Oregon City

History

The land was originally home to Clowwewalla, Cashhooks and the Molalla Native Americans. Known in recent decades as the site of several large paper mills on the Willamette River, the city played a significant role in the early history of the Oregon Country. It was established by Hudson's Bay Company's Dr. John McLoughlin in 1829 near the confluence of the Clackamas River with the Willamette to take advantage of the power of Willamette Falls to run a lumber mill. During the 1840s and 1850s it was the destination for those wanting to file land claims after traveling the Oregon Trail as the last stop on the trail. It was the capital of the Oregon Territory from its establishment in 1848 until 1851, and rivaled Portland for early supremacy in the area. In 1846, the city's newspaper, the Oregon Spectator, was the first American newspaper to be published west of the Rocky Mountains. Oregon City College was established in 1849 as a Baptist school, but was defunct by the 1870s. Oregon City was the site of the Beaver Coins Mint, producing the short-lived independent Oregon Territory currency in 1849. The center of the city retains part of its historic character through the preservation of houses and other buildings from the era of the city's founding. The town became the see city of the first Roman Catholic archdiocese in the western United States, when the diocese of Oregon City, established in 1846, was raised to metropolitan rank, with Archbishop François Norbert Blanchet as its ordinary. Its territory included all of the western United States. The population in the area of Oregon City declined due to the California Gold Rush. The population of nearby Portland grew, and the headquarters of the archdiocese was moved there in 1926. In 1928 the name Archdiocese of Portland…

Geography

The town is divided into upper and lower areas. The lower area is on a bench next to the Willamette River. The upper area is atop a bluff composed of Canemah basalt, which flowed about 2.5 million years ago from a vent to the southeast in the Boring Lava Field. For many years, Indian trails connected the two levels, but stairs were built in the 19th century. In 1915, the town built the water-powered Oregon City Municipal Elevator to connect the two parts, which was converted to electricity in the 1920s. In 1952, a new electric elevator was constructed with the specification that it was to be "as plain as possible and without ornament." According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The major waterways of Oregon City include the Willamette River, which flows along the northwest side of the city, and the Clackamas River, which merges with the larger Willamette to the north of the city. The Willamette forms the boundary between Oregon City and West Linn; the Clackamas serves as the boundary between Oregon City and Gladstone. The Willamette Falls Locks in West Linn were the first multi-lift navigational locks in the United States and are now a National Historical Site, no longer in use. The first long-distance electrical service in the United States originated in Oregon City in 1889, transmitting electricity to Portland. Oregon City has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb). The Mediterranean climate regime resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, parts of western North America, parts of Western and South Australia, southwestern South Africa, and parts of central Chile. The climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The average temperature throughout the year…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  53,796
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  50,981
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  45,105
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  44,262
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  40,654
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  39,359
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  37,918
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  37,423

Largest nearby schools

• Oregon City Senior High School
  High · Oregon City · 1,931 students · 25.1:1 ratio
• West Linn High School
  High · West Linn · 1,905 students · 23.2:1 ratio
• Canby High School
  High · Canby · 1,393 students · 21.4:1 ratio
• Adrienne C. Nelson High School
  High · Happy Valley · 1,382 students · 27.1:1 ratio
• Wilsonville High School
  High · Wilsonville · 1,269 students · 19.8:1 ratio
• Lake Oswego Senior High School
  High · Lake Oswego · 1,245 students · 19.5:1 ratio
• Lakeridge High School
  High · Lake Oswego · 1,234 students · 20.2:1 ratio
• Clackamas High School
  High · Clackamas · 1,224 students · 25:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.61 — 2026-07-31
  18 km NE of Amboy, Washington
• M 3.18 — 2025-11-23
  5 km SE of Amity, Oregon
• M 2.66 — 2024-08-30
  14 km ESE of Molalla, Oregon
• M 2.99 — 2024-01-05
  33 km NNE of Amboy, Washington
• M 3.09 — 2023-11-24
  4 km WSW of Deer Island, Oregon
• M 2.68 — 2023-07-02
  11 km W of Deer Island, Oregon