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Keizer () is a city located in
Marion County, Oregon Marion County is one of the Oregon counties, 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 345,920 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of counties in Oregon, 5th most populous county in Oregon. The ...
, United States, along the 45th parallel. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 39,376, making it the 14th most populous city in Oregon. It lies 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 ...
, and is part of the
Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area The Salem metropolitan statistical area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is a metropolitan statistical area consisting of two counties in western Oregon, Marion and Polk. The principal city is Salem, the state capital, which has a ...
. It was named after pioneer Thomas Dove (T. D.) Keizur and his family, who arrived in the Wagon Train of 1843, and later filed donation land claims.


History

The original settlement was at Keizer Bottom, near the banks of 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 ...
. The community was named after Thomas Dove Keizur, one of its first settlers. Somewhere in the translation of donation land claim records, his name was misspelled. The settlement suffered in the flood of 1861, and the inhabitants rebuilt their homes on higher ground. Further floods in 1943, 1945, 1946 and
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
hampered the growth of the community, and it was not until dams were built in the 1950s to regulate the flow of the Willamette that Keizer began to flourish. The City of Salem tried to annex the growing community adjacent to its city limits many times. Beginning in 1964, a number of Keizer residents, powered by Janet and Richard Bauer and family, tried to convince the people of Keizer that it would be cheaper and better to form their own city. It was not until November 2, 1982, that, with the support of the nearby
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
of Clear Lake, residents voted to make Keizer a city. Keizer Bottom is now the site of Keizer Rapids Park, a public park whose attractions include a
dog park A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners. Description Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a fence, separate double-gated entry an ...
, playground, boat-in camping,
nature trail An educational trail (or sometimes educational path), nature trail or nature walk is a specially developed hiking trail or footpath that runs through the countryside, along which there are marked stations or stops next to points of natural scienc ...
s, a disc golf course, and sport courts.


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 , of which is land and is water.


Demographics


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 36,478 people, 13,703 households, and 9,498 families living 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 14,445 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 82.5%
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 ...
, 0.8%
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, 1.6% Asian, 0.6%
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 ...
, 9.0% from other races, and 4.1% 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 18.3% of the population. There were 13,703 households, of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% 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, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.7% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.13. The median age in the city was 35.7 years. 27.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.6% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 13.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 32,203 people, 12,110 households, and 8,646 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 12,774 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.52% White, 0.75% African American, 1.38% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 7.22% from other races, and 3.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.27% of the population. There were 12,110 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city, the population was 27.7% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $45,052, and the median income for a family was $49,977. Males had a median income of $37,138 versus $27,032 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 $20,119. About 6.2% of families and 9.3% 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 7.6% of those age 65 or over.


Arts and culture


Annual cultural events

The annual KeizerFEST, formally known as the Iris Festival, takes place in May and showcases Keizer's iris-growing industry. The festival was founded by Schreiner's Iris Gardens, one of the country's largest retail iris growers, and has been facilitated by the Keizer Chamber of Commerce since 1987. Events include a carnival, a beer garden, craft and food vendors, a 5k walk/run, a vintage car show, and a parade.


Museums and other points of interest

The Keizer Heritage Museum is inside the Keizer Heritage Community Center, which was formerly the Keizer School. The school, built in 1916, has been completely restored and is the only public historic building in Keizer. Other tenants of the building include the Keizer Community Library, the Keizer Art Association and gallery, and the Keizer Chamber of Commerce.


Sports

The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a single A short season
minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
team in the Mavericks Independent Baseball League have their stadium, Volcanoes Stadium, in Keizer. In addition to minor league baseball, Volcanoes Stadium has hosted the OSAA baseball championship and a Civil War baseball game between the University of Oregon Ducks and Oregon State University Beavers. Keizer has been a long supporter of its lone high school's sports teams, the McNary Celtics. The school has won multiple state titles in recent years, the last coming in 2009 when the baseball team won the state championship in Volcanoes Stadium.


Education

Keizer is part of the Salem-Keizer School District and has one high school: McNary, two middle schools: Claggett Creek and Whiteaker, and seven elementary schools: Clear Lake, Cummings, Forest Ridge, Gubser, Keizer, Kennedy and Weddle. The first schoolhouse in the Keizer area was built in 1878, and its first teacher was Nina McNary, older sister of U.S. Senator Charles L. McNary. The first school was torn down in 1915 and replaced in 1916 with the building that now serves as the Keizer Heritage Community Center. By the 1980s, the 1916 Keizer Elementary School was judged unsafe and a new school was built in 1987. Cummings School was built in 1953 to serve the area's growing population. In 1955, Keizer School District #88 and Salem School District # 24CJ merged to form the Salem Keizer School District.


Media

*'' Keizertimes'' — weekly newspaper


Notable people

* Vic Backlund (born 1936) - state legislator for Keizer and High School coach *
Grayson Boucher Grayson Scott "The Professor" Boucher (born June 10, 1984) is an American professional streetball player. He is most known for playing on the highly stylized, international AND1 Mixtape Tour; he has also appeared in several movies including, ' ...
(born 1984) –
streetball Streetball (or street basketball) is a variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules. As such, its format is more conducive to allowing players ...
player for the
AND1 Mixtape Tour The AND1 Live Tour, formerly known as the AND1 Mixtape Tour, was a traveling basketball competition and exhibition that existed from 1998 to 2008. It was presented by ''B-Ball and Company'' and the basketball apparel manufacturer AND1. A group of ...
* Deen Castronovo (born 1964) – drummer for
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
and Journey * Daniel R. Hokanson
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
in the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
* Charles L. McNary – U.S. Senator


References


External links

*
Entry for Keizer
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 ...
''
City of Keizer official websiteKeizer Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Oregon Cities in Marion County, Oregon Salem, Oregon metropolitan area Former census-designated places in Oregon 1982 establishments in Oregon Populated places on the Willamette River