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Albany ( ) is the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Linn County,
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 ...
, and is the 11th most populous city in the state. Albany is located in 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 ...
at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the
Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...
in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is predominantly a farming and manufacturing city that settlers founded around 1848. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of Albany, Oregon was 56,472. Albany has a home rule charter, a
council–manager government The council–manager government is a form of local government commonly used for municipalities and counties in the United States and Ireland, in New Zealand regional councils, and in Canadian municipalities. In the council-manager government, ...
, and a full-time unelected
city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...
. The city provides the population with access to over 30 parks and trails, a senior center, and many cultural events such as the Northwest Art & Air Festival, River Rhythms, Summer Sounds and Movies at Monteith. In addition to farming and manufacturing, the city's economy depends on retail trade, health care, and social assistance. In recent years the city has worked to revive the
downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
shopping area, with help from the Central Albany Revitalization Area.


History

In the historical era, the area 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 ...
that makes up modern-day Albany was inhabited by one of the tribes of the Kalapuya, a
Penutian Penutian is a proposed grouping of language family, language families that includes many Native Americans in the United States, Native American languages of western North America, predominantly spoken at one time in British Columbia, Washington ( ...
-speaking, Native American people. The Kalapuya had named the area ''Takenah'', a Kalapuyan word used to describe the deep pool at the confluence of the Calapooia and Willamette rivers. A variation of the place name can also be written as Tekenah. The Kalapuya population in the valley was between 4,000 and 20,000 before contact with Europeans, but they suffered high mortality from new infectious diseases introduced shortly afterward. The tribes were decimated by a
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infection ...
that raged through the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
in 1782–83. A
malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
outbreak swept through the region between 1830 and 1833. It is estimated that as many as 90 percent of the Kalapuya population died during this period. That, coupled with the
treaties A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...
signed during the 1850s by the Kalapuya to cede land to the United States, left the area nearly free for
European Americans European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...
to settle.


19th century

Originally a farmer from Iowa, Abner Hackleman arrived as the first European American settler in 1845. Taking up a land claim for himself, Hackleman asked Hiram N. Smead to hold another for him until his son arrived from Iowa. In 1846, a year after arriving in Oregon, Hackleman died while returning to Iowa to fetch his family. In 1847 a pair of brothers, Walter and Thomas Monteith, settled in the area, after traveling by ox team along the
Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...
from their native state of New York. They were a family of early prominence in the area; in 1848, they bought a claim of from Hiram Smead for $400 and a horse; they plotted out for the town site. They named the city "Albany" after their hometown of Albany in New York. During the same period, Hackleman's son Abram reached his father's original land claim and built a log house in an oak grove still known as Hackleman's Grove. He later built a house, which still stands at the corner of Fifth and Jackson. The small settlement that formed on the Hackleman land became known as the community of Takenah in 1849. During this early period, the Monteith and Hackleman families were literally and politically on opposite sides of the fence. Residents in the Monteiths' portion of town were mainly Yankee merchants and professionals from the
Upper Midwest The Upper Midwest is a northern subregion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. Although the exact boundaries are not uniformly agreed upon, the region is usually defined to include the states of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wi ...
and
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
, who aligned with the Republican Party. They tended to sympathize with the Union during the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. The residents in Hackleman's portion of town to the east were made up mostly of working-class Democrats from the
Upland South The Upland South and Upper South are two overlapping cultural and geographic subregions in the inland part of the Southern United States. They differ from the Deep South and Atlantic coastal plain by terrain, history, economics, demographics, a ...
/Lower Midwest who were split between supporting the Union and the Confederacy. The two sides planted a hedge near Baker Street separating their sides of town. With help from Samuel Althouse, the Monteiths built the first frame house in Albany in 1849. The Monteith House was considered the finest house in Oregon at the time. That same year the start of the
California Gold Rush 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 ...
had caught the attention of the Monteith brothers, who provided supplies to the gold fields; their profits were seed money for several new businesses in Albany, including the
general store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...
. After the Monteiths developed these businesses, Albany became a major hub city in the Willamette Valley. Albany's first school was established in 1851 by the town's first physician, R. C. Hill. The first school teacher was Eleanor B. Hackleman, wife of Abram Hackleman. It was not until 1855 that a building was specifically erected for use as a school. In 1852, the first
steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...
, the '' Multnomah'', arrived and the first flour mill was built. On January 8, 1850, a U.S. post office was established in Albany, with John Burkhart appointed as the first U.S.
Postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
. The town was renamed as "New Albany" on November 4, 1850, but the name was changed back to Albany in 1853. In 1851, Albany was designated as the county seat, replacing Calapooia (near modern-day Brownsville and Sweet Home), and all court meetings were held there. The first Albany
courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...
was built in 1852 on of land donated by the Monteiths to ensure Albany would remain the county seat. The new two-story octagonal courthouse was completed on April 26, 1853. The courthouse has since been replaced, but the new courthouse stands on the same site. During 1853–1854, residents of the east side of Albany persuaded the
Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the State legislature (United States), state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper house, upper and lower chamber: the Oregon State Senate, Sena ...
to name both towns Takenah. Though ''Takenah'' meant "deep pool," in reference to the confluence of the Calapooia and Willamette rivers, it was commonly translated as "Hole in the Ground". Partially due to this translation, the legislature restored the name ''Albany'' to the town in 1855. Finally in 1864, 16 years after the Monteiths founded the town and 19 years after the first European Americans arrived, it became incorporated as a city.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. In 1871, the trains first reached Albany, connecting it to other towns in the valley. The arrival of the first train was celebrated as the greatest event in Albany's history. Albany businessmen raised $50,000 to ensure that the rails would be built through the city, instead of bypassing it a few miles eastward. The train brought the farmers' markets closer to the city, as stagecoaches and steamboats gave way to the railroad. The world's longest wooden railroad drawbridge was built in 1888 for the Albany-Corvallis run. By 1910, 28 passenger trains departed daily from Albany going in five directions. In 1872, the Santiam Ditch and Canal Company was organized, and a canal running from the Santiam near Lebanon was completed that autumn. The canal runs c from the south side of Albany and divides at the corner of Vine and Eight streets, with one branch running down Vine Street and emptying into Calapooia Creek, with a drop of . The other runs down Eighth to Thurston Street.


20th century

In 1924 Pacific Power installed a turbine where the canal meets the river to generate electricity. In 1984 the city bought the water system from Pacific Power, and shut down the plant in 1991. By 2003 the city had approved a plan to restart the four megawatt-hour hydroelectric plant and in February 2009 the plant opened again. Albany was the headquarters for the Mountain States Power Company from its establishment in 1918 until its merger into Pacific Power & Light (now
PacifiCorp PacifiCorp is an electric power company based in the Lloyd Center Tower in Portland, Oregon with operations in the western United States. PacifiCorp has two business units: Pacific Power, a regulated electric utility with service territory thro ...
) in 1954. In the 1940s, the city started the Albany World Championship Timber Carnival, which drew competitors from all over the world to participate in logging skills contests. The event took place over the four days of the Fourth of July weekend. Men and women would compete in climbing, chopping, bucking, and burling contests. In 2001 the carnival was cancelled because of smaller crowds and the state's declining timber economy. In 1916 Kuo-Ching Li, a Chinese-American engineer, founded Wah Chang Trading Corporation in New York State, but it was based in Albany. He developed it as an international
tungsten Tungsten (also called wolfram) is a chemical element; it has symbol W and atomic number 74. It is a metal found naturally on Earth almost exclusively in compounds with other elements. It was identified as a distinct element in 1781 and first ...
ore and concentrate trading company, leading the company until his death in 1961. He served as president until 1960 and then board chairman. The U.S. Bureau of Mines established Albany Research Center (ARC) on the former Albany College campus in 1942, focusing on the development of new metallurgical processes. First known as the Northwest Electro-development Facility, the site eventually produced titanium and zirconium, spearheaded by William Justin Kroll whom the bureau hired in 1945. The first zirconium strip was rolled out there in August 1946. In 1951, William Kroll joined the faculty of Oregon State College, ten miles away in Corvallis. The ARC fostered the growth of a new rare metals industry in Albany, led by internationally recognized companies such as the Oregon Metallurgical Company, Oremet, and Wah Chang. In the 1970s, Albany attempted to extend its city limits to include a zirconium processing plant of Wah Chang Corporation in order to increase its industrial tax base. Wah Chang responded in 1974 by sponsoring a vote to incorporate the desired properties as Millersburg. When the Bureau of Mines closed in 1996, the ARC was transferred to the
United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, the research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear w ...
's Office of Fossil Energy. In 2005 the facility became part of the National Energy Technology Laboratory.


Geography

Albany is in the central part of Oregon's most populated region, the Willamette Valley. The city rests along the confluence of the Calapooia and Willamette rivers, and although most of Albany falls within Linn County, a smaller portion of the city rests to the north of its downtown on the west bank of the Willamette River in Benton County. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 is land and is water. Albany has within its urban growth boundary. Throughout the city limits and urban growth area, there are limited hills; the city is one of the lowest points along the Willamette Valley, with elevations ranging above sea level. The North Albany district has the most variable elevation, while the downtown and southern end of town have little elevation change throughout.


Climate

Similar to the majority of Western Oregon, Albany's weather is considered to be mild. Albany has generally warm and dry summers during which precipitation drops to in July and temperatures peak at an average of in August. Retrieved on November 24, 2011. The record high temperature in Albany was on June 27 during the
2021 Western North America heat wave The 2021 Western North America heat wave was an extreme heat wave that affected much of Western North America from late June through mid-July 2021. The heat wave affected Northern California, Idaho, Western Nevada, Oregon, and Washington in ...
. Winters in Albany are cool and wet. The month with the most precipitation is December with . The coldest month is January, with an average low just above freezing at . The record low temperature was recorded in 1972 at . Albany and the surrounding area was left devastated by the
Columbus Day Storm The Columbus Day storm of 1962 (also known as the big blow of 1962, and originally in Canada as Typhoon Freda) was a Pacific Northwest windstorm that struck the West Coast of Canada and the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States on Octobe ...
of October 1962.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 56,472 people in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 79.5% White, .8% African American, 1.4% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.8% Asian, .3% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 5.3% from other races, and 10.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino from any race was 14.1% of the population. There were 22,157 households, of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 46.2% were married couples living together, 27.1% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 17.4% had a male householder with no spouse present. 11.4% of households consisted of individuals, and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The median age in the city was 37.8, with a median age of 36.5 for males and 39.0 for females. 22.3% were under the age of 18, and 18.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.


2010 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 50,158 people, 19,705 households, and 12,894 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 . There were 20,979 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.8%
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 ...
, 0.7%
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 ...
, 1.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.2%
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 ...
, 5.2% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races.
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 were 11.4% of the population. There were 19,705 households, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally 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, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.6% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age in the city was 35.6 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 13.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.


2000 census

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


Government

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


Economy

Albany calls itself the "rare metals capital of the world", producing
zirconium Zirconium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Zr and atomic number 40. First identified in 1789, isolated in impure form in 1824, and manufactured at scale by 1925, pure zirconium is a lustrous transition metal with a greyis ...
,
hafnium Hafnium is a chemical element; it has symbol Hf and atomic number 72. A lustrous, silvery gray, tetravalent transition metal, hafnium chemically resembles zirconium and is found in many zirconium minerals. Its existence was predicted by Dm ...
and
titanium Titanium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...
. One of the major producers of these metals in Albany is ATI Specialty Alloys and Components (formerly ATI Wah Chang) which has a site that primarily focuses on the production of zirconium. Albany and the surrounding communities are major exporters of grass seed. Other crops produced include
corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...
,
beans A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are tradition ...
,
mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...
,
strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit is appreciated f ...
, and
hazelnut The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus '' Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species ''Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts according to ...
s. Linn County is also referred to as the "Grass Seed Capital of the World". Albany is the headquarters of Coastal Farm & Ranch, a chain of farm supply stores in the Pacific Northwest. The decline of the timber industry and the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs has left Linn County with a relatively high unemployment rate. The
Oregon Employment Department The Employment Department is the agency of the state government, government of the U.S. state of Oregon which is responsible for administration of the state's unemployment insurance program, operation of a statewide employment service through a sy ...
does not maintain unemployment statistics for cities. The losses in the timber industry in around Albany have led the city to a more diverse economic base for the city, led by retail trade, health care and social assistance, and manufacturing as the three leading aspects of the economy. Oregon Freeze Dry is a leading employer in the manufacturing sector of the Albany economy with its headquarters located in the city. The company employs over 300 people and was incorporated in 1963. The Albany facility is the company's main research and development site in the industry, and has recently partnered with
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
-based technology company EnerG2 to produce carbon electrode material, in a former distribution center of Oregon Freeze Dry by 2011 bringing a new green technology industry to Albany.
Tec Laboratories Tec Laboratories, Inc. is a manufacturer of Over-the-counter drug, over-the-counter pharmaceutical dermatological preparations. The company was founded in 1977 by a former Mead Johnson executive, chemical engineer Robert L. Smith, and is headquart ...
has made
Tecnu Tecnu is an Over-the-counter drug, over-the-counter skin cleanser manufactured by Tec Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company based in Albany, Oregon. It is intended for use by humans and furry pets after topical exposure to urushiol, the active i ...
poison ivy cleanser and other topical medicines in Albany since 1977. Albany is also home to the Albany Research Center, which is part of National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). They employ a staff of 120. Albany Research Center was founded in 1943, the laboratory specializes in life cycle research starting with the formulation, characterization, and/or melting of most metals, alloys, and ceramics; casting and fabrication, prototype development; and the recycle and remediation of waste streams associated with these processes. The Heritage Mall, an enclosed shopping center, opened on November 2, 1988. The construction of a regional shopping center had been planned for a decade and included proposals to build a rival mall in Corvallis.


Arts and culture


Annual cultural events

The annual events in Albany include the Northwest Art and Air Festival, River Rhythms, Summer Sounds (formerly Mondays at Monteith), Veteran's Day Parade, Albany Upstairs Downtown Wine Walk and the Craft Brew Smackdown. The once popular Albany Timber Carnival ended in 2000. An attempt to revive the event in 2008 was unsuccessful. The Albany Arts Festival was held from 1970 until the late 1980s.


Museums and other points of interest

Areas of interest include the Thomas and Walter Monteith House. Originally constructed near the Calapooia River, the Monteith house is one of the oldest buildings in Albany. It has been relocated twice, most recently to downtown Albany, where is serves as the Monteith House Museum and is on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. Whitespires Church, another historically registered building, is the tallest building in town. Th
Albany Regional Museum
features exhibits about Albany history and is housed in a historic building originally built by S.E. Young in 1887. Downtown Albany is a National Historic District, and features antique stores, restaurants, the Albany Civic Theater (one of the oldest civic theaters in Oregon, it has operated continuously since the opening of its first production on March 2, 1951), and one of the oldest Carnegie libraries still being used as a library. Since the early 2000s, a hand-carved
carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...
has been under construction at the Albany Historic Carousel and Museum. Albany has four historic districts including the Albany Municipal Airport, Monteith Historic District, Hackleman Historic District, and the Albany Downtown Commercial Historic District. Albany's historic districts include most of the housing styles built between 1840 and 1920, including Federal,
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
, American Farmhouse, Second Empire, Eastlake,
Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...
, and
Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...
. Those historic districts were recognized as one of the best places to buy a historic home in the nation by
This Old House ''This Old House'' is an American home improvement media brand with television shows, a magazine, and a website. The brand is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The television series airs on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television ...
online. In total there are over 700 historic buildings within the 4 historic districts.


Parks and recreation

The Albany Parks and Recreation Department is the agency responsible for the
Senior Center A senior center (or senior centre or older adult center) is a type of community center where older adults congregate for fellowship with others to fulfill many of their social, physical, emotional, and intellectual needs. A regular part of senio ...
, the Periwinkle Creek Bike Path, and the other trails and parks within Albany. The department's recreation staff spends most of the summer organizing and running the city-organized events that occur at these parks such as River Rhythms, Summer Sounds, and the Northwest Art & Air Festival. The department is in charge of running and maintaining the Albany Community Pool and the Swanson Park Action Center which houses the Albany Cool! Pool. Albany's Parks and Recreation Department aims to make it where everyone within the city limits lives within of a park. Albany's Timber-Linn Memorial Park house the 63rd Blue Star veterans memorial in the state of Oregon. The memorial is dedicated to Linn County servicemen who lost their lives during all of the 20th century wars. The memorial lists the names of those from Linn County killed in action for each war fought throughout the 20th century. The memorial was sponsored by the Santiam District Garden Club and the Linn County Veterans Memorial Association. Albany's Timber-Linn Memorial Park also hosted the American Veterans Traveling Tribute, a replica of the Vietnam Memorial wall in Washington, D.C., in July 2009. The department also has an urban forestry program which involves the Legacy Forest at Lexington Park, that consists of commemorative tree planting designed to perpetuate the memory or work of individuals and organizations. A Heritage Tree Program was established to recognize trees having historic significance in the community. The city has also been involved with the Tree City USA program that is sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation since 1993. The city also takes part annually in Arbor Week. Albany has two golf courses, both in North Albany. The Golf Club of Oregon is public, and Spring Hill Golf Club at Albany Golf & Event Center, a former country club, is essentially public. Albany also has one
bowling Bowling is a Throwing sports#Target sports, target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a bowling ball, ball toward Bowling pin, pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). Most references to ''bowling'' are ...
alley, Lake Shore Lanes, which also has a
miniature golf Miniature golf (also known as minigolf, putt-putt, crazy golf, and by #Nomenclature, several other names) is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest ...
course outside the bowling alley.


Education

Albany is the home of the main campus of a two-year junior college called Linn-Benton Community College, which was established in 1966. The college offers certificates and associate degrees and has many transfer and dual enrollment programs with OSU. LBCC offers 47 areas of study and programs, serves over 18,000 full- and part-time students and is supported financially through tuition, property taxes and the State of Oregon. The Albany area has also been served since 1979 by the Greater Albany Public School District, including West Albany High School, and South Albany High School, which have a combined enrollment of approximately 2,700 students. Albany is also served by Albany Options School as an alternative to traditional school for grades 6 through 12. In total Greater Albany Public School District serves roughly 8,900 students throughout its 23 different schools. Along with the K-12 schools Albany also offers student services at the Maple Lawn Preschool. The Albany Collegiate Institute was founded in 1867 and served as Albany's higher education institute for 70 years before it was moved to
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
, and renamed
Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1867 and is situated on the historic M. Lloyd Frank Estate in South Portland's Collins View neighborhood. It is composed of three distinct but adjac ...
.


Media


Newspaper

The primary media outlet is the daily newspaper '' Albany Democrat-Herald'' which is owned and published 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 ...
. The ''Democrat-Herald'' started as a political tool for one of Oregon's first senators. The ''Democrat-Herald'' traces its origin to the ''Albany Democrat'' newspaper, founded by Delazon Smith in 1859. Lee Enterprises also publishes the ''Mid-Valley Times'', the Sunday version of the paper.


Radio

Albany has eight different radio stations that are either broadcast or have offices within Albany and many others that serve the area. the FM stations are, 107.9FM KHPE that uses the tagline (HOPE-FM) which is a Christian contemporary music radio station, and 99.9FM KRKT-FM, a country radio station that both broadcast from Albany. There is also 101.5FM KFLY, which is based out of
Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in 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, ...
, but maintains an office in the Albany area. Along with the FM stations there are five AM stations. 790 AM KWIL, is the AM version of KHPE (107.9FM). The others range from adult standard such as
KSHO KSHO (920 AM, "KSHO 94.1 FM and 920 AM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Lebanon, Oregon, and serving the Mid–Willamette Valley. It airs a soft oldies and adult standards format and is owned by the Eads Broadcasting Corporati ...
(920 AM), comedy radio and Seattle Mariners baseball games KTHH (990 AM), to sports KEJO (1240 AM), and KGAL (1580 AM) the local news and talk radio station.


Infrastructure


Transportation


Highway

Albany is adjacent to
Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...
, while Oregon Route 99E runs through it in a north and south direction and U.S. Route 20 runs through it in an east and west direction. Just outside the south end of Albany Oregon Route 34 runs from east to west.


Air

Albany Municipal Airport is a
general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...
airport on the eastern edge of Albany and has been open since 1920 and is believed to be the oldest operating airfield in Oregon. In 1998, the airport became the first airport in Oregon to be named to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
, and was the City of Albany's fourth National Historic District, It held its first air show in 1931 and has been home to exhibits, helicopter rides and Young Eagles flights for children as part of the annual Northwest Art & Air Festival. It has a single runway with the specs of 16–34 3,004 X 75, and is an asphalt runway. The closest airports with commercial air service available are the Eugene Airport to the south and the Portland International Airport to the north.


Bus

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


Train

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Albany from its Albany Station at 10th Avenue SW on two routes. Long-haul train route the ''
Coast Starlight The ''Coast Starlight'' is a Amtrak Long Distance, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States between Seattle and Los Angeles via Portland, Oregon, Portland and the San Francisco Bay Area. The train, ...
'' (with service from
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
to
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
) stops in Albany daily in both directions. Amtrak ''Cascades'' commuter trains operate between
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
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
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, ...
, and serve Albany several times daily in each direction. The Amtrak ''Cascades'' line is the proposed path of the Pacific Northwest Corridor
high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...
line. The Albany station would be one of many stops along the proposed , passenger line. The station itself was constructed in 1909 for the
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...
and is built of
masonry Masonry is the craft of building a structure with brick, stone, or similar material, including mortar plastering which are often laid in, bound, and pasted together by mortar (masonry), mortar. The term ''masonry'' can also refer to the buildin ...
. It is one of the oldest continuously operating passenger rail stations in the U.S. and has one of the best-equipped engine shops in the northwest. Southern Pacific 4449, a steam locomotive which resides at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland, occasionally visited the shop for repairs when it was residing at the Brooklyn Roundhouse in Portland (before 2012), as did several other locomotives stored at the now-demolished roundhouse. Beginning in 2004, the station and the surrounding area underwent an $11.3 million restoration that was funded with a combination of federal, state, local, and Amtrak money. In 2006 the city received the Award in Downtown Excellence from the Oregon Downtown Development Association for the renovation of the station.


Bridges

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


Paths and trails

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


Health care

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


Notable people

* Jerry Andrus (1918–2007) – magician * Mike Barrett (born 1968) – TV announcer of the
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
* Charles B. Bellinger (1839–1905) – federal district court judge, editor of the ''State Rights Democrat'' (Now the '' Albany Democrat-Herald'') * Dyrol Burleson 1500m Olympian * George Earle Chamberlain (1854–1928) – 11th Governor of Oregon * Daveigh Chase (born 1990) – actress *
Abigail Scott Duniway Abigail Jane Scott Duniway (October 22, 1834 – October 11, 1915) was an American women's rights advocate, newspaper editor and writer, whose efforts were instrumental in gaining Women's suffrage in the United States, voting rights for women in ...
(1834–1915) – writer, newspaper publisher, and women's rights advocate * Neil Elshire – former NFL defensive end,
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
* Members of Falling Up – Christian rock band * Alan L. Hart (1890–1962) – physician and novelist, was raised in Albany * Dave Johnson (born 1963) – Olympic athlete and former West Albany High School teacher * Percy R. Kelly (1870–1949) – American attorney and jurist in the state of Oregon * Frank Morse (born 1943) – politician * Sam Shoen (1916–1999) – founder of
U-Haul U-Haul Holding Company is an American moving truck, trailer, and self-storage rental company (law), company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen and Anna Mary Carty in Ridgef ...
Corp., operated a barbershop in the St. Francis Hotel at First Ave. and Calapooia St. while a student at Oregon State College in the early 1940s * Delazon Smith (1816–1860) – politician * Elmo Smith (1909–1968) – 27th
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of Oregon * Evelyn Waldren (1908-1986) - Aviation Pioneer * James K. Weatherford (1850–1935) – Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives (1876) and State Senator * Mae Yih (born 1928) – member of the
Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the State legislature (United States), state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper house, upper and lower chamber: the Oregon State Senate, Sena ...


See also

* West Albany


References


Further reading

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


External links


Entry for Albany
in the '' Oregon Blue Book''
Official WebsiteAlbany Chamber of CommerceAlbany Visitors AssociationAlbany Carousel
Documentary produced by
Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary public broadcasting, public media organization for the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington (state), Washington. It provides news, information, and programming via television stati ...
* * *
Albany Covered Bridge Route
{{authority control Cities in Benton County, Oregon Willamette Valley Cities in Oregon County seats in Oregon Cities in Linn County, Oregon Populated places established in 1845 Micropolitan areas of Oregon 1845 establishments in Oregon Country Populated places on the Willamette River