015 housing units at an average density of 2,056.8/sq mi (795.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.47%

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 ...

, 0.56%

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 ...

, 0.78% Native American, 1.79% Asian, 0.10%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 2.55% 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 2.75% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 5.89% of the population. There were 5,641 households, out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.4% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.89. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $40,530, and the median income for a family was $49,141. Males had a median income of $36,867 versus $29,877 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 CDP was $22,643. About 6.6% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

"Early days and ways in and around Milwaukie"
1939 interview of Harvey Starkweather
Oak Grove Community Council
{{Authority control 1890s establishments in Oregon Census-designated places in Clackamas County, Oregon Census-designated places in Oregon Populated places on the Willamette River Unincorporated communities in Clackamas County, Oregon Unincorporated communities in Oregon

History

Geography

Demographics

See also

References

External links