Junction City is a city in

Lane County, Oregon Lane County is one of the Oregon counties, 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 382,971, making it the fourth-most populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Eugene, ...

, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, it has a population of 6,747. The Junction City area is notable for its Scandinavian heritage, with the city's Scandinavian Festival attracting over 100,000 visitors annually. Junction City was previously a center of

recreational vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and ca ...

manufacturing.

History

The city was incorporated in 1872. Junction City was named by railroad magnate

Ben Holladay Benjamin Holladay (October 14, 1819 – July 8, 1887) was an American transportation businessman responsible for creating the Overland Stage to California during the height of the 1849 California Gold Rush. He created a stagecoach empire and ...

, who decided that it would be where the rail line on the east side 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 ...

would meet the rail line on the west side. The westside line, however, was not built according to plan and the rail junction never materialized. Junction City later became the meeting point of the east and west branches of

U.S. Route 99 U.S. Route 99 (US 99) was a main north–south United States Numbered Highway on the West Coast of the United States until 1964, running from Calexico, California, on the Mexican border to Blaine, Washington, on the Canadian border. It w ...

(which divide in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

). In 1902, real estate developer A.C. Nielsen subdivided 1,600 acres of farmland near Junction City into small farms and advertised them in a Danish-language newspaper in

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. Many families of Danish ancestry subsequently settled in the area. Danish was spoken regularly in the area until the 1940s, with

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

services offered in Danish until 1951. In 1961, residents of Junction City founded the Scandinavian Festival, an annual event that remains popular to this day, to celebrate the legacy of these and other Scandinavian immigrants to the Junction City area. In the early 1990s, Junction City voters considered two ballot initiatives aimed at restricting

LGBT civil rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...

. The initiatives sought to ban the city government from enforcing civil rights protections based on sexual orientation and prohibited public money from being spent to “promote” homosexuality. The first ballot initiative was narrowly passed by voters on June 29, 1993, by a vote of 631 to 628 (50.12% in favor). The election was subsequently invalidated due to evidence of

voter fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share o ...

by supporters. Litigation led by the ACLU of Oregon showed that a Junction City church had allowed several members of their congregation who did not live in Junction City to fraudulently register to vote in Junction City by claiming the church was their residential address. A similar initiative was placed before voters again in March 1994 and passed with a larger margin. In 1995, all Anti-LBGT local ordinances in Oregon were invalidated when the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest State court (United States), state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.

upheld House Bill 3500. From 2003 to 2005, a group of local farmers posed for

nude calendar Nude calendars are a type of wall calendar that feature nude models in a variety of scenes and locations. In the United Kingdom, nude calendars are predominantly produced to raise money for charity. Types Calendars featuring pin-up models ...

s to raise money for the Junction City School District. Sales in over 63 countries raised more than $650,000.

Geography

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 , all of it land.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Junction City has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 Census, there were 6,787 people in the city and 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 2,704 housing units at an occupancy rate of 96.2%. The racial makeup of the city was 92.2%

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 ...

, 1.7% Black or African American, 5.2% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.5%

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

, and 7.5% from other races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

of any race were 9.9% of the population.

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 5,392 people, 2,184 households, and 1,394 families living in the city. The

was . There were 2,323 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.4%

, 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 ...

, 1.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1%

, 3.7% from other races, and 3.2% 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 9.0% of the population. There were 2,184 households, of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% 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, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.2% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 36 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.4% were from 45 to 64; and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,721 people, 1,823 households, and 1,170 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,921 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.21% White, 0.30% African American, 1.23% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.66% from other races, and 2.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.28% of the population. There were 1,823 households, out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.15. In the city, the population was 27.1% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,347, and the median income for a family was $43,875. Males had a median income of $31,044 versus $21,757 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 $16,155. About 6.3% 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 11.7% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Junction City is located in the bottom of the

, close to 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 ...

, an extremely fertile agricultural region.

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 ...

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticate ...

grass seed Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in ...

, nursery crops,

Christmas trees A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was developed in Ce ...

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

, and

dairy product Dairy products or milk products are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, goat, nanny goat, and Sheep, ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as y ...

s are the major agricultural products of the area. Junction City is also located in a growing wine region. The Lower Long Tom American Viticulture Area (AVA), establish in 2021, is located primarily in the Junction City area. Junction City is home to a number of prominent agricultural businesses. Lochmead Farms, a dairy headquartered in the city, was awarded the top dark chocolate ice cream and the second-best vanilla ice cream at the 2018 World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin. Lochmead Farms operates a chain of 44

Dari Mart Dari Mart is a chain of convenience stores located in the U.S. state of Oregon. Dari Mart has 44 stores (as of 2019) located exclusively within the Willamette Valley of Oregon, from Albany to Cottage Grove. It is most notable as a supplier of mi ...

convenience store A convenience store, convenience shop, bakkal, bodega, corner store, corner shop, superette or mini-mart is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as convenience food, groceries, beverages, tobacco products, lotter ...

s throughout the south Willamette Valley. The

Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gene Eugene, stage name of Canadian born actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musi ...

Livestock Auction, the largest in western Oregon, is also located in Junction City. Junction City was a center of the RV and motorcoach manufacturing in the 20th Century, with the nickname "The RV Manufacturing Capital of the World." The city was the home of Country Coach, a large luxury motorcoach manufacturer employing over 2,000 people. Country Coach was

liquidated Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as wound-up or dissolved, although di ...

in February 2010 after filing for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

. It was also the home of Monaco Coach Corporation and Marathon Coach prior to their move to nearby

Coburg Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...

. Similarly, Guaranty RV Super Center of Junction City was the largest RV dealership in the U.S. No RV or motorhome manufacturers remain in Junction City following the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.

. In March 2015, the

Oregon State Hospital Oregon State Hospital is a public psychiatric hospital in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the state's capital city of Salem, Oregon, Salem with a smaller satellite campus in Junction City, Oregon, Junction City opened in 2014. Founded in ...

opened a Junction City campus with the capacity to serve up to 174 people with severe mental illness.

Arts and culture

Annual events

*The Scandinavian Festival occurs annually in mid-August and features traditional Scandinavian costumes, crafts, and

folk dance A folk dance is a dance that reflects the life of the people of a certain country or region. Not all ethnic dances are folk dances. For example, Ritual, ritual dances or dances of ritual origin are not considered to be folk dances. Ritual dances ...

. *The Daffodil Drive Festival is a two-day event held annually in mid-March, featuring a driving route heavily planted with

daffodils ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as '' Sternbergia'', ''I ...

extending from Junction City to the Long Tom Grange Hall. *The "Function 4 Junction" is a two-day classic

car show An auto show, also known as a motor show or car show, is a public exhibition of current automobile models, debuts, concept cars, or out-of-production classics. It is attended by automotive industry representatives, dealers, auto journalists a ...

and cruise held annually in June. *The Highway 36 "52-Mile Yard Sale" is a three-day event held annually in late June in which many yard sales are held along the 52-mile length of

Oregon Route 36 Oregon Route 36 is an Oregon state highway that runs between the city of Mapleton in the Oregon Coast Range, and the city of Junction City in the Willamette Valley. OR 36 traverses the Mapleton–Junction City Highway No. 229 of th ...

, which extends from Junction City to Mapleton in the

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

. Founded in 2004, the event is patterned after the 127 Corridor Sale in the

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

area.

Education

The city is served by the Junction City School District, which includes Junction City High School. Junction City is also located in the

Lane Community College Lane Community College is a public community college in Eugene, Oregon, with additional facilities in downtown Eugene, Florence, Cottage Grove, and the Lane Aviation Academy at Eugene Airport. As of 2023-2024, Lane serves more than 15,000 cre ...

District.

Notable people

* James A. Bushnell, first Chairman of the board of

Bushnell University Bushnell University is a Private university, private Christian university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It is historically affiliated with the Christian churches and churches of Christ. History The school was founded as a divinity sc ...

Charity Dean Charity Dean is an American public health physician who is known for her work as the assistant director of the California Department of Public Health in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. She is the co-founder and CEO of The ...

, disease control expert and assistant director of California's Department of Public Health *

Bobby Doerr Robert Pershing Doerr (April 7, 1918 – November 13, 2017) was an American professional baseball second baseman and coach (baseball), coach. He played his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Boston Red Sox (1937–1951). ...

, Major League Baseball player, member of

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...

* Kate Elliott, fantasy and science fiction writer *

Ty Harden Robert Tyrel "Ty" Harden (born March 6, 1984) is an American soccer player who last played for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer. Career Collegiate Harden was a regular for four years at the University of Washington, playing every match of ...

, Major League Soccer player * Eric Hays, basketball player and coach *

Derek Humphry Derek Humphry (29 April 1930 – 2 January 2025) was a British and American journalist and author. He was a proponent of legal assisted suicide and the right to die. In 1980 he co-founded the Hemlock Society and in 2004 after the Society dissol ...

, founder of the

Hemlock Society The Hemlock Society (sometimes called Hemlock Society USA) was an American right-to-die and assisted suicide advocacy organization which existed from 1980 to 2003, and took its name from the hemlock plant ''Conium maculatum'', a highly poisonous h ...

* Buster B. Jones, American fingerpicking-style guitar player * Walter McClure, track and field athlete *

Dmae Roberts Dmae Roberts, aka D. Roberts, is a Taiwanese-American independent public radio producer, writer, actress and playwright. Much of her work focuses on cross-cultural issues or personal storytelling. Roberts was born in Taipei, Taiwan and grew up in ...

, public radio producer, writer, actress, and playwright *

Dave Wilcox David Wilcox (September 29, 1942 – April 19, 2023), nicknamed "the Intimidator", was an American professional football linebacker who played with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1974. Named to pl ...

, American football player, member of

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

* Justin Wilcox, American football coach *

John N. Williamson John Newton Williamson (November 8, 1855August 29, 1943) was an American rancher and politician in the state of Oregon. A native Oregonian, he served in both chambers of the Oregon Legislative Assembly representing Central Oregon, central and Ea ...

, politician

References

External links

Entry for Junction City
in the ''

Oregon Blue Book The ''Oregon Blue Book'' is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon prepared by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. The ''Blue Book'' comes in both print and o ...

''
Official City Website
{{authority control Cities in Oregon Cities in Lane County, Oregon 1872 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1872