The first people to settle in the Eugene area were theKalapuyans, also written Calapooia or Calapooya. They made "seasonal rounds," moving around the countryside to collect and preserve local foods, including acorns, the bulbs of thewapato andcamas plants, and berries. They stored these foods in their permanent winter village. When crop activities waned, they returned to their winter villages and took up hunting, fishing, and trading.[21][22] They were known as the Chifin Kalapuyans and called the Eugene area where they lived "Chifin", sometimes recorded as "Chafin" or "Chiffin".[23][24]
Other Kalapuyan tribes occupied villages that are also now within Eugene city limits. Pee-you or Mohawk Calapooians, Winefelly or Pleasant Hill Calapooians, and the Lungtum or Long Tom. They were close-neighbors to the Chifin, intermarried, and were political allies. Some authorities suggest the Brownsville Kalapuyans (Calapooia Kalapuyans) were related to the Pee-you. It is likely that since the Santiam had an alliance with the Brownsville Kalapuyans that the Santiam influence also went as far at Eugene.[25]
According to archeological evidence, the ancestors of the Kalapuyans may have been in Eugene for as long as 10,000 years.[26] In the 1800s their traditional way of life faced significant changes due to devastating epidemics and settlement, first by French fur traders and later by an overwhelming number of American settlers.[27]
French fur traders had settled seasonally in the Willamette Valley by the beginning of the 19th century. Their settlements were concentrated in the "French Prairie" community in Northern Marion County but may have extended south to the Eugene area. Having already developed relationships with Native communities through intermarriage and trade, they negotiated for land from the Kalapuyans. By 1828 to 1830 they and their Native wives began year-round occupation of the land, raising crops and tending animals. In this process, the mixed race families began to impact Native access to land, food supply, and traditional materials for trade and religious practices.[28]
In July 1830, "intermittent fever" struck the lower Columbia region and a year later, the Willamette Valley. Natives traced the arrival of the disease, then new to thePacific Northwest, to theUSS Owyhee, captained by John Dominis. "Intermittent fever" is thought by researchers now to bemalaria.[29] According to Robert T. Boyd, an anthropologist at Portland State University, the first three years of the epidemic, "probably constitute the single most important epidemiological event in the recorded history of what would eventually become the state of Oregon". In his bookThe Coming of the Spirit Pestilence Boyd reports there was a 92% population loss for the Kalapuyans between 1830 and 1841.[30] This catastrophic event shattered the social fabric of Kalapuyan society and altered the demographic balance in the Valley. This balance was further altered over the next few years by the arrival of Anglo-American settlers, beginning in 1840 with 13 people and growing steadily each year until within 20 years more than 11,000 American settlers, including Eugene Skinner, had arrived.[31]
As the demographic pressure from the settlers grew, the remaining Kalapuyans were forcibly removed toIndian reservations. Though some Natives avoided transfer into the reservation, most were moved to theGrand Ronde reservation in 1856.[32][33] Strict racial segregation was enforced and mixed race people, known asMétis in French, had to make a choice between the reservation and Anglo-American society. Native Americans could not leave the reservation without traveling papers and white people could not enter the reservation.[34]
Replica of Skinner's original cabin
Eugene Franklin Skinner, after whom Eugene is named, arrived in theWillamette Valley in 1846 with 1,200 other settlers that year. Advised by the Kalapuyans to build on high ground to avoid flooding, he erected the first pioneer cabin[35] on south or west slope of what the Kalapuyans called Ya-po-ah. The "isolated hill" is now known asSkinner's Butte.[36] The cabin was used as atrading post and was registered as an official post office on January 8, 1850.[37]
At this time the settlement was known by settlers as Skinner's Mudhole. It was relocated in 1853 and named Eugene City in 1853.[38] Formally incorporated as a city in 1862, it was renamed to Eugene in 1889.[39][38] Skinner ran a ferry service across theWillamette River where theFerry Street Bridge now stands.
The first major educational institution in the area wasColumbia College, founded a few years earlier than the University of Oregon. It fell victim to two major fires in four years, and after the second fire, the college decided not to rebuild again.[40] The part of south Eugene known as College Hill was the former location of Columbia College. There is no college there today.[41]
The town raised the initial funding to start a public university, which later became theUniversity of Oregon, with the hope of turning the small town into a center of learning. In 1872, theLegislative Assembly passed a bill creating the University of Oregon as a state institution. Eugene bested the nearby town ofAlbany in the competition for the state university. In 1873, community memberJ.H.D. Henderson donated the hilltop land for the campus, overlooking the city.[42] The university first opened in 1876 with the regents electing the first faculty and naming John Wesley Johnson as president. The first students registered on October 16, 1876. The first building was completed in 1877; it was named Deady Hall in honor of the first Board of Regents President and community leader JudgeMatthew P. Deady.[43]
Eugene grew rapidly throughout most of the twentieth century, with the exception being the early 1980s when a downturn in the timber industry caused high unemployment. By 1985, the industry had recovered and Eugene began to attract more high-tech industries, earning it the moniker the "Emerald Shire". In 2012, Eugene and the surrounding metro area was dubbed theSilicon shire.
The first Nike shoe was used in 1972 during the US Olympic trials held in Eugene.[44]
The 1970s saw an increase in community activism. Local activists stopped a proposed freeway and lobbied for the construction of theWashington Jefferson Park beneath the Washington-Jefferson Street Bridge. Community Councils soon began to form as a result of these efforts.[45] A notable impact of the turn to community-organized politics came withEugene Local Measure 51, a ballot measure in 1978 that repealed a gay rights ordinance approved by the Eugene City Council in 1977 that prohibited discrimination by sexual orientation. Eugene is also home toBeyond Toxics, a nonprofit environmental justice organization founded in 2000.[46]
One hotspot for protest activity since the 1990s has been theWhiteaker district, located in the northwest of downtown Eugene. The Whiteaker is primarily aworking-class neighborhood that has become a cultural hub, center of community and activism and home to alternative artists. It saw an increase of activity in the 1990s after many young people drawn to Eugene's political climate relocated there.[47] Animal rights groups have had a heavy presence in the Whiteaker, and severalvegan restaurants are located there. According toDavid Samuels, theAnimal Liberation Front and theEarth Liberation Front have had an underground presence in the neighborhood.[48] The neighborhood is home to a number of communal apartment buildings, which are often organized by anarchist or environmentalist groups. Local activists have also produced independent films and started art galleries, community gardens, and independent media outlets.Copwatch,Food Not Bombs, andCritical Mass are also active in the neighborhood.[49]
The University of Oregon encampment on May 1, 2024
The 21st century has seen continued environmental and social justice activism. In 2011, theOccupy Eugene protests from October to December occurred in connection with theOccupy Wall Street movement, and these local protests included around 2000 participants.[50] In 2020, George Floyd protests occurred in May and June, including peaceful demonstrations and riots. These protests in connection with the nationwide2020 George Floyd protests resulted in increased consciousness towards Eugene's black history and race issues and resulted in the renaming ofUniversity Hall and the toppling of the Pioneer and Pioneer mother statues at the University of Oregon.[51][52][53] In 2023 and 2024, pro-Palestinian demonstrations were organized by many different activist groups across the city, and saw major events like marches with hundreds of participants, the April 15th, 2024 I-5 protest which blocked southbound I-5 traffic for hours and resulted in the largest mass arrests in Eugene activist history[54] and the2024 University of Oregon pro-Palestinian campus occupation as part of the2024 pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses.[55]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.74 square miles (113.29 km2), of which 43.72 square miles (113.23 km2) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) is water.[56] Eugene is at an elevation of 426 feet (130 m).
To the north of downtown isSkinner Butte. Northeast of the city are theCoburg Hills.Spencer Butte is a prominent landmark south of the city.Mount Pisgah is southeast of Eugene and includes theMount Pisgah Arboretum and theHoward Buford Recreation Area, a Lane County Park. Eugene is surrounded by foothills and forests to the south, east, and west, while to the north the land levels out into the Willamette Valley and consists of mostly farmland.
The River Road and Santa Clara communities, which make up the northwestern part of the city, are neighborhoods within the urban growth boundary of Eugene. However, they are mostly outside of the city limits.[citation needed]
Like the rest of theWillamette Valley, Eugene lies in theMarine West Coast climate zone, withMediterranean characteristics. Under the Köppen climate classification scheme, Eugene has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen:Csb). Temperatures can vary from cool to warm, with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Spring and fall are also moist seasons, with light rain falling for long periods. The average rainfall is 40.83 inches (1,040 mm), with the wettest "rain year" being from July 1973 to June 1974 with 75.59 inches (1,920.0 mm) and the driest from July 2000 to June 2001 with 20.40 inches (518.2 mm).[59] Measurements taken by NOAA over the past four decades have indicated a significant decline in average annual precipitation. From 1981 to 2010 inclusive, the reported annual average precipitation was 46.1 inches (1,170 mm),[60][61] but for the thirty-year period ending in 2020, the annual average had declined 5.27 inches (134 mm), to 40.83 inches (1,040 mm).[62] The figures from the second half of that period, or 2006 - 2020 inclusive, pointed to a further decline of more than 4 inches (102 mm), down to an annual average of 36.58 inches (929 mm).[61]
Winter snowfall does occur, but it is sporadic and rarely accumulates in large amounts: the normal seasonal amount is 4.9 inches (12 cm), but the median is zero.[59] The record snowfall was 41.7 inches (106 cm) of accumulation due to apineapple express on January 25–29, 1969.[59] Ice storms, like snowfall, are rare, but occur sporadically.
The hottest months are July and August, with a normal monthly mean temperature of 67.8 to 67.9 °F (19.9 to 19.9 °C), with an average of 16 days per year reaching 90 °F (32 °C). The coolest month is December, with a mean temperature of 40.6 °F (4.8 °C), and there are 52 mornings per year with a low at or below freezing, and 2 afternoons with highs not exceeding the freezing mark.[59] The coldest daytime high of the year averages 32 °F (0 °C), reaching the freezing point.[59]
The result of rare heavy snow in January 2008
Eugene's average annual temperature is 53.1 °F (11.7 °C), and annual precipitation at 40.83 inches (1,040 mm).[63] Eugene is slightly cooler on average thanPortland. Despite being located about 100 miles (160 km) south and at an only slightly higher elevation, Eugene has a morecontinental climate than Portland, less subject to the maritime air that blows inland from the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River. Eugene's normal annual mean minimum is 41.9 °F (5.5 °C),[59] compared to 46.2 °F (7.9 °C) in Portland;[64] in August, the gap in the normal mean minimum widens to 51.1 and 58.0 °F (10.6 and 14.4 °C) for Eugene and Portland, respectively.[59] Eugene's warmest night annually averages a modest 62 °F (17 °C).[59] Average winter temperatures (and summer high temperatures) are similar for the two cities.
Extreme temperatures range from −12 °F (−24 °C), recorded on December 8, 1972, to 111 °F (44 °C) on June 27, 2021; the record cold daily maximum is 19 °F (−7 °C), recorded on December 13, 1919, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 71 °F (22 °C) on July 22, 2006.[59]
Climate data forEugene Airport, Oregon (1991–2020 normals,[a] snow & sun 1981–2010, extremes 1892–present)
Eugene is downwind of Willamette Valley grass seed farms.[67] The combination of summer grass pollen and the confining shape of the hills around Eugene make it "the area of the highest grass pollen counts in the USA (>1,500 pollen grains/m3 of air)."[68] These high pollen counts have led to difficulties for some track athletes who compete in Eugene. In the Olympic trials in 1972, "Jim Ryun won the 1,500 after being flown in by helicopter because he was allergic to Eugene's grass seed pollen."[69] Further, six-time OlympianMaria Mutola abandoned Eugene as a training area "in part to avoid allergies".[70]
Eugene, Oregon – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
According to the2010 census, Eugene's population was 156,185.[78] The population density was 3,572.2 people per square mile. There were 69,951 housing units at an average density of 1,600 per square mile.[79] Those age 18 and over accounted for 81.8% of the total population.[79]
The racial makeup of the city was 85.8% White, 4.0% Asian, 1.4% Black or African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, and 4.7% from other races.[79]
Hispanics and Latinos of any race accounted for 7.8% of the total population.[80] Of the non-Hispanics, 82% were White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 4% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race alone, and 3.4% were of two or more races.[79]
Females represented 51.1% of the total population, and males represented 48.9%. The median age in the city was 33.8 years.[81]
The census of 2000 showed there were 137,893 people, 58,110 households, and 31,321 families residing in the city of Eugene. The population density was 3,404.8 people per square mile (1,314.6 people/km2). There were 61,444 housing units at an average density of 1,516.4 per square mile (585.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.15% White, down from 99.5% in 1950,[82] 3.57% Asian, 1.25% Black or African American, 0.93% Native American, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 2.18% from other races, and 3.72% from two or more races. 4.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 58,110 households, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.1% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city, the population was 20.3% under the age of 18, 17.3% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,850, and the median income for a family was $48,527. Males had a median income of $35,549 versus $26,721 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,315. About 8.7% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Eugene's largest employers arePeaceHealth Medical Group, the University of Oregon, and theEugene School District.[83] Eugene's largest industries are wood products manufacturing and recreational vehicle manufacturing.[84]
The footwear repair productShoe Goo is manufactured by Eclectic Products, based in Eugene.
Run Gum, an energy gum created for runners, also began its life in Eugene. Run Gum was created by track athleteNick Symmonds and track and field coach Sam Lapray in 2014.[87]
Burley Design LLC produces bicycle trailers and was founded in Eugene by Alan Scholz out of aSaturday Market business in 1978. Eugene is also the birthplace and home of Bike Friday bicycle manufacturer Green Gear Cycling.
Organically Grown Company, the largest distributor of organic fruits and vegetables in the northwest, started in Eugene in 1978 as a non-profit co-op for organic farmers. Notable localfood processors, many of whom manufacturecertified organic products, include Golden Temple (Yogi Tea), Merry Hempsters, Springfield Creamery (Nancy's Yogurt), andMountain Rose Herbs.
Until July 2008,Hynix Semiconductor America had operated a large semiconductor plant in west Eugene. In late September 2009, Uni-Chem of South Korea announced its intention to purchase the Hynix site forsolar cell manufacturing.[88] However, this deal fell through and as of late 2012, is no longer planned.[89] In 2015, semiconductor manufacturerBroadcom purchased the plant with plans to upgrade and reopen it. The company abandoned these plans and put it up for sale in November 2016.[90]
Luckey's Club Cigar Store is one of the oldest bars in Oregon. Tad Luckey Sr. purchased it in 1911, making it one of the oldest businesses in Eugene. The "Club Cigar", as it was called in the late 19th century, was for many years a men-only salon. It survived both theGreat Depression andProhibition, partly because Eugene was a "dry town" before the end of Prohibition.[91]
The city has over 25 breweries, offers a variety of dining options with a local focus; the city is surrounded by wineries. The most notable fungi here is the truffle; Eugene hosts the annual Oregon Truffle Festival in January.[92]
In 2012, the Eugene metro region was dubbed theSilicon Shire for its growing tech industry.
Eugene has a growing problem with homelessness.[94] The problem has been referenced in popular culture, including in the episodeThe 30% Iron Chef inFuturama.[95] During theCOVID-19 pandemic, the city experienced a controversy over its continuing policy of homeless removal, despite CDC guidelines to not engage in homeless removal.[96]
Eugene has a significant population of people in pursuit of alternative ideas and a large originalhippie population.[97] Beginning in the 1960s, thecountercultural ideas and viewpoints espoused by area nativeKen Kesey became established as the seminal elements of the vibrant social tapestry that continue to define Eugene.[98] The Merry Prankster, as Kesey was known, has arguably left the most indelible imprint of anycultural icon in his hometown. He is best known as the author ofOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and as the male protagonist inTom Wolfe'sThe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.[98]
In 2005, the city council unanimously approved a new slogan for the city: "World's Greatest City for the Arts & Outdoors". While Eugene has a vibrant arts community for a city its size, and is well situated near many outdoor opportunities, this slogan was frequently criticized by locals as embarrassing and ludicrous.[99] In early 2010, the slogan was changed to "A Great City for the Arts & Outdoors."
Eugene'sSaturday Market, open every Saturday from April through November,[100] was founded in 1970 as the first "Saturday Market" in the United States.[101] It is adjacent to the Lane County Farmer's Market in downtown Eugene. All vendors must create or grow all their own products. The market reappears as the "Holiday Market" between Thanksgiving and New Year's in the Lane County Events Center at the fairgrounds.
Eugene is noted for its "community inventiveness." Many U.S. trends in community development originated in Eugene. The University of Oregon's participatoryplanning process, known asThe Oregon Experiment, was the result of student protests in the early 1970s. The book of the same name is a major document in modern enlightenment thinking in planning and architectural circles. The process, still used by the university in modified form, was created byChristopher Alexander, whose works also directly inspired the creation of theWiki. Some research for the bookA Pattern Language, which inspired theDesign Patterns movement andExtreme Programming, was done by Alexander in Eugene. Not coincidentally, those engineering movements also had origins here. Decades after its publication,A Pattern Language is still one of the best-selling books on urban design.[102]
In the 1970s, Eugene was packed with cooperative and community projects. It still has small natural food stores in many neighborhoods, some of the oldest student cooperatives in the country, and alternative schools have been part of the school district since 1971. The old Grower's Market, downtown near theAmtrak depot, is the only food cooperative in the U.S. with no employees. It is possible to see Eugene's trend-setting non-profit tendencies in much newer projects, such as Square One Villages and theCenter for Appropriate Transport. In 2006, an initiative began to create a tenant-run development process for downtown Eugene.
In the fall of 2003, neighbors noticed "an unassuming two-acre remnant orchard tucked into the Friendly Area Neighborhood"[103] had been put up for sale by its owner, a resident of New York City.[104] Learning a prospective buyer had plans to build several houses on the property, they formed a nonprofit organization called Madison Meadow[105][106] in June 2004 in order to buy the property and "preserve it as undeveloped space in perpetuity."[105] In 2007 their effort was named Third Best Community Effort by theEugene Weekly,[107] and by the end of 2008 they had raised enough money to purchase the property.[103]
The City of Eugene has an active Neighborhood Program. Several neighborhoods are known for their green activism. Friendly Neighborhood has a highly popular neighborhood garden established on the right of way of a street never built. There are a number of community gardens on public property. Amazon Neighborhood has a former church turned into a community center. Whiteaker hosts a housing co-op that dates from the early 1970s that has re-purposed both their parking lots into food production and play space. An unusual eco-village with natural building techniques and large shared garden can be found in Jefferson Westside neighborhood. A several block area in the River Road Neighborhood is known as apermaculture hotspot with an increasing number of suburban homes trading grass for garden, installing rain water catchment systems, food producing landscapes and solar retrofits. Several sites have planted gardens by removing driveways. Citizen volunteers are working with the City of Eugene to restore a 65-treefilbert grove on public property. There are deepening social and economic networks in the neighborhood.
Asian Celebration,[108] presented by the Asian Council of Eugene and Springfield, takes place in late July at Alton Baker Park. The festival was changed to an outdoor venue after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
TheKLCC Microbrew Festival[109] is held in February at the Lane County Fairgrounds. It provides participants with an introduction to a large range of microbrewery and craft beers, which play an important role in Pacific Northwest culture and the economy.[110][109]
TheEugene/Springfield Pride Festival[117] is held annually on the second Saturday in August from noon to 7:00 p.m. at Alton Baker Park. A part ofEugene LGBT culture since 1993, it provides a lighthearted and supportive social venue for the LGBT community, families, and friends.
Eugene Celebration[118] is a three-day block party that usually takes place in the downtown area in August or September. TheSLUG Queen coronation in August, a pageant with a campy spin, crowns a new SLUG Queen who "rains" over the Eugene Celebration Parade and is an unofficial ambassador of Eugene.[119]
The University of Oregon School of Music and Dance also attracts world class performers and teaching artists throughout the year, many of whom perform atBeall Concert Hall. The university campus also frequently hosts performances atMatthew Knight Arena and theErb Memorial Union ballroom.
A number of live theater groups are based in Eugene, includingFree Shakespeare in the Park, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, The Very Little Theatre, Actors Cabaret, LCC Theatre, Rose Children's Theatre, and University Theatre.[121] Each has its own performance venue.
Because of its status as acollege town, Eugene has been home to many music genres, musicians and bands, ranging fromelectronic dance music such asdubstep anddrum and bass togarage rock,hip hop,folk andheavy metal. Eugene also has growingreggae and street-performingbluegrass andjug band scenes. Multi-genre act theCherry Poppin' Daddies became a prominent figure in Eugene's music scene and became thehouse band at Eugene's W.O.W. Hall. In the late 1990s, their contributions to theswing revival movement propelled them to national stardom. Rock bandFloater originated in Eugene as did the Robert Cray blues band. Doom metal bandYOB is among the leaders of the Eugene heavy music scene.
Eugene is home to "Classical Gas" Composer and two-time Grammy award winnerMason Williams who spent his years as a youth living between his parents inOakridge, Oregon and Oklahoma. Mason Williams puts on a yearly Christmas show at the Hult center for performing arts with a full orchestra produced by author, audio engineer and University of Oregon professor Don Latarski.[122]
Dick Hyman, noted jazz pianist and musical director for many of Woody Allen's films, designs and hosts the annual Now Hear This! jazz festival at the Oregon Festival of American Music (OFAM). OFAM and theHult Center routinely draw major jazz talent for concerts.[123][124]
Eugene is also home to a largeZimbabwean music community.Kutsinhira Cultural Arts Center, which is "dedicated to the music and people ofZimbabwe," is based in Eugene. The city of Eugene is mentioned in the Johnny Cash song "Lumberjack".
Eugene's visual arts community is supported by over 20 privateart galleries and several organizations, including Maude Kerns Art Center,[125] Lane Arts Council,[126] DIVA (the Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts) and theEugene Glass School.
Severaltrack and field movies have used Eugene as a setting and/or a filming location.Personal Best, starringMariel Hemingway, was filmed in Eugene in 1982. The film centered on a group of women who are trying to qualify for the Olympic track and field team. Two track and field movies about the life ofSteve Prefontaine,Prefontaine andWithout Limits, were released within a year of each other in 1997–1998.Kenny Moore, Eugene-trained Olympic runner and co-star inPrefontaine, co-wrote the screenplay forWithout Limits.Prefontaine was filmed in Washington because theWithout Limits production bought outHayward Field for the summer to prevent its competition from shooting there.[131] Kenny Moore also wrote a biography ofBill Bowerman, played inWithout Limits byDonald Sutherland back in Eugene 20 years after he had appeared inAnimal House. Moore had also had a role inPersonal Best.
Stealing Time, a 2003 independent film, was partially filmed in Eugene. When the film premiered in June 2001 at theSeattle International Film Festival, it was titledRennie's Landing after a popular bar near the University of Oregon campus. The title was changed for its DVD release.Zerophilia was filmed in Eugene in 2006.
The 2016Tracktown was about a distance runner training for theOlympics in Eugene.
There are six Roman Catholic parishes in Eugene as well:St. Mary Catholic Church,[136] St. Jude Catholic Church, St. Mark Catholic Church, St. Peter Catholic Church, St. Paul Catholic Church, and St. Thomas More Catholic Church.[137]
Eugene also has a Ukrainian Catholic Church named Nativity of the Mother of God.[138]
There is a mainline Protestant contingency in the city as well—such as the largest of theLutheran Churches, Central Lutheran[139] near the U of O Campus and theEpiscopal Church of the Resurrection.[140]
The Eugene area has a sizeableLDS Church presence, with threestakes, consisting of 23 congregations (wards and branches).[141] The Church of Jesus Christ announced plans in April 2020 to build a temple in Eugene.[142]
The greater Eugene-Springfield area also has aJehovah's Witnesses presence with five Kingdom Halls, several having multiple congregations in one Kingdom Hall.
Eugene has a community of some 140Sikhs, who have established a Sikh temple.[148]
The 340-member congregation of theUnitarian Universalist Church in Eugene (UUCE)[149] purchased the former Eugene Scottish Rite Temple in May 2010, renovated it, and began services there in September 2012.
Saraha NyingmaBuddhist Temple in Eugene[150] opened in 2012 in the former site of the Unitarian Universalist Church.
The First Congregational Church, UCC is a large progressive Christian Church with a long history of justice focused ministries and a very active membership. Three years ago, the congregation coordinated with the Connections Program of the St Vincent DePaul organization to provide transitional homes for two unhoused families on the church's property. Through life - skills support and training and a more stable housing situation these families are then able to make their way into independent living.[151]
Eugene's miles of running trails, through its unusually large park system, are among the most extensive in the U.S.[155] Notable trails includePre's Trail in Alton Baker Park, Rexius Trail, the Adidas Oregon Trail, and the Ridgeline Trail. There is also an extensive network of trails along the Willamette River that reaches into neighboring Springfield, as well as along Amazon Creek in the southern and western parts of town.
Jogging was introduced to the U.S. through Eugene, brought fromNew Zealand by Bill Bowerman, who wrote the best-selling book "Jogging", and coached the champion University of Oregon track and cross country teams. During Bowerman's tenure, his "Men of Oregon" won 24 individualNCAA titles, including titles in 15 out of the 19 events contested. During Bowerman's 24 years at Oregon, his track teams finished in the top ten at the NCAA championships 16 times, including four team titles (1962, '64, '65, '70), and two second-place trophies. His teams also posted a dual meet record of 114–20.
Bowerman also invented the waffle sole for running shoes in Eugene, and with Oregon alumnusPhil Knight founded shoe giant Nike. The city has dozens of running clubs. The climate is cool and temperate, good both for jogging and record-setting. Eugene is home to the University of Oregon's Hayward Field track, which hosts numerous collegiate and amateur track and field meets throughout the year, most notably thePrefontaine Classic. Hayward Field was host to the 2004AAU Junior Olympic Games, the 1989World Masters Athletics Championships, the track and field events of the 1998World Masters Games, the 2006Pacific-10 track and field championships, the 1971, 1975, 1986, 1993, 1999, 2001, 2009, and 2011USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships and the 1972, 1976, 1980, 2008, 2012, and 2016U.S. Olympic trials. Eugene was the host of the delayed2021 World Athletics Championships.[156] The city bid for the2019 event but lost narrowly toDoha,Qatar.
TheNationwide Tour's golfing eventOregon Classic takes place at Shadow Hills Country Club, just north of Eugene. The event has been played every year since 1998, except in 2001 when it was slated to begin the day after the9/11 terrorist attacks. The top 20 players from the Nationwide Tour are promoted to the PGA Tour for the following year.[161]
Eugene is also home to theEugene Emeralds, a short-season Class Aminor-league baseball team. The "Ems" play their home games in PK Park, also the home of the University of Oregon baseball team. The Eugene Jr. Generals, a Tier III Junior "A" ice hockey team belonging to the Northern Pacific Hockey League (NPHL) consisting of 8 teams throughout Oregon and Washington, plays at the Lane County Ice Center.Lane United FC, a soccer club that participates in the Northwest Division ofUSL League Two, was founded in 2013 and plays its home games at Civic Park.
The following table lists some sports clubs in Eugene and their usual home venue:
Spencer Butte Park at the southern edge of town provides access to Spencer Butte, a dominant feature of Eugene's skyline.Hendricks Park, situated on a knoll to the east of downtown, is known for itsrhododendron garden and nearby memorial to Steve Prefontaine, known asPre's Rock, where the legendary University of Oregon runner was killed in an auto accident.Alton Baker Park, next to the Willamette River, contains Pre's Trail. Also next to the Willamette are Skinner Butte Park[162] and the Owen Memorial Rose Garden, which contains more than 4,500 roses of over 400 varieties,[163] as well as the 150-year-oldBlack Tartarian Cherry tree,[164] an Oregon Heritage Tree.[165]
The city of Eugene maintains anurban forest. The University of Oregon campus is anarboretum, with over 500 species of trees. The city operates and maintains scenic hiking trails that pass through and across the ridges of a cluster of hills in the southern portion of the city, on the fringe of residential neighborhoods. Some trails allow biking, and others are for hikers and runners only.
In 1944, Eugene adopted acouncil–manager form of government, replacing the day-to-day management of city affairs by the part-time mayor and volunteercity council with a full-time professionalcity manager. The subsequent history of Eugene city government has largely been one of the dynamics—often contentious—between the city manager, the mayor and city council.
According to statute, all Eugene and Lane County elections are officially non-partisan, with a primary containing all candidates in May. If a candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in the primary, they win the election outright, otherwise the top two candidates face off in a November runoff. This allows candidates to win seats during the lower-turnout primary election.
The mayor of Eugene is Kaarin Knudson, who took office in January 2025.Recent mayors include Edwin Cone (1958–69), Les Anderson (1969–77) Gus Keller (1977–84), Brian Obie (1985–88), Jeff Miller (1989–92),Ruth Bascom (1993–96),Jim Torrey (1997–2004),Kitty Piercy (2005–2017), andLucy Vinis (2017-25).
The Eugene Police Department is the city's law enforcement and public safety agency.[167] TheLane County Sheriff's Office also has its headquarters in Eugene.[168]
The University of Oregon is served by theUniversity of Oregon Police Department,[169][170] and Eugene Police Department also has a police station in the West University District near campus. Lane Community College is served by the Lane Community College Public Safety Department.[171] TheOregon State Police have a presence in the rural areas and highways around the Eugene metro area.[172] TheLTD downtown station, and theEmX lines are patrolled byLTDTransit Officers. Since 1989 the mental health crisis intervention non-governmental agencyCAHOOTS has responded to Eugene's mental health 911 calls.[173][174]
Eugene-Springfield Fire Department is the agency responsible for emergency medical services, fire suppression, HAZMAT operations and water/Confined spaces rescues in the combined Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area.[175]
Eugene used to have an ordinance which prohibited car horn usage for non-driving purposes. After several residents were cited for this offense during the anti-Gulf War demonstrations in January 1991, the city was taken to court and in 1992 theOregon Court of Appeals overturned the ordinance, finding it unconstitutionally vague.[176]Eugene City Hall was abandoned in 2012 for reasons of structural integrity, energy efficiency, and obsolete size. Various offices of city government became tenants in eight other buildings.
Being the largest city by far in Lane County, Eugene's voters almost always decide the county's partisan tilt. While Eugene has historically been a counter-culture-heavy and left-leaning college town, the county's partisan leanings have intensified in recent decades, mirroring the general polarization of Oregon voters along urban (pro-Democratic) and rural (pro-Republican) lines.[177]
Lane County voted forBernie Sanders over eventual 2016 nomineeHillary Clinton by 60.6-38.1%, and Eugene offered Sanders an even larger share of its vote.[178]
The Bethel School District serves children in the Bethel neighborhood on the northwest edge of Eugene. The district is home to the traditionalWillamette High School and the alternativeKalapuya High School. There are 11 schools in this district.
The largest library in Oregon is the University of Oregon'sKnight Library, with collections totaling more than 3 million volumes and over 100,000 audio and video items.[188] TheEugene Public Library[189] moved into a new, larger building downtown in 2002. The four-story library is an increase from 38,000 to 130,000 square feet (3,500 to 12,100 m2).[190] There are also two branches of the Eugene Public Library, the Sheldon Branch Library in the neighborhood of Cal Young/Sheldon, and the Bethel Branch Library, in the neighborhood of Bethel. Eugene also has theLane CountyLaw Library.
The largest newspaper serving the area isThe Register-Guard, a daily newspaper with a circulation of about 70,000, published independently by the Baker family of Eugene until 2018, before being acquired byGateHouse Media, (now owned byGannett Company).[191] Other newspapers serving the area include theEugene Weekly, theEmerald, the student-run independent newspaper at the University of Oregon, now published on Mondays and Thursdays;The Torch, the student-run newspaper at Lane Community College, theIgnite, the newspaper at New Hope Christian College andThe Beacon Bolt, the student-run newspaper at Bushnell University.Eugene Magazine,Lifestyle Quarterly,Eugene Living, andSustainable Home and Garden magazines also serve the area.Adelante Latino is a Spanish language newspaper in Eugene that serves all of Lane County.
The local NPR affiliates areKOPB andKLCC. Radio stationKRVM-AM is an affiliate of Jefferson Public Radio, based atSouthern Oregon University. ThePacifica Radio affiliate is the University of Oregon student-run radio station,KWVA. Additionally, the community supports two other radio stations:KWAX (classical) andKRVM-FM (alternative).
AM stations
KOAC 550 Corvallis – NPR News/Talk (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Lane Transit District (LTD), apublic transportation agency formed in 1970, covers 240 square miles (620 km2) of Lane County, includingCreswell, Cottage Grove,Junction City,Veneta, andBlue River. Operating more than 90 buses during peak hours, LTD carries riders on 3.7 million trips every year. LTD also operates abus rapid transit line that runs between Eugene and Springfield—Emerald Express (EmX)—much of which runs in its own lane, with stations providing for off-board fare payment. LTD's main terminus in Eugene is at theEugene Station. LTD also offersparatransit.
Cycling is popular in Eugene and many people commute via bicycle. Summertime events and festivals frequently have valet bicycle parking corrals that are often filled to capacity by three hundred or more bikes. Many people commute to work by bicycle every month of the year. PeaceHealth Rides, a bike share system formerly operated by Uber subsidiary JUMP, and currently operated by non-profit Cascadia Mobility, offers 300 city-owned bicycles available to the public for a small fee. Bike trails take commuting and recreational bikers along the Willamette River past a scenic rose garden, along Amazon Creek, through the downtown, and through the University of Oregon campus. Eugene is close to many popular mountain bike trails, and Disciples of Dirt is the local mountain bike club that organizes group rides and promotes trail stewardship.[192]
The North Bank Bike Path is a popular trail for cyclists.
In 2009, theLeague of American Bicyclists cited Eugene as 1 of 10 "Gold-level" cities in the U.S. because of its "remarkable commitments to bicycling."[193][194][195] In 2010,Bicycling magazine named Eugene the 5th most bike-friendly city in America.[196][197] The U.S. Census Bureau's annualAmerican Community Survey reported that Eugene had a bicycle commutingmode share of 7.3% in 2011, the fifth highest percentage nationwide among U.S. cities with 65,000 people or more, and 13 times higher than the national average of 0.56%.[198]
The 1908Amtrak depot downtown was restored in 2004; it is the southern terminus for two daily runs of the AmtrakCascades, and a stop along the route in each direction for the dailyCoast Starlight.
Air travel is served by theEugene Airport, also known as Mahlon Sweet Field, which is the fifth largest airport in the Northwest and second largest airport inOregon. The Eugene Metro area also has numerous private airports.[199][200] The Eugene Metro area also has severalheliports, such as theSacred Heart Medical Center Heliport and Mahlon Sweet Field Heliport, and many singlehelipads.
Highways traveling within and through Eugene include:
Interstate 5: Interstate 5 forms much of the eastern city limit, acting as an effective, though unofficial boundary between Eugene and Springfield. To the north, I-5 leads to the Willamette Valley andPortland. To the south, I-5 leads toRoseburg,Medford, and the southwestern portion of the state. In full, Interstate 5 continues north to the Canada–US border at Blaine, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia and extends south to the Mexico–US border at Tijuana and San Diego.
Officer Chris Kilcullen Memorial Highway: Oregon Route 126 is routed along the Eugene-Springfield Highway, a limited-access freeway. The Eugene portion of this highway begins at an interchange with Interstate 5 and ends two miles (3.2 km) west at a freeway terminus. This portion of Oregon Route 126 is also signed Interstate 105, a spur route of Interstate 5. Oregon Route 126 continues west, a portion shared with Oregon Route 99, and continues west toFlorence. Eastward, Oregon Route 126 crosses the Cascades and leads to central and eastern Oregon.
Randy Papé Beltline: Beltline is a limited-access freeway which runs along the northern and western edges of incorporated Eugene.
Delta Highway: The Delta Highway forms a connector of less than 2 miles (3.2 km) between Interstate 105 and Beltline Highway.
Oregon Route 99: Oregon Route 99 forks off Interstate 5 south of Eugene, and forms a major surface artery in Eugene. It continues north into the Willamette valley, parallel to I-5. It is sometimes called the "scenic route" since it has a great view of the Coast Range and also stretches through many scenic farmlands of the Willamette Valley.
Eugene is the home of Oregon's largest publicly ownedwater and power utility, theEugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB). EWEB got its start in the first decade of the 20th century, after an epidemic oftyphoid found in the groundwater supply.[201] The City of Eugene condemned Eugene's private water utility and began treating river water (first the Willamette; later the McKenzie) for domestic use.[202] EWEB got into the electric business when power was needed for the water pumps. Excess electricity generated by the EWEB'shydropower plants was used for street lighting.[201]
Wastewater treatment services are provided by the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission, a partnership between the Cities of Eugene and Springfield and Lane County.
Two hospitals serve the Eugene-Springfield area.McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center andSacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend are in Springfield. Oregon Medical Group, a primary care based multi-specialty group, operates several clinics in Eugene,[203] as does PeaceHealth Medical Group.[204] White Bird Clinic provides a broad range of health and human services, including low-cost clinics.[205][206] The Volunteers in Medicine & Occupy Medical clinics provide free medical and mental care to low-income adults without health insurance.[207][208]
Eugene is one of the few municipalities in the US that does notfluoridate its water supply.[209]
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
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^Lewis, Ph.D., David G. (May 23, 2016)."Chafin Band Reservation and Village 1855".NDN History Research: Critical and Indigenous Anthropology.Archived from the original on April 5, 2017. RetrievedDecember 28, 2016.
^"Chifin Native Youth Center".Springfield Public Schools. Springfield, Oregon, Public Schools. Archived fromthe original on August 25, 2018. RetrievedDecember 28, 2016.
^Lewis, Ph.D., David G. (December 8, 2014)."Chifin Kalapuya Village".NDN History Research: Critical and Indigenous Anthropology.Archived from the original on April 5, 2017. RetrievedMarch 8, 2017.
^Mackey, Ph.D., Harold (2004).The Kalapuyans: A Sourcebook on the Indians of the Willamette Valley. Salem, Oregon, and Grand Ronde, Oregon: Mission Mill Museum Association, Inc.and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. pp. 1–2.ISBN9780975348406.
^Jette, Melinda Marie (2015).At the Hearth of Crossed Races: A French Indian Community in Nineteenth-Century Oregon, 1812-1859. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press.ISBN9780870715976.
^Jette, Melinda Marie (2015).At the Hearth of Crossed Races: A French Indian Community in Nineteenth Century Oregon, 1812-1859. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press. pp. 12–61, p. 147.ISBN9780870715976.
^Jette, Melinda Marie (2015).At the Hearth of Crossed Races: A French Indian Community in Nineteenth Century Oregon, 1812-1859. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press. pp. 61–69.ISBN9780870715976.
^Jette, Melinda Marie (2015).At the Hearth of Crossed Races: A French Indian Community in Nineteenth Century Oregon, 1812-1859. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press. pp. 65–67.ISBN9780870715976.
^Jette, Melinda Marie (2015).At the Hearth of Crossed Races: A French Indian Community in Nineteenth Century Oregon, 1812-1859. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press. p. 139.ISBN9780870715976.
^Ruby, Robert, MD, John A. Brown, Cary C. Collins (2010).A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 14.ISBN9780806140247.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Berg, Laura (2007).The First Oregonians, Second Edition. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Council for the Humanities. p. 127.ISBN9781880377024.
^Berg, Laura (2007).The First Oregonians, Second Edition. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Council for the Humanities. p. 126.ISBN9781880377024.
^Zenk, Henry (2008). "Notes on Native American Place-names of the Willamette Valley Region".Oregon Historical Quarterly.109:6–33.doi:10.1353/ohq.2008.0092.S2CID165355383.
^Houtman, Nick (April 24, 2009)."Where grass seed is king". Oregon State University.Archived from the original on November 15, 2016. RetrievedOctober 22, 2009.
^Taylor, Phillip E.; Jacobson, Kraig W.; House, James M.; Glovsky, M. Michael. (2007). "Links between Pollen, Atopy and the Asthma Epidemic"International Archives of Allergy and Immunology; 144:162–170
^Allan, Stuart; Buckley, Aileen R.; Meacham, James E.; Loy, William G. (2001), Atlas of Oregon (2. ed ed.), Eugene, Or: University of Oregon Pr, ISBN 978-0-87114-101-9
^"Number of Inhabitants: Oregon"(PDF).18th Census of the United States. U.S. Census Bureau.Archived(PDF) from the original on August 18, 2017. RetrievedNovember 22, 2013.
^Hughart, Ron;Westbrook, Jeff (April 14, 2002). "The 30% Iron Chef".Futurama. Season 3. Episode 22. Fox.Gus: 'Welcome to Bumbase Alpha, the biggest hobo jungle in the quadrant.' Bender: 'I've seen bigger. Oh, wait, I'm thinking of Eugene, Oregon'
^"Mason Williams biography"(PDF). MasonWilliams-online.com. January 2005. pp. 2, 11.Archived(PDF) from the original on November 15, 2012. RetrievedMarch 11, 2013.
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