Donald

History

Donald has a rich history in agriculture, industry, business and family. Sometime between 1840 and 1860 Donald was settled by farmers and loggers from the Midwest. By the early 1900s, Donald was a main station for the Oregon Electric Railway, which connected Portland and Eugene. The city was named after R. L. Donald, an engineer for the construction company that built the railway. Donald was built from Donation Land Claims sold by R. L. Donald to the Donald Town Lot and Land Company in 1908. The original community was centered on agricultural land growing hops. The town grew primarily on the hop crop until the Oregon Electric Railway located a substation and depot in Donald. It was part of the railway mainline between Salem and Portland. The substation was completed in 1906. The post office was established April 13, 1910, and the town was home to the Donald Brick and Tile works from 1911 until 1923. The completion of paved Highway 99W to the west negatively affected the railway ridership. The electrified passenger service was discontinued through Donald on May 14, 1933. During this time, the population dropped from 300 to 100. In 1947 the railway transitioned to steam power and in 1948 to diesel power. In 1970 the rail line merged into Burlington Northern. The rail line is still heavily used today by the Portland and Western Railroad.

Geography

Donald is in northern Marion County in the Willamette Valley, northeast of Salem, the state capital, and southwest of Portland. Interstate 5 passes to the east of Donald, with access from Exit 278, to the northeast. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Donald has a total area of , all and.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Valor Middle School
  Middle · Woodburn · 630 students · 22.5:1 ratio
• Heritage Elementary
  Elementary · Woodburn · 618 students · 18.2:1 ratio
• North Marion High School
  High · Aurora · 603 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• French Prairie Middle School
  Middle · Woodburn · 587 students · 19.6:1 ratio
• Lincoln Elementary School
  Elementary · Woodburn · 574 students · 19.1:1 ratio
• Washington Elementary School
  Elementary · Woodburn · 438 students · 18.3:1 ratio
• Nellie Muir Elementary School
  Elementary · Woodburn · 435 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• North Marion Middle School
  Middle · Aurora · 385 students · 18.3:1 ratio