- Eugene redirects here. For the professional wrestler "Eugene", see Nick Dinsmore.
Eugene is the third largest city in the state of Oregon and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon. 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. According to the 2000 census, it has a total population of 137,893.
Eugene's average temperature is 53 °F (12 °C); its annual rainfall is 43 inches (1.1 m).
Attractions
The University of Oregon is located in Eugene.
Cultural attractions in Eugene include the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, resident ballet, theater, opera and symphony, Bach Festival, Historic District, walking tours, 23 art galleries and museums,and the Willamette Science and Technology Center (now called "The Science Factory") . The Three Sisters Wilderness and The Oregon Dunes are just a short drive away. Local events include: Eugene Celebration, Lane County Fair, Asian Celebration, and the Oregon Country Fair.
The Eugene Public Library (http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/library/) recently moved into a new, larger building. The new library contains state-of-the-art technology such as an automated checking in/out system which sorts the books using RFID chips.
To the north of downtown is Skinner Butte park. Hendricks Park is famed for its Rhododendron Garden, while Alton Baker park attracts many to its duck ponds.
Politics
In recent years the liberal wing of local politics has been gaining strength, mostly on a reform platform calling for greater transparency and accountability for local government. The recent election of Kitty Piercy (who ran unopposed) was widely considered to be a turning point, and a sign that the Development interests that had guided city politics for years were unable to field a Conservative candidate that would be at all acceptable to the voters.
Eugene is a major centre for anarchism in North America, particularly for anarcho-primitivism. The most (in)famous member of this scene is John Zerzan. Most of the residents consider the anarchists to be just so much local color, mostly confined in the Whitaker Neighbourhood.
Culture
Eugene is home to numerous cultural organizations, including the Eugene Symphony (http://www.eugenesymphony.org/) (Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor), the Eugene Ballet (http://www.eugeneballet.org/) (Toni Pimble, Artistic Director), and the Eugene Opera (http://www.eugeneopera.com/). Eugene is also home to a number of cultural events, including the world renown Oregon Bach Fesitval (http://www.oregonbachfestival.com/) (Helmuth Rilling, artistic director) and the Oregon Festival of American Music (http://www.ofam.org/)("OFAM"). Eugene has a number of performing arts venues, including the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, The American Music Institute (also known as "The Shed"), Beall Concert Hall on the University of Oregon campus, the McDonald Theater, and WOW Hall, which is primarily a venue for alternative music.
Eugene has numerous art galleries and is home to the recently renovated Joran Schnitzer Museum of Art (http://uoma.uoregon.edu/) on the University of Oregon campus.
The film Animal House was filmed in Eugene and Cottage Grove. John Belushi had the idea for the film The Blues Brothers during filming of Animal House, when he happened to meet Curtis Salgado at the then Eugene Hotel.
History
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.
The Nike corporation had its beginnings in Eugene.
Government
Eugene City Council:
- Mayor: Kitty Piercy
- Ward 1 - Bonny Bettman
- Ward 2 - Betty Taylor
- Ward 3 - David Kelly
- Ward 4 - George Poling
- Ward 5 - Gary Pape'.
- Ward 6 - Jennifer Solomon
- Ward 7 - Andrea Ortiz
- Ward 8 - Chris Pryor
City Manager: Dennis M. Taylor
Geography
ORMap-doton-Eugene.png
Location of Eugene, Oregon
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)1. 104.9 km² (40.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi² or 0.10%) of it is water.
The Willamette and McKenzie rivers run through Eugene and its sister city Springfield.
Transportation
Eugene is the headquarters of the Lane Transit District (LTD), a public transportation agency formed in 1970. LTD covers 240 square miles (620 km²) of Lane County, including Creswell, Junction City and Veneta. Operating more than 90 buses at the high activity time, LTD carries riders on 3.7 million trips every year.
The Eugene Airport, also known as Mahlon Sweet Airport, is the fifth largest airport in the northwest.
Highways
Highways traveling within and through Eugene include:
- Interstate 5: Interstate 5 forms much of the eastern city limits, forming a boundary between Eugene and Springfield. To the north, I-5 leads to the Willamette valley and Portland. To the south, I-5 leads to Roseburg and the southwestern portion of the state.
- Interstate 105/Oregon Highway 126: Oregon Highway 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 km) west at a freeway terminus. This portion of Oregon Highway 126 is also signed Interstate 105, a spur route of Interstate 5. Oregon Highway 126 continues west, a portion shared with Oregon Highway 99, and continues west to Florence. Eastward, Oregon Highway 126 crosses the Cascades and leads to central Oregon.
- Beltline Road: Beltline Road is a limited-access freeway which runs along the northern edge of incorporated Eugene.
- Delta Highway: The Delta Highway forms a connector of less than 2 miles (3 km) between Interstate 105 and Beltline Road.
- Oregon Highway 99: Oregon Highway 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.
Hospitals
The Eugene/Springfield area is home to two major hospitals:
Mckenzie/Willamette recently filed a lawsuit angainst PeaceHealth, claiming anti-trust violations on the part of the latter. PeaceHealth, who at the time was based in Eugene, lost the lawsuit. Mckenzie/Willamette, who was at the time a small hospital based in Springfield, has gained thousands from the case.
Economy
Eugene's largest industries are wood products manufacturing and recreational vehicle manufacturing. The largest employers are the University of Oregon 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 Bi-Mart. Monaco Coach Corporation has its headquarters in nearby Coburg, Oregon. Hynix Semi-conductor has a large semiconductor plant in west Eugene.
Demographics
Eugene has a significant population of people in pursuit of alternative ideas including anarchism, and a strong aging hippie population. Eugene's trainyard and welcoming valley climate used to be the center of this, though now more recent liberal welfare social policies are likely the cause.
There is also a significant population of outdoor enthusiasts and young retirees from California and elsewhere.
Demographic statistics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 137,893 people, 58,110 households, and 31,321 families residing in the city. 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.
Colleges and universities
Sports
Eugene is often called Track City, USA by athletes because of its track and field history. Shoe giant Nike, Inc. was founded in Eugene, and the city is home to the University of Oregon's Hayward Field, which hosts numerous collegiate and amateur track and field meets throughout the year — notably the Prefontaine Classic and, recently, the 2004 Junior Olympics.
Famous athletes
- Danny Ainge, North Eugene High School (1977), NBA player & coach, MLB player
- Joey Harrington, University of Oregon (2002), NFL quarterback
- Bill McChesney, South Eugene High School (1977), 1980 Olympian
- Chris Miller. Sheldon High School ((1983), NFL quarterback
- Steve Prefontaine, University of Oregon (1973), Olympic runner
- Onterrio Smith, University of Oregon, Running Back for the Minnesota Vikings
Notable citizens of Eugene
- Jan Elliot, Stone Soup cartoonist
- Joey Harrington, athlete
- Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, Inc.
- Damon Knight, author
- Ken Kesey, author
- Amit Goswami, physicist, author
- Elizabeth Engstrom (Cratty), teacher, author
- John Zerzan, philosopher, activist
External links
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