Editing Independence, Oregon

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Independence, Oregon
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = 
|image_skyline            = Independence Bank (Polk County, Oregon scenic images) (polD0058).jpg
|imagesize                = 300px
|image_caption            = Independence National Bank
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               = 
|image_map = Polk_County_Oregon_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Independence_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Oregon]]
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
| pushpin_map = USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Oregon]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Oregon|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Polk County, Oregon|Polk]]
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Kate Schwarzler ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])<ref>{{cite web|title=John McArdle|url=http://www.dpo.org/people/john-mcardle|website=[[Democratic Party of Oregon]]|access-date=2 October 2015}}</ref>
|established_title        = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date         = 1874
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_sq_mi         = 3.08
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='41'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 12, 2022}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 7.99
|area_land_sq_mi          = 2.98
|area_land_km2            = 7.72
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.10
|area_water_km2           = 0.26
|area_urban_sq_mi         = 
|area_urban_km2           = 
|area_metro_sq_mi         = 
|area_metro_km2           = 
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_note          = 
|population_total         = 9828
|population_metro         = 
|population_urban                 = 
|population_density_km2   = 1272.41
|population_density_sq_mi = 3295.77
|timezone                 = [[Pacific Standard Time Zone|Pacific]]
|utc_offset               = -8
|timezone_DST             = Pacific
|utc_offset_DST           = -7
|coordinates              = {{coord|44|51|17|N|123|11|43|W|type:city_region:US-OR|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 171
|website                  = [http://www.ci.independence.or.us/ www.ci.independence.or.us]
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 97351
|area_code                = [[Area codes 503 and 971|503 and 971]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 41-36150<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2410099<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2410099}}</ref>
|footnotes                = 
|unit_pref                = Imperial
}}

'''Independence''' is a city in [[Polk County, Oregon|Polk County]], [[Oregon]], United States, on the west bank of the [[Willamette River]] along [[Oregon Route 51]], and east of nearby [[Monmouth, Oregon|Monmouth]].  It is part of the [[Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. Thirty square blocks of the oldest part of Independence form the [[National Register of Historic Places]]-listed [[Independence Historic District (Independence, Oregon)|Independence Historic District]].

The population was 9,828 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/independencecityoregon,monmouthcityoregon,OR/PST045221 |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Independence city, Oregon; Monmouth city, Oregon; Oregon |publisher=Census.gov |date= |accessdate=2022-07-20}}</ref>

== History ==
Independence was founded by pioneers who migrated from [[Independence, Missouri]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} Elvin A. Thorp arrived in the Independence area in 1845 and staked a claim north of [[Ash Creek (Polk County, Oregon)|Ash Creek]] in June of that year. He platted a small townsite that later became known as "Thorp's Town of Independence" or the "Original Town of Independence", now known as "Old Town". Thorp named the town for his eponymous hometown in Missouri, as well as in honor of Andrew Jackson's characteristic of "Independence".<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Newton |first=Sidney |date=1971 |title=Early History of Independence, Oregon |page=1}}</ref>

In 1847, Henry Hill came across the [[Great Plains|plains]] looking for a level piece of ground on which to raise stock.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} On November 14, 1847, he found his location on the west bank of the [[Willamette River]] (south of Ash Street) and marked off his [[Donation Land Claim Act|donation land claim]], which was {{convert|1|mi}} square.  In 1867, after returning from the [[California Gold Rush|California gold mines]], Hill platted {{convert|40|acre|m2}} for a townsite, thereafter to be referred to as Henry Hill's Town of Independence. The city charter bill of February 26, 1885, incorporated E.A. Thorp's Independence and Henry Hill's Independence.  Henry Hill Elementary School was named in honor of the latter.

'''Flood of 1861'''

When the pioneers first arrived in Independence, the [[Kalapuya]] people, who had lived in the area for centuries, warned them about the dangers of flooding along the Willamette River. The Kalapuya had experienced devastating floods in the past, which had even swept away their horses.<ref name=":0" />

In December 1861, a devastating flood struck Independence, wiping out the town's commercial district, farms, and livestock. The flood was the result of a prolonged period of rain that began in October and continued into November, compounded by snow accumulation in the Cascades. As temperatures rose in late November, the snow melted, leading to severe flooding by the first week of December.

Mrs. Cora Hubbard, in her book ''Early Settlement of Independence'', states that during the flood "a person could row a boat across Thorp’s entire Town of Independence." The flood destroyed much of the town's infrastructure, including warehouses, docks, and ferries along Water Street. A warehouse filled with wheat was also destroyed.

After the waters receded, the residents of Independence, along with Henry Hill returning from the California Gold Mines, began considering the possibility of rebuilding the town on higher ground, just across Ash Creek. They came up with a plan to establish a new townsite on more stable land. In 1867, Hill made the decision to move forward with the plan, choosing a 40-acre plot of land that bordered the Willamette River south of Ash Creek to build his "Henry Hill's Town of Independence".[[File:Independence Oregon downtown 1920.jpg|left|thumb|Downtown Independence c. 1920, with Independence National Bank visible at left.]]
'''Economic History and Transportation Development'''

Independence thrived as a shipping point, by both rail and [[Steamboats of the Willamette River|boat]], for agricultural products and lumber until the 1950s.<ref name="IndHist" /> The city was known for its [[hops]] production from the 1890s through the 1940s,{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} hosting a festival called the "Hops Fiesta" from the early 1930s to the mid-1950s.<ref name="ihhf" /><ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa2000004168/PP/ |title= On main street of Williamette <nowiki>[sic]</nowiki> Valley town. Independence, Polk County, Oregon | publisher= Library of Congress | location= LC-USF34-020639-E | date= August 1939 | work= [[Farm Security Administration]] - Office of War Information Photograph Collection| access-date=2011-03-31}}</ref>  When hop production began to decline in the early 1950s,<ref name="ihhf" /> the city's fortunes also began to decline.<ref name="IndHist" /><ref>[http://oregonprogress.oregonstate.edu/fall-2005/heady-success A Heady Success] from [[Oregon State University]]</ref><ref>[http://www.salemhistory.net/commerce/hops.htm Hops and Beer] from Salem Online History</ref>

Downtown Independence was bypassed by major freeways in the 1960s,<ref name=Great/> though the period saw an alternative form of transportation enabled by the construction of the [[Independence State Airport]], which was dedicated on August 14, 1964.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.isasg7s5.org/docs/History7S5.html |title= History of Independence State Airport (7S5) | publisher= Independence State Airport Support Group | date= April 8, 2005| access-date=2011-03-31| quote= The Independence Airport originally was developed from a request by the news media and eastern pilots to have a place to land aircraft and report on the arrival of the "On to Oregon Cavalcade" from Independence, Missouri to Independence, Oregon in 1959....Edwin Totten, a local farmer, allowed the aircraft to land on one of his grass seed fields which was later purchased by the City of Independence, with help from local donors and Polk County in early 1960s....The city decided developing, operating and managing the airport would be better served by donating the airport to the State of Oregon Aeronautics Division. After initial engineering and construction, the airport was dedicated as the Independence State Airport on August 14, 1964.}}</ref>

==Geography==
Independence is located at {{coord|44|51|11|N|123|11|29|W|type:city_region:US-OR}}.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|2.82|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|2.73|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.09|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2012-12-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090031/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 12, 2012 }}</ref> [[Ash Creek (Polk County, Oregon)|Ash Creek]] flows through Independence, where it meets the Willamette River.<ref name="topo map">{{cite web|title=United States Topographic Map|publisher=United States Geological Survey|via=Acme Mapper|url=http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.855278,-123.180556&z=12&t=T&marker0=44.855278,-123.180556,Ash%20Creek%20%28Polk%20County%2C%20Oregon%29|access-date=March 7, 2016}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 425
|1880= 691
|1900= 909
|1910= 1160
|1920= 1148
|1930= 1248
|1940= 1372
|1950= 1987
|1960= 1930
|1970= 2594
|1980= 4024
|1990= 4425
|2000= 6035
|2010= 8590
|2020= 9828
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:41&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=Oct 12, 2022}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-12-21}}</ref> of 2010, there were 8,590 people, 2,857 households, and 2,021 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|3146.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 3,168 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1160.4|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.4% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1.8% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.2% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.2% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 19.1% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 4.1% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 35.3% of the population.

There were 2,857 households, of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.3% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.45.

The median age in the city was 28.3 years. 30.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 13.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.3% were from 25 to 44; 19.5% were from 45 to 64; and 8.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.4% male and 49.6% female.

===2000 census===
As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 6,035 people, 1,994 households, and 1,425 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|2,585.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 2,131 housing units at an average density of {{convert|913.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 73.69% White, 1.49% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.41% African American, 0.36% Pacific Islander, 19.64% from other races, and 3.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30.12% of the population.

There were 1,994 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.41.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,790, and the median income for a family was $40,466. Males had a median income of $30,253 versus $22,527 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $13,933. About 14.6% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

== Education ==
Independence shares a school district ([[Central School District (Oregon)|Central School District]]) with [[Monmouth, Oregon|Monmouth]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ci.independence.or.us/ed/independence-schools|title=Independence Schools {{!}} The City of Independence Oregon - Official Website|website=www.ci.independence.or.us|access-date=2020-04-26}}</ref> An elementary school (Independence), a middle school (Talmadge), and a high school ([[Central High School (Independence, Oregon)|Central]]) are shared between the two cities.

== References ==
{{reflist|2|refs=
<ref name=Great>[http://www.greatstreets.org/MainStreets/MainIndependence.html Independence, Oregon: Historic Main Street] from greatstreets.org</ref>
<ref name=IndHist>[http://webservices.orcities.org/Portals/6/Independence_History.pdf Independence History]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} from the City of Independence</ref>
<ref name="ihhf">{{cite web | url= http://www.hopfestival.org/about | title= Independence Hop and Heritage Festival A Little Bit of History | publisher= Independence Hop & Heritage Festival | access-date= 2014-07-16 | quote= The "original" Hop Festival, also known as the Hop Fiesta, began in early 1930s....The festival/fiesta in its original form continued until the mid-1950s, missing only years when the US was most deeply involved in World War II. | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140725220809/http://www.hopfestival.org/about | archive-date= 2014-07-25 | url-status= dead }}</ref>
}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*[https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Pages/local/cities/e-k/independence.aspx Entry for Independence] in the ''[[Oregon Blue Book]]''
*[https://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=Independence%20Oregon Photographs of Independence] by [[Dorothea Lange]] from the Library of Congress
*Home page for Independence, Oregon at https://www.ci.independence.or.us/

{{Polk County, Oregon}}
{{oregon}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Independence, Oregon| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Oregon]]
[[Category:Cities in Polk County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1874]]
[[Category:Salem, Oregon metropolitan area]]
[[Category:1874 establishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Willamette River]]