Oregon is a village in

Dane County, Wisconsin Dane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin after Milwaukee County. Dane County is the fastest growing county in Wisconsin. ...

, United States. The population was 11,179 at the 2020 census. A suburb south of Madison, it is part of the Madison metropolitan area. The village is located mostly within the Town of Oregon.

History

Oregon was settled in 1841 by Bartlet Runey, and the first house was constructed in 1843. Initially the settlement was known as "Rome Corners," and there is a road south of the village which still bears that name. When the

Chicago and North Western Railroad The Chicago and North Western was a Railroad classes#Class I, Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of t ...

came through the village in 1864, their maps indicated a name of "Oregon," and the name was adopted. The village was incorporated in 1881. The main railroad line from Chicago to Minneapolis ran through Oregon. From 1880 to 1950 the line was double tracked. Most of the line was abandoned between Evansville and Madison in 1996 but the line was reactivated from Madison to Oregon to serve the Lycon Concrete Plant in 2014. Many of Oregon's historical buildings still stand in the downtown district, including the Netherwood Block on the south, the Badger Cycle Company building and original water tower on the southeast on Janesville Street, and numerous business lining the west side of North and South Main Street. The Red Brick School, one of the more distinguishable structures in the village, built in 1922 as the high school, stands north of downtown. It was recently restored and now serves as the business offices for the Gorman Company.

Geography

Oregon is located at (42.923899, −89.382304). 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 village has a total area of , all of it land. Oregon is served primarily by U.S. Highway 14 (US 14) and Wisconsin Highway 138 (WIS 138) and the two highways meet at the village's southeast corner. US-14 previously ran through the village, traveling down North Main Street and then arcing along Janesville Street, but a bypass was constructed from 1976 to 1978 along the northern and eastern sides of the village. The previous route is now signed as County Trunk MM.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 11,179. 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 4,446 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 90.1%

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 ...

, 1.5%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 1.4% from other races, and 5.7% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 4.0%

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.

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 9,232 people, 3,589 households, and 2,527 families living in the village. The

was . There were 3,775 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.4%

, 1.2%

, 0.2% Native American, 0.8% 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 ...

, 0.8% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population. There were 3,589 households, of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% 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, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.6% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the village was 37 years. 28.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.8% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 9.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 7,514 people, 2,796 households, and 2,071 families living in the village. The

was . There were 2,895 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.71%

, 0.56%

, 0.19% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 2,796 households, out of which 43.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.10. In the village, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 34.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median income for a household in the village was $56,584, and the median income for a family was $65,518. Males had a median income of $43,015 versus $30,791 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 village was $23,650. About 1.8% of families and 3.3% 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 3.4% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Oregon School District serves the area. Schools in the district include Brooklyn Elementary, Netherwood Knoll Elementary, Prairie View Elementary, Forest Edge Elementary, Rome Corners Intermediate, Oregon Middle School and Oregon High School. One private school serves Oregon
Sursum Corda Classical School
Sursum Corda is a Christian school operated by Faith Lutheran Church.

Notable people

Micah Alberti Micah Anthony Alberti (born August 19, 1984) is an American model and actor. Career Alberti began modeling as an adolescent and obtained his first acting job playing James Edward Martin on ''All My Children''. After his one-year stint on the ...

, actor and model * Kevin J. Anderson, author * Lyman F. Anderson, Wisconsin State Representative * Wallace W. Andrew, Wisconsin State Representative'Wisconsin Blue Book 1905,' Biographical Sketch of Wallace W. Andrew, pg. 1096 * Jerry Frei, former head coach of the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon, Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCA ...

and NFL assistant coach * Christopher J. Rollis, newspaper editor and Wisconsin State Representative * Jeff Richgels former member of the Professional Bowlers Association * Jeffrey B. Skiles, Miracle on the Hudson co-pilot * Emily E. Sloan First woman elected to the office of county attorney in Montana *

Shaka Smart Shaka Dingani Smart (born April 8, 1977) is an American men's college basketball coach and former college basketball player. He is the current head men's basketball coach at Marquette University. Smart rose to prominence in 2011 after leading Vi ...

, head coach of

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

's men's basketball team * Lisa Stone, former UW–Madison basketball coach

References

External links

Oregon, Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce

Village of Oregon

Oregon Public Library

Oregon Area Historical Society
* Sanborn fire insurance maps
189418991910
{{authority control Villages in Wisconsin Villages in Dane County, Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin, metropolitan statistical area Populated places established in 1841 1841 establishments in Wisconsin Territory