Eugene is the third largest city and boasts the second largest metropolitan population in the state of Oregon, and is also the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, USA. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie River and the Willamette River, about 60 miles (97 km) east of the Oregon Coast.
Eugene is home to the University of Oregon, where the film Animal House was filmed almost entirely on campus (except for the parade in the last scene that took place in the nearby town Cottage Grove). The city is also is noted for its natural beauty, activist political leanings and alternative lifestyles, recreation opportunities (especially bicycling, rafting, and kayaking), and arts focus. In fact, Eugene's motto is "The World's Greatest City for the Arts and Outdoors," and is also referred to as "The Emerald City" and "The Track Capital of the World." The Nike corporation had its beginnings in Eugene.
Eugene is located at 44°3'28" North, 123°6'37" West (44.057663, -123.110345) (see Geographic references) at an elevation of 426 feet.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 105.0 km2 (40.6 mi2). 104.9 km2 (40.5 mi2) of it is land and 0.1 km2 (0.04 mi2 or 0.10%) of it is water.
To the north of downtown is Skinner Butte park. Forested Hendricks Park is famous for its Rhododendron Garden. Alton Baker Park, along the Willamette river, attracts visitors to jog its running paths, bike its endless bike paths and bike bridges, swim the wild Willamette, canoe the millrace, sit at the duck ponds, and visit the Owens Rose Garden. A climb up Spencer Butte, south of the city, offers a lovely look at Eugene and the headwaters of the Willamette. Mount Pisgah Arboretum, to the east, is another large and special park, and host to the annual mushroom festival.
Eugene has a striking urban forest. The town is packed with trees, and its citizens are very proud and protective of them. The University of Oregon campus is itself a world-class arboretum, with over 500 species of trees, and its own tourbook. The city operates and maintains scenic hiking trails that pass through and across the ridges of a cluster of small mountains in the southern portion of the city, on the fringe of residential neighborhoods. Some trails allow biking and others are for hikers only.
The Willamette and McKenzie rivers run through Eugene and its sister city Springfield.
Eugene has a significant population of people in pursuit of alternative ideas, and a strong aging hippie population. Eugene's trainyard and welcoming valley climate used to be the center of this. There is also a significant population of outdoor enthusiasts and young retirees from California and elsewhere.
As of the census of 2000, there are 137,893 people, 58,110 households, and 31,321 families residing in the city. As of July 1, 2003 the US Census Bureau estimated the population of Eugene to be 142,185. The city's population is expected to further grow to 228,400 within the next 10 years. The population density is 1,313.9/km2 (3,403.2/mi2). There are 61,444 housing units at an average density of 585.5/km2 (1,516.4/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 88.15% White, 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 58,110 households out of which 25.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% are married couples living together, 9.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 46.1% are non-families. 31.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.27 and the average family size is 2.87.
In the city the population is spread out with 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $35,850, and the median income for a family is $48,527. Males have a median income of $35,549 versus $26,721 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,315. 17.1% of the population and 8.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.8% of those under the age of 18 and 7.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Eugene's largest industries are wood products manufacturing and recreational vehicle manufacturing. The largest employers are the University of Oregon, local government, and Sacred Heart Hospital.
Eugene currently has one of the highest unemployment rates for a city in the entire nation (6.4% as of July 2004. 257 out of 331 for all U.S. MSAs).
Eugene is the site for the corporate headquarters of employee-owned Bi-Mart. Monaco Coach Corporation has its headquarters in nearby Coburg, Oregon. Hynix Semiconductor America has a large semiconductor plant in west Eugene, producing DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) for use in computers.
Like most municipalities, Eugene solicits outside business investment. But it is also partial to locally-developed small businesses, some of whom have formed a coalition called Unique Eugene.
Many businesses were launched in Eugene. Some of the most famous include Nike, Taco Time and Broderbund Software.
Eugene is named after its founder, Eugene Franklin Skinner. In 1846, Skinner erected the first cabin in the area. It was used as a trading post and was dubbed as a post office in 1850. Skinner founded Eugene in 1862 and later ran a ferry service across the Willamette River where the Ferry Street Bridge now stands.
Preceding the institution of the University of Oregon was Columbia College, which was also founded around the same area the UofO resides in today. That institute, however, fell victim to two different major fires over four years, and after being rebuilt twice already, it was decided to not be rebuilt again. Commonly even today, people refer to parts of Eugene's campus area as "College Hill," and this name does not come from the adjacent location of the University of Oregon, but rather the former location of Columbia College. Columbia College preceded the University of Oregon by a few years.
The town raised the initial funding to start a public University, which later became the University of Oregon, with the hope of turning the small town into a cultural center of learning. In 1872 the Legislative Assembly passed a bill ratifying the University. Interestingly, the nearby town of Albany was Eugene's biggest competitor to provide a home for this institute. In 1873 community member J. H. D. Henderson donated the hilltop land for the campus, overlooking the city. The University first opened in 1876 with regents electing first faculty and naming John Wesley Johnson as president with the first students registering on 16 October 1876. It would not be until 1877, later known as Deady Hall (for the first Board of Regents President and community leader Judge Matthew P. Deady) that the first building would be completed. It is also to place specific emphasis on the fact that the University of Oregon has been a leader in diversity since its very beginning; the University of Oregon's first class included two Japanese students.
Eugene is the home of Oregon's largest publicly owned electric utility, the Eugene Water & Electric Board, which got its start in the first decade of the last century after there was a typhoid epidemic traced to the groundwater supply. Eugene condemned the private utility and began treating river water (first the Willamette, but now the McKenzie) for domestic use. EWEB got into the electric business when power was needed for the water pumps and excess electricity was used for street lighting.
Source:
EugeneOR.com
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