Springfield, Oregon | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Springfield as seen fromMount Pisgah, looking north, with some of Eugene in the west | |
 Logo | |
| Nicknames: Simpson Land, Springtucky | |
| Motto: "Proud History, Bright Future." | |
 Location inOregon | |
  Springfield, Oregon Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:44°03′25″N123°00′39″W / 44.05694°N 123.01083°W /44.05694; -123.01083 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Oregon |
| County | Lane |
| Incorporated | February 25, 1885 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| • Mayor | Sean VanGordon[1][2] |
| • City manager | Nancy Newton[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 15.87 sq mi (41.10 km2) |
| • Land | 15.87 sq mi (41.10 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 476 ft (145 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 61,851 |
| • Density | 3,897.9/sq mi (1,504.99/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (Pacific) |
| ZIP codes | 97475, 97477, 97478, 97482 |
| Area codes | 458 and 541 |
| FIPS code | 41-69600[7] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2411961[5] |
| Website | City of Springfield |
Springfield is a city inLane County,Oregon, United States. Located in theSouthern Willamette Valley, it is within theEugene-Springfield metropolitan statistical area. Separated fromEugene to the west, mainly byInterstate 5, Springfield is the second-most populous city in the metropolitan area after Eugene. As of the2020 census, the city has a total population of 61,851, making it theninth-most populous city in Oregon.
The Briggs family first settled the Springfield area, arriving in 1848. The community was incorporated as a city in 1885. The city was named after a natural spring located in a field orprairie within the current city boundaries.[8] For the majority of the 20th century, the economy of Springfield was largely dependent on the Oregon timber industry; since the 1990s, however, the economy has diversified, withPeaceHealth now the largest employer in the city. Public education in the city is provided by theSpringfield School District.
The first inhabitants to the area were theKalapuya people. Also sometimes written as Calapooia or Calapooya, the people maintained the valley and their main food sources by controlled burning.[9]
Springfield was settled when Elias and Mary Briggs and their family arrived in 1848. They were among the first party to travel to the region via the "Southern Route" by Klamath Lake, over the Cascades, into the Rogue Valley, then north to theWillamette Valley.[10] Elias Briggs along with William Stevens ran a ferry on the nearbyWillamette River.
According to donation land claim records, Stevens was the first settler to stake a claim in the Springfield locale, arriving in October 1847. He commenced building a house with his three oldest sons, and when the house was completed in December, the rest of his family joined him on Christmas Day that year.
Another early arrival in the Springfield vicinity was Captain Felix Scott Sr., who settled between theMcKenzie and Willamette rivers in 1847.
In 1854Springfield School District No. 19 was formed. A small schoolhouse was built near the corner of south 7th and B streets; it served the community until the 1880s. Miss Agnes Stewart, a young woman from Pennsylvania, was the first teacher. She had arrived in Springfield via theLost Wagon Train of 1853.
In May 1992 the municipality became the first in the United States to includeanti-gay legislation in its city charter after a campaign by theOregon Citizens Alliance.[11] However, the state legislature later passed a law that prevented anti-gay ordinances from being enforced.[12]
For years, the economy of Springfield hinged on the timber industry, with the largest employer beingWeyerhaeuser Company. Weyerhaeuser opened its Springfield complex in 1949, and after years of aggressive logging was forced to downsize as old growth lumber became less available. In the 1990s, the Weyerhaeuser sawmill and veneer (plywood) plants closed, and the paper plant was downsized. Springfield has now developed a more diversified economy.
Ken Kesey's brother Chuck, and Chuck's wife Sue, started the Springfield Creamery in 1960. The business survives today based partly on sales of their flagship product, Nancy's Yogurt, developed from recipes of Nancy Hamren. In the 1970s, the creamery avoided bankruptcy with the help of the rock bandGrateful Dead, who over time held a series of 10 benefit concerts on behalf of the creamery. The documentary filmSunshine Daydream was shot at the first performance August 27, 1972.[13][14]
Springfield is surrounded by filbert (hazelnut) orchards. The production has declined over time as fields have been developed into housing. The city used to sponsor an annual Filbert Festival in early August as a general summer celebration, featuring music, food, and family fun; it was canceled in 2007 due to withdrawal of a key sponsor, and the future for the festival is uncertain. Filbert harvesting occurs in October. 98% of American filbert production is harvested in the Willamette Valley.[15]
Springfield is home to two hospitals,McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center and PeaceHealth'sSacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend.
According to the City's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[16] the largest employers in the city are:
| Rank | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PeaceHealth | 3,500 |
| 2 | Springfield School District | 1,380 |
| 3 | "Top 3 Technology employers" | 1,200 |
| 4 | McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center | 940 |
| 5 | "Top 3 Wood product employers" | 780 |
| 6 | "Top 3 Food and beverage employers" | 410 |
| 7 | City of Springfield | 400 |
| 8 | Willamalane Park and Recreation District | 360 |
| 9 | State Government | 310 |
| 10 | Federal Government | 207 |
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Springfield has acouncil–manager form of government. The current mayor of Springfield is Sean VanGordon,[1] and the city manager is Nancy Newton.[17] The city council comprises members from six wards. The current council members are:[18]
TheSpringfield Police Department and Eugene Springfield Fire are the city's public safety agencies.[19][20] The Springfield police department is currently under investigation due to allegations of sexual misconduct made by a female former officer.[21][22][23]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.75 sq mi (40.79 km2), of which, 15.74 sq mi (40.77 km2) is land and 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) is water.[24]
TheMcKenzie River forms the northern city limits.
Springfield recognizes 7 neighborhood areas from their neighborhood refinement plans.[25]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 198 | — | |
| 1870 | 200 | 1.0% | |
| 1880 | 160 | −20.0% | |
| 1890 | 371 | 131.9% | |
| 1900 | 353 | −4.9% | |
| 1910 | 1,838 | 420.7% | |
| 1920 | 1,855 | 0.9% | |
| 1930 | 2,364 | 27.4% | |
| 1940 | 3,805 | 61.0% | |
| 1950 | 10,807 | 184.0% | |
| 1960 | 19,616 | 81.5% | |
| 1970 | 27,047 | 37.9% | |
| 1980 | 41,624 | 53.9% | |
| 1990 | 44,683 | 7.3% | |
| 2000 | 52,864 | 18.3% | |
| 2010 | 59,403 | 12.4% | |
| 2020 | 61,851 | 4.1% | |
| Source:[26][27] U.S. Decennial Census[28] 2018 Estimate[29] [6] | |||
As of the census[30] of 2010, there were 59,403 people, 23,665 households, and 14,737 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,774.0/sq mi (1,457.1/km2). There were 24,809 housing units at an average density of 1,576.2/sq mi (608.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 85.9%White, 1.1%African American, 1.4%Native American, 1.3%Asian, 0.3%Pacific Islander, 5.2% fromother races, and 4.8% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 12.1% of the population.
There were 23,665 households, of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.7% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.00.
The median age in the city was 34.5 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 11.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.
AuthorKen Kesey moved to Springfield when he was young and graduated fromSpringfield High School before moving on to the nearbyUniversity of Oregon. After some years of wandering (described inThe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test byTom Wolfe), Kesey bought a farm in nearbyPleasant Hill and remained a prominent local celebrity until his death in 2001.
TheSpringfield Public Library is located within city hall.[31] The city hall itself is home to a seal of the city of Springfield, created out of unusual items from the city's sewer system.[32][33] The seal and its creator, Russell Ziolkowski, were featured onThe Tonight Show andOn the Road withCharles Kuralt.[32]
Richard E. Wildish Community Theater (Wildish Community Theater) on Main Street in downtown Springfield is a complete renovation of the historic McKenzie Theater and opened in December 2006.[34]The theater seats 284 people and is designed to host music concerts and recitals, dance, drama, festivals, and small musicals.[35] The Springfield Renaissance Development Corporation spearheaded the six-year renovation project, completed for $3.1 million.[36]
On March 7, 2016, Springfield formally recognized the Una Nation of Mixed-Bloods for their service tomixed-blood Native Americans.[37]
Most of Springfield is in theSpringfield School District, while some portions in the west are in theEugene School District 4J.[38]
There are 15 elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools in the Springfield School District, making it one of the largest in the state.[39][40] The largest public high schools, by enrollment, areThurston High School andSpringfield High School.
Lane County is in theLane Community College district.[41]
Pioneer Pacific College also had a campus in the Gateway area of Springfield.[42]
The city took third in the voting to choose one of the sixteen possibleSpringfields in the U.S. to host the premiere ofThe Simpsons Movie.[43] The show's creator, Oregon residentMatt Groening, sent a plaque to the city of Springfield that stated, in part "Yo to Springfield, Oregon – the real Springfield."[44] In April 2012, Groening confirmed toSmithsonian magazine that he named thefictional Springfield after Springfield, Oregon. He also confirmed that he intentionally left it a secret to allow people the enjoyment of assuming it was based on their own Springfield.[45]
This region experiences hot and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F (22.0 °C). According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Springfield has awarm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[47]
The campaign was used successfully by Mr. Mabon's group in May, when the Oregon town of Springfield voted, by 55 percent to 45 percent, to become the nation's first municipality to include anti-gay language in its city charter.
The Oregon Court of Appeals upheld a state law Wednesday that bars cities and counties from enforcing anti-gay rights ordinances.[permanent dead link]
We had some debts that had to get paid, so we said, "Well, what do you think? Do you think the Dead would come up and do a benefit concert for us?" My brother-in-law (and Chuck's brother) Ken Kesey said, "I don't know why not. You might as well ask them."
Municipalities and communities ofLane County, Oregon,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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