Monmouth, Oregon
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| Monmouth, Oregon | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Polk |
| Incorporated | 1859 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | John Oberst |
| Area | |
| - Total | 1.9 sq mi (5.0 km²) |
| - Land | 1.9 sq mi (5.0 km²) |
| - Water | 0 sq mi (0 km²) |
| Elevation | 214 ft (65.2 m) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 9,125 |
| - Density | 1,517.7/sq mi (587.0/km²) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | Pacific (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 97361 |
| Area code(s) | 503 |
| FIPS code | 41-49550[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1163156[2] |
| Website: http://www.ci.monmouth.or.us | |
Monmouth (pronounced /ˈmɒnməθ/ is a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States. It was named for Monmouth, Illinois, whence its earliest settlers came. The population was 7,741 at the 2000 census. The 2006 estimate is 9,125 residents.[3]
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[edit] History
Monmouth was settled in 1853 by a group of pioneers who made a point of allocating 640 acres (2.6 km²) to build both a city and a "college under the auspices of the Christian Church" according to Lewis MacArthur in his Oregon Geographic Names, and proceeds from the sale of these lands were used to found Monmouth University. Hence from the beginning of Monmouth, its college was part of the community. However, by the early 1880s the college fell on hard times. In 1882, ownership was transferred to the State of Oregon and it was renamed Oregon State Normal School at Monmouth. It is now known as Western Oregon University. Beyond the university, Monmouth is a mostly agricultural town.
An excellent history of Monmouth and the college was published by Ellis Stebbins, retired registrar of Oregon College of Education (the college name after Normal School)
For decades, Monmouth had a long-running rivalry with neighboring Independence, caused in part by Monmouth's ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages in supermarkets, restaurants and bars, and Independence's willingness to remedy this deficit. Monmouth's police department for many years would assign a number of officers to monitor the east city limits about the time the bars closed in Independence. This rivalry was exacerbated by the city's practice of dumping untreated sewage into Ash Creek each fall, which one year flooded Independence with septic sludge when the fall rains were late.
Monmouth's status as the last dry town on the west coast of the United States was ended by a popular vote in the November 2002 election. Spurred on by the closure of Monmouth's last grocery store, and a general decline of its retail sector, three local men (John Oberst, Paul Sieber, and Chuck Sheffield) led a referendum campaign to allow the sale of beer and wine. The measure passed 57-43%.
The rivalry between Monmouth and Independence has mellowed in the past decade. In 2006, the two cities worked together to open their own telecommunications utility, M/INet. This utility is one of only a handful in the country that feature "last mile" fiber optics, with a fiber right to each subscriber's home. M/INet offers high-speed internet, telephone and cable television service.
[edit] Geography
Monmouth is located at (44.849153, -123.230004).[4] It is about 15 miles west of Salem, Oregon on Oregon Route 99W.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.9 square miles (5.0 km²), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 7,741 people, 2,757 households, and 1,488 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,004.3 people per square mile (1,548.6/km²). There were 2,934 housing units at an average density of 1,517.7/sq mi (587.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.67% White, 0.92% African American, 1.05% Native American, 2.04% Asian, 0.74% Pacific Islander, 6.21% from other races, and 3.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.73% of the population.
There were 2,757 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.0% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 35.9% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 14.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,256, and the median income for a family was $48,600. Males had a median income of $33,500 versus $25,185 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,474. About 7.1% of families and 24.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
In early years, Monmouth and Independence were joined by a narrow gauge railroad.
Monmouth's police department consisted of only a chief of police until about 1950. During WWII the Chief, as it turned out, was driving a stolen car and was convicted of rape and murder.
Supermarkets did not arrive in Monmouth until after WWII. Safeway had a small store (not a supermarket) for a couple of years before WWII.
Ash Creek was a good place to hunt arrowheads before WWII.
Monmouth marked the Northernmost edge of the tract of land that the U.S. Army annexed during WWII to practice for the invasion of Normandy.
Monmouth and Independence had a citizens band that played in the cities' parks. After a few years the name was changed over Monmouth's objections to "The Independence Band."
The 144-year-old ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages came to an end January 10, 2003 after a public vote in 2002. At the time the ban was lifted, Monmouth was the last "dry" municipality in the western United States (excluding Alaska).
Monmouth was runner-up in the State B High School basketball tournament in 1948. The starting five were guards Noal Sawtelle and Lyle Ladehoff, forwards Buddy Heide and James Comstock and the center was Conrad Howard. Coach, Bud Gronquist and the team manager, Leroy Fleischman.
Miss Ann Baker represented the State of Oregon at the Miss America Contest shortly after graduating from high school in 1948.
Patrick Page, an award-winning Broadway actor also known for being husband to Paige Davis, grew up in Monmouth.
[edit] Bibliography
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This article or section includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations. |
- Scott McArthur. Monmouth, Oregon: the Saga of a Small American Town. Rickreall, Oregon: Polk County History Museum, 2004
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ PSU:Population Research Center (PDF).
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
[edit] External links
- City of Monmouth
- Oregon Blue Book entry for Monmouth
- Photos from the Salem Archives.
- Religious Roots of the town.
- Monmouth, Oregon is at coordinates Coordinates:
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