Oakridge, Oregon Oakridge, Oregon Highway 58 in Oakridge Highway 58 in Oakridge Oakridge is a town/city in Lane County, Oregon, United States.
The populace was 3,205 as of the 2010 census. It is positioned east of Westfir on Oregon Route 58, about 40 miles (64 km) east of Eugene and 150 miles (240 km) southeast of Portland.
Surrounded by the Willamette National Forest and the Cascade Range, Oakridge is prominent with outside enthusiasts for its hiking, mountain biking, wildflowers, fly fishing, birding, watersports, and close-by Willamette Pass Resort. The economy of Oakridge and close-by Westfir has been centered on the barns , the logging industry, and recreation.
In the 20th century, there were two sawmills that processed logs from close-by timberland an Oakridge foundry owned by the Pope and Talbot Lumber Company and an Edward Hines foundry in Westfir.
Highway 58 in Oakridge, about 1925 Oakridge as seen from the north, along the North Fork Trail, with snow-capped Diamond Peak in the distance The region now known as Oakridge was first explored in 1852 as a possible route for pioneers coming from Central Oregon to the Willamette Valley.
A postal service was titled "Hazeldell" in 1888, and the place's name later changed to "Big Prairie", and then "Oak Ridge". In 1912, a new improve was formed and officially titled Oakridge.
Since its beginnings as a mountain ranch, Oakridge has been a barns boomtown, a lumberjacks' haven, and an outside enthusiast's destination. The early boom for Oakridge can be attributed to the Southern Pacific Railroad.
By 1910, work had already begun on Tunnel 22, a short route connecting Oakridge to the region now known as Westfir.
Oakridge was a station on Southern Pacific's Cascade subdivision, a line that goes over Willamette Pass via the Natron Cutoff that was assembled in 1926, and the barns played an integral part of the economy and lifestyle in Oakridge.
On July 2, 1946, the Pope and Talbot Lumber Company purchased timberland near Oakridge.
The combined economic base of the barns and sawmills accounted for the populace growth of the 1960s and 1970s, when the improve of Willamette City was merged into Oakridge. However, in 1978, the Hines foundry in Westfir closed, and by 1985 the Pope and Talbot Mill had laid off all of its workers.
The City of Oakridge now owns the property that formerly homed the Pope and Talbot sawmill. Oakridge sits at an altitude ranging from 1,200 to 1,600 feet (370 to 490 m) above sea level.
According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, the town/city has a total region of 2.20 square miles (5.70 km2), of which 2.10 square miles (5.44 km2) is territory and 0.10 square miles (0.26 km2) is water. Oakridge lies in a small valley in the foothills of the Cascade Range and is completely surrounded by the Willamette National Forest.
Five streams are positioned in and around Oakridge; they are Salmon Creek, Salt Creek, Hills Creek, and the Middle and North forks of the Willamette River, the latter of which has been designated Wild and Scenic.
Diamond Peak, a shield volcano positioned in the close-by Diamond Peak Wilderness to the southeast, can be seen from various spots in and around Oakridge.
Waldo Lake, known as one of the purest lakes in the world, and Salt Creek Falls, one of the biggest waterfalls in Oregon, are positioned about 20 miles (32 km) east of town. According to the Koppen Climate Classification system, Oakridge has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps. The town's two biggest employers continue to be the Oakridge School District and the United States Forest Service.
However, in recent years there has been a cultural and economic revival centered on the outside recreational activities and small-town artists and craftspeople in the Oakridge area.
While there is still a scarcity of small-town employment, Oakridge is creating new businesses and jobs 20 years after the closure of the lumber mill. Distances from Oakridge, posted in Mannings Cafe Running east-west, Highway 58 links the Willamette Valley with Central Oregon while crossing through the Willamette National Forest and Cascade Range.
Union Pacific Railroad's chief north/south line in the two-thirds of the United States, with cargo shipping services, runs through Oakridge.
Oakridge State Airport Oakridge State Airport is a enhance airport positioned one mile west of Oakridge.
The closest International Shipping Ports to Oakridge are the Port of Coos Bay, positioned 145 miles (233 km) to the west in Coos Bay, and the Port of Portland, positioned 149 miles (240 km) to the north in Portland.
The Oakridge School District consists of two schools and serves the kids of Oakridge, Westfir, and outlying areas including High Prairie.
Oakridge Elementary School - Grades K 6 Oakridge High School - 7 12 In 2008, Oakridge High School was recognized as one of the best high schools in America by U.S.
The University of Oregon and Lane Community College are positioned 40 miles (64 km) to the west.
City of Oakridge.
"Oregon Mountain Biking".
Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press.
"Oakridge: A foundry town on the mend".
City of Oakridge.
"Oakridge, Oregon" (PDF).
Climate Summary for Oakridge, Oregon City of Oakridge.
"Oakridge writes a new chapter in saga of enhance library".
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oakridge, Oregon.
Entry for Oakridge in the Oregon Blue Book Oakridge featured on NPR's State of the Re:Union Municipalities and communities of Lane County, Oregon, United States Coburg Cottage Grove Creswell Dunes City Eugene Florence Junction City Lowell Oakridge Springfield Veneta Westfir
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