Albany, Oregon

Albany (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is the county seat of Linn County,<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Oregon, and is the 11th most populous city in the state.<ref name="OBB">Template:Cite web</ref> Albany is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is predominantly a farming and manufacturing city that settlers founded around 1848.<ref name="cityofalbany.net">Template:Cite web</ref> As of the 2020 United States census, the population of Albany, Oregon was 56,472.<ref name="Census2020">Template:Cite web</ref>

Albany has a home rule charter, a council–manager government, and a full-time unelected city manager.<ref name="cityofalbany.net"/> The city provides the population with access to over 30 parks and trails, a senior center, and many cultural events such as the Northwest Art & Air Festival, River Rhythms, Summer Sounds and Movies at Monteith. In addition to farming and manufacturing, the city's economy depends on retail trade, health care, and social assistance. In recent years the city has worked to revive the downtown shopping area, with help from the Central Albany Revitalization Area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

In the historical era, the area of the Willamette Valley that makes up modern-day Albany was inhabited by one of the tribes of the Kalapuya,<ref name="DoL">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a Penutian-speaking,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Native American people.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Kalapuya had named the area Takenah,<ref name="CoA">Template:Cite web</ref> a Kalapuyan word used to describe the deep pool at the confluence of the Calapooia and Willamette rivers.<ref name="CoA"/><ref name="OGN">Template:Cite book</ref> A variation of the place name can also be written as Tekenah.

The Kalapuya population in the valley was between 4,000 and 20,000 before contact with Europeans, but they suffered high mortality from new infectious diseases introduced shortly afterward. The tribes were decimated by a smallpox epidemic that raged through the Pacific Northwest in 1782–83. A malaria outbreak swept through the region between 1830 and 1833. It is estimated that as many as 90 percent of the Kalapuya population died during this period.<ref name=Nch>Template:Cite book</ref> That, coupled with the treaties signed during the 1850s by the Kalapuya to cede land to the United States, left the area nearly free for European Americans to settle.<ref name="DoL"/>

19th century

Originally a farmer from Iowa, Abner Hackleman arrived as the first European American settler in 1845. Taking up a land claim for himself, Hackleman asked Hiram N. Smead to hold another for him until his son arrived from Iowa. In 1846, a year after arriving in Oregon, Hackleman died while returning to Iowa to fetch his family.<ref name="Hackleman">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1847 a pair of brothers, Walter and Thomas Monteith, settled in the area, after traveling by ox team along the Oregon Trail<ref name="monteith">Template:Cite web</ref> from their native state of New York. They were a family of early prominence in the area; in 1848,<ref name="cityofalbany.net"/> they bought a claim of Template:Convert from Hiram Smead for $400 and a horse; they plotted out Template:Convert for the town site.<ref name="CoA"/><ref name="OGN"/><ref name="monteith"/> They named the city "Albany" after their hometown of Albany in New York.<ref name="NPS">Template:Cite web</ref> During the same period, Hackleman's son Abram reached his father's original land claim and built a log house in an oak grove still known as Hackleman's Grove. He later built a house, which still stands at the corner of Fifth and Jackson. The small settlement that formed on the Hackleman land became known as the community of Takenah in 1849.<ref name="Hackleman"/>

File:Albany, Oregon, West Shore magazine, 1887.jpg

Albany, Oregon, 1887

During this early period, the Monteith and Hackleman families were literally and politically on opposite sides of the fence. Residents in the Monteiths' portion of town were mainly Yankee merchants and professionals from the Upper Midwest and New England, who aligned with the Republican Party. They tended to sympathize with the Union during the Civil War. The residents in Hackleman's portion of town to the east were made up mostly of working-class Democrats from the Upland South/Lower Midwest who were split between supporting the Union and the Confederacy. The two sides planted a hedge near Baker Street separating their sides of town.<ref name="Monteith">Template:Cite web</ref>

With help from Samuel Althouse,<ref name="monteith"/> the Monteiths built the first frame house in Albany in 1849.<ref name="OGN"/> The Monteith House was considered the finest house in Oregon at the time.<ref name="OGN"/> That same year the start of the California Gold Rush had caught the attention of the Monteith brothers, who provided supplies to the gold fields; their profits were seed money for several new businesses in Albany,<ref name="monteith"/> including the general store.<ref name="OGN"/><ref name="NPS"/> After the Monteiths developed these businesses, Albany became a major hub city in the Willamette Valley.Template:Citation needed

Albany's first school was established in 1851 by the town's first physician, R. C. Hill. The first school teacher was Eleanor B. Hackleman, wife of Abram Hackleman.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was not until 1855 that a building was specifically erected for use as a school.<ref name="CoA"/> In 1852, the first steamboat, the Multnomah,<ref name="Monteith"/> arrived and the first flour mill was built.<ref name="OGN"/>

File:Linn County Courthouse Oregon.JPG

Linn County courthouse in Albany

On January 8, 1850, a U.S. post office was established in Albany, with John Burkhart appointed as the first U.S. Postmaster.<ref name="CoA"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The town was renamed as "New Albany" on November 4, 1850,<ref name="OGN"/> but the name was changed back to Albany in 1853. In 1851, Albany was designated as the county seat, replacing Calapooia (near modern-day Brownsville and Sweet Home),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and all court meetings were held there. The first Albany courthouse was built in 1852 on Template:Convert of land donated by the Monteiths to ensure Albany would remain the county seat. The new two-story octagonal courthouse was completed on April 26, 1853. The courthouse has since been replaced, but the new courthouse stands on the same site.<ref name="CoA"/>

During 1853–1854, residents of the east side of Albany persuaded the Oregon Legislative Assembly to name both towns Takenah.<ref name="CoA"/> Though Takenah meant "deep pool," in reference to the confluence of the Calapooia and Willamette rivers, it was commonly translated as "Hole in the Ground".<ref name="OGN"/> Partially due to this translation, the legislature restored the name Albany to the town in 1855.<ref name="OGN"/> Finally in 1864, 16 years after the Monteiths founded the town and 19 years after the first European Americans arrived, it became incorporated as a city.<ref name="OGN"/><ref name=Oregon>Corning, Howard M. Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.</ref>

File:Occident (sternwheeler 1875).jpg

Sidewheel steamboat Occident, at Albany, near Red Crown Mills

File:Albany-Oregon-before-1889.tiff

View of bucolic Albany during the 1880s

In 1871, the trains first reached Albany, connecting it to other towns in the valley. The arrival of the first train was celebrated as the greatest event in Albany's history. Albany businessmen raised $50,000 to ensure that the rails would be built through the city, instead of bypassing it a few miles eastward. The train brought the farmers' markets closer to the city, as stagecoaches and steamboats gave way to the railroad. The world's longest wooden railroad drawbridge was built in 1888 for the Albany-Corvallis run. By 1910, 28 passenger trains departed daily from Albany going in five directions.<ref name="CoA"/>

In 1872, the Santiam Ditch and Canal Company was organized, and a canal running from the Santiam near Lebanon was completed that autumn. The canal runs Template:Convert<ref name="APW">cTemplate:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> from the south side of Albany and divides at the corner of Vine and Eight streets, with one branch running down Vine Street and emptying into Calapooia Creek, with a drop of Template:Convert. The other runs down Eighth to Thurston Street.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

20th century

In 1924 Pacific Power installed a turbine where the canal meets the river to generate electricity. In 1984 the city bought the water system from Pacific Power, and shut down the plant in 1991. By 2003 the city had approved a plan to restart the four megawatt-hour hydroelectric plant and in February 2009 the plant opened again.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Albany was the headquarters for the Mountain States Power Company from its establishment in 1918 until its merger into Pacific Power & Light (now PacifiCorp) in 1954.Template:Citation needed

In the 1940s, the city started the Albany World Championship Timber Carnival, which drew competitors from all over the world to participate in logging skills contests. The event took place over the four days of the Fourth of July weekend. Men and women would compete in climbing, chopping, bucking, and burling contests. In 2001 the carnival was cancelled because of smaller crowds and the state's declining timber economy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Oregon Electric train passing through Albany, Oregon (3230126720).jpg

An Oregon Electric Railway train passing through Albany, Oregon, c. 1910s

In 1916 Kuo-Ching Li, a Chinese-American engineer, founded Wah Chang Trading Corporation in New York State, but it was based in Albany.<ref name=oregonian-1961mar>Template:Cite news</ref> He developed it as an international tungsten ore and concentrate trading company, leading the company until his death in 1961. He served as president until 1960 and then board chairman.<ref name=oregonian-1961mar/>

The U.S. Bureau of Mines established Albany Research Center (ARC) on the former Albany College campus in 1942, focusing on the development of new metallurgical processes. First known as the Northwest Electro-development Facility, the site eventually produced titanium and zirconium, spearheaded by William Justin Kroll whom the bureau hired in 1945. The first zirconium strip was rolled out there in August 1946. In 1951, William Kroll joined the faculty of Oregon State College, ten miles away in Corvallis.

The ARC fostered the growth of a new rare metals industry in Albany, led by internationally recognized companies such as the Oregon Metallurgical Company, Oremet, and Wah Chang.<ref name=oe1>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> In the 1970s, Albany attempted to extend its city limits to include a zirconium processing plant of Wah Chang Corporation in order to increase its industrial tax base. Wah Chang responded in 1974 by sponsoring a vote to incorporate the desired properties as Millersburg.<ref name=am1>Template:Cite web</ref>

When the Bureau of Mines closed in 1996, the ARC was transferred to the United States Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy. In 2005 the facility became part of the National Energy Technology Laboratory.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

File:Calapooia River at the Willamette River.JPG

Calapooia River at Albany

Albany is in the central part of Oregon's most populated region, the Willamette Valley. The city rests along the confluence of the Calapooia and Willamette rivers, and although most of Albany falls within Linn County, a smaller portion of the city rests to the north of its downtown on the west bank of the Willamette River in Benton County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">Template:Cite web</ref> Albany has Template:Convert within its urban growth boundary.<ref name="cityofalbany.net"/> Throughout the city limits and urban growth area, there are limited hills; the city is one of the lowest points along the Willamette Valley, with elevations ranging Template:Convert above sea level.<ref name="cityofalbany.net"/> The North Albany district has the most variable elevation, while the downtown and southern end of town have little elevation change throughout.

Climate

Similar to the majority of Western Oregon, Albany's weather is considered to be mild.<ref name=climate>Template:Cite web</ref> Albany has generally warm and dry summers during which precipitation drops to Template:Convert in July and temperatures peak at an average of Template:Convert in August.<ref name=Weatherbase> Template:Cite web Retrieved on November 24, 2011. </ref> The record high temperature in Albany was Template:Convert on June 27 during the 2021 Western North America heat wave.<ref name=DemocratHerald>Template:Cite web</ref> Winters in Albany are cool and wet. The month with the most precipitation is December with Template:Convert.<ref name=Weatherbase /> The coldest month is January, with an average low just above freezing at Template:Convert. The record low temperature was recorded in 1972 at Template:Convert.<ref name=WeatherChannel>Template:Cite web</ref>

Albany and the surrounding area was left devastated by the Columbus Day Storm of October 1962.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 56,472 people in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 79.5% White, .8% African American, 1.4% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.8% Asian, .3% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 5.3% from other races, and 10.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino from any race was 14.1% of the population.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

There were 22,157 households, of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 46.2% were married couples living together, 27.1% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 17.4% had a male householder with no spouse present. 11.4% of households consisted of individuals, and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name=":0" />

The median age in the city was 37.8, with a median age of 36.5 for males and 39.0 for females. 22.3% were under the age of 18, and 18.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.<ref name=":0" />

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 50,158 people, 19,705 households, and 12,894 families residing in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 20,979 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 87.8% White, 0.7% African American, 1.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 5.2% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.4% of the population.<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">Template:Cite web</ref>

There were 19,705 households, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.6% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% 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 3.01.<ref name="wwwcensusgov"/>

The median age in the city was 35.6 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 13.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.<ref name="wwwcensusgov"/>

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 40,852 people, 16,108 households, and 10,808 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,571.8/sq mi. There were 17,374 housing units at an average density of 1,093.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 91.68% White, 0.53% African American, 1.22% Native American, 1.14% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 2.65% from other races, and 2.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.09% of the population.<ref name="wwwcensusgov"/>

There were 16,108 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99.<ref name="wwwcensusgov"/>

In the city, the population was 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.<ref name="wwwcensusgov"/>

The median income for a household in the city was $39,409, and the median income for a family was $46,094. Males had a median income of $36,457 versus $24,480 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,570. About 9.3% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="wwwcensusgov"/>

Government

File:Albany City Hall, Albany - DPLA - aaac2332ec4edf37b95fd3d47b63a86c.jpg

Albany City Hall

Albany has a home rule charter and a council–manager government.<ref name="Charter"/> A full-time unelected city manager administers the day-to-day operations of the city for the council. The city manager since 2018 is Peter Troedsson.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The mayor is elected at large every two years. The six council members represent the three geographic wards of the city and have overlapping four-year terms. The city charter was first adopted in 1891,<ref name="Charter"/> and the most recent version of the city charter became effective on January 1, 1957, modified since then by ordinances adopted by the council.<ref name="Charter">Template:Cite web</ref> The mayor, as of 2022, is Alex Johnson II, and the council members are Steph Newton-Azor and Matilda Novak from Ward I, Ray Kopczynski and Jackie Montague from Ward II, and Ramycia McGhee and Marilyn Smith from Ward III.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Albany City Hall is located on Broadalbin Street in the downtown section of the city and was built in 1995. In 2018, City Hall houses:

• City Manager's office
• Finance Department
• Human Resources Department
• Information Technology Department
• Municipal Court
• Parks and Recreation administrative staff
• Public Works Engineering, Building and Planning divisions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The city provides its own fire department, police department, library system, and also provides both their own water supply and wastewater treatment through the Public Works Operations division.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The current wastewater treatment plant was completed in 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In total the local government employs around 450 full- and part-time employees with the majority in Police, Fire, and Public Works Operations.

The Albany city government was nationally recognized in 2009 and 2010 with the Certificate of Distinction and in 2011 and 2012 with the Certificate of Excellence from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) for its dedication to improving governmental performance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2010, 2011 and 2012, the Sunshine Review awarded Albany an A+ perfect score for government transparency and online accessibility with its website along with other government agencies from around the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Also in September 2010, the League of Oregon Cities awarded Albany the Good Governance Award for the "Where Does My Money Go? and Albany Dashboard" web applications and featured Albany for governmental transparency.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In January 2011, Government Computer News cited Albany as one of ten "Top Public Sector Websites" in the nation for government transparency.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Other recognition includes a 2016 award for Safest Cities in Oregon<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> from BackgroundChecks.org and 2016 Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers for Assistant City Manager/CIO Jorge Salinas in Government Technology magazine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Albany was a 2015 winner in the e.Republic Center for Digital Government (CDG) Digital Cities Survey. The annual survey recognizes leading examples of cities using technology to improve services and boost efficiencies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Albany is also home to the county government and the Linn County Courthouse.

Economy

File:Albany Research Center.JPG

Albany Research Center

Albany calls itself the "rare metals capital of the world", producing zirconium, hafnium and titanium.<ref name="NETL">Template:Cite web</ref> One of the major producers of these metals in Albany is ATI Specialty Alloys and Components (formerly ATI Wah Chang) which has a Template:Convert site that primarily focuses on the production of zirconium.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Albany and the surrounding communities are major exporters of grass seed. Other crops produced include corn, beans, mint, strawberries, and hazelnuts. Linn County is also referred to as the "Grass Seed Capital of the World".Template:Cn Albany is the headquarters of Coastal Farm & Ranch, a chain of farm supply stores in the Pacific Northwest.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The decline of the timber industry and the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs has left Linn County with a relatively high unemployment rate. The Oregon Employment Department does not maintain unemployment statistics for cities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The losses in the timber industry in around Albany have led the city to a more diverse economic base for the city, led by retail trade, health care and social assistance, and manufacturing as the three leading aspects of the economy. Oregon Freeze Dry is a leading employer in the manufacturing sector of the Albany economy with its headquarters located in the city. The company employs over 300 people and was incorporated in 1963. The Albany facility is the company's main research and development site in the industry,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and has recently partnered with Seattle-based technology company EnerG2 to produce carbon electrode material, in a Template:Convert former distribution center of Oregon Freeze Dry by 2011 bringing a new green technology industry to Albany.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Tec Laboratories has made Tecnu poison ivy cleanser and other topical medicines in Albany since 1977.

Albany is also home to the Albany Research Center, which is part of National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). They employ a staff of 120. Albany Research Center was founded in 1943, the laboratory specializes in life cycle research starting with the formulation, characterization, and/or melting of most metals, alloys, and ceramics; casting and fabrication, prototype development; and the recycle and remediation of waste streams associated with these processes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Heritage Mall, an enclosed shopping center, opened on November 2, 1988. The construction of a regional shopping center had been planned for a decade and included proposals to build a rival mall in Corvallis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

The annual events in Albany include the Northwest Art and Air Festival,<ref name="NWAA">Template:Cite web</ref> River Rhythms, Summer Sounds (formerly Mondays at Monteith), Veteran's Day Parade, Albany Upstairs Downtown Wine Walk<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Craft Brew Smackdown.

The once popular Albany Timber Carnival ended in 2000. An attempt to revive the event in 2008 was unsuccessful.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Albany Arts Festival was held from 1970 until the late 1980s.<ref name="OE">Template:Cite web</ref>

Museums and other points of interest

File:Albany Regional Museum Oregon.JPG

Albany Regional Museum

File:Monteith House - Albany Oregon.jpg

Thomas and Walter Monteith House

Areas of interest include the Thomas and Walter Monteith House. Originally constructed near the Calapooia River, the Monteith house is one of the oldest buildings in Albany. It has been relocated twice, most recently to downtown Albany, where is serves as the Monteith House Museum and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Whitespires Church, another historically registered building, is the tallest building in town. The Albany Regional Museum features exhibits about Albany history and is housed in a historic building originally built by S.E. Young in 1887.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Downtown Albany is a National Historic District, and features antique stores, restaurants, the Albany Civic Theater (one of the oldest civic theaters in Oregon, it has operated continuously since the opening of its first production on March 2, 1951),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and one of the oldest Carnegie libraries still being used as a library. Since the early 2000s, a hand-carved carousel has been under construction at the Albany Historic Carousel and Museum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Albany has four historic districts including the Albany Municipal Airport, Monteith Historic District, Hackleman Historic District, and the Albany Downtown Commercial Historic District. Albany's historic districts include most of the housing styles built between 1840 and 1920, including Federal, Gothic Revival, American Farmhouse, Second Empire, Eastlake, Italianate, and Colonial Revival. Those historic districts were recognized as one of the best places to buy a historic home in the nation by This Old House online.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In total there are over 700 historic buildings within the 4 historic districts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Parks and recreation

Template:Further The Albany Parks and Recreation Department is the agency responsible for the Senior Center,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Periwinkle Creek Bike Path,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the other trails and parks<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> within Albany. The department's recreation staff spends most of the summer organizing and running the city-organized events that occur at these parks such as River Rhythms,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Summer Sounds,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Northwest Art & Air Festival. The department is in charge of running and maintaining the Albany Community Pool<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Swanson Park Action Center which houses the Albany Cool! Pool.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Albany's Parks and Recreation Department aims to make it where everyone within the city limits lives within Template:Convert of a park.

Albany's Timber-Linn Memorial Park house the 63rd Blue Star veterans memorial in the state of Oregon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The memorial is dedicated to Linn County servicemen who lost their lives during all of the 20th century wars.<ref name="LCR">Template:Cite web</ref> The memorial lists the names of those from Linn County killed in action for each war fought throughout the 20th century.<ref name="LCR"/> The memorial was sponsored by the Santiam District Garden Club and the Linn County Veterans Memorial Association. Albany's Timber-Linn Memorial Park also hosted the American Veterans Traveling Tribute, a replica of the Vietnam Memorial wall in Washington, D.C., in July 2009.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The department also has an urban forestry program which involves the Legacy Forest at Lexington Park, that consists of commemorative tree planting designed to perpetuate the memory or work of individuals and organizations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A Heritage Tree Program was established to recognize trees having historic significance in the community.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The city has also been involved with the Tree City USA program that is sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation since 1993.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The city also takes part annually in Arbor Week.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Albany has two golf courses, both in North Albany. The Golf Club of Oregon<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is public, and Spring Hill Golf Club at Albany Golf & Event Center,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a former country club, is essentially public. Albany also has one bowling alley, Lake Shore Lanes,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which also has a miniature golf course outside the bowling alley.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Education

File:Memorial Middle School Albany Oregon.JPG

Memorial Middle School

File:South Albany High School sign Oregon.JPG

South Albany High School

Albany is the home of the main campus of a two-year junior college called Linn-Benton Community College, which was established in 1966.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The college offers certificates and associate degrees and has many transfer and dual enrollment programs with OSU. LBCC offers 47 areas of study and programs,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> serves over 18,000 full- and part-time students<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and is supported financially through tuition, property taxes and the State of Oregon.

The Albany area has also been served since 1979 by the Greater Albany Public School District, including West Albany High School, and South Albany High School, which have a combined enrollment of approximately 2,700 students.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Albany is also served by Albany Options School as an alternative to traditional school for grades 6 through 12.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In total Greater Albany Public School District serves roughly 8,900 students throughout its 23<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> different schools. Along with the K-12 schools Albany also offers student services at the Maple Lawn Preschool.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Name	Current campus	Enrollment (2009–10)	Nickname
South Albany High School	1970	1,270<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	RedHawks
West Albany High School	1953	1,450<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Bulldogs
Albany Options School	2001	155<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Knights

The Albany Collegiate Institute was founded in 1867 and served as Albany's higher education institute for 70 years before it was moved to Portland, Oregon, and renamed Lewis & Clark College.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Media

Newspaper

File:Albany Democrat-Herald building.JPG

Democrat-Herald offices on Lyon Street

The primary media outlet is the daily newspaper Albany Democrat-Herald<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which is owned and published by Lee Enterprises. The Democrat-Herald started as a political tool for one of Oregon's first senators.<ref name="lee.net">Template:Cite web</ref> The Democrat-Herald traces its origin to the Albany Democrat newspaper, founded by Delazon Smith in 1859. Lee Enterprises also publishes the Mid-Valley Times, the Sunday version of the paper.

Radio

Albany has eight different radio stations that are either broadcast or have offices within Albany and many others that serve the area. the FM stations are, 107.9FM KHPE that uses the tagline (HOPE-FM) which is a Christian contemporary music radio station,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 99.9FM KRKT-FM,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a country radio station that both broadcast from Albany. There is also 101.5FM KFLY, which is based out of Eugene, Oregon, but maintains an office in the Albany area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Along with the FM stations there are five AM stations. 790 AM KWIL,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is the AM version of KHPE (107.9FM). The others range from adult standard such as KSHO (920 AM),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> comedy radio and Seattle Mariners baseball games KTHH (990 AM),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to sports KEJO (1240 AM),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and KGAL (1580 AM)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the local news and talk radio station.

Infrastructure

File:Albany Transit System bus 481 at Amtrak station in 2018 - Albany, Oregon.jpg

Albany Transit System bus at the Amtrak station in 2018

File:Albany Amtrak Station bus stop - Cascades POINT (24904860905).jpg

Amtrak station

File:Ellsworth Street Bridge black and white.jpeg

Ellsworth Street Bridge

File:Samaritan Albany General Hospital Oregon.JPG

Samaritan Albany General Hospital

Transportation

Highway

Albany is adjacent to Interstate 5, while Oregon Route 99E runs through it in a north and south direction and U.S. Route 20 runs through it in an east and west direction. Just outside the south end of Albany Oregon Route 34 runs from east to west.

Air

Albany Municipal Airport<ref name="ReferenceA">Template:Cite web</ref> is a general aviation airport on the eastern edge of Albany and has been open since 1920 and is believed to be the oldest operating airfield in Oregon. In 1998, the airport became the first airport in Oregon to be named to the National Register of Historic Places, and was the City of Albany's fourth National Historic District,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> It held its first air show in 1931 and has been home to exhibits, helicopter rides and Young Eagles flights for children as part of the annual Northwest Art & Air Festival.<ref name="NWAA"/><ref name="ReferenceA"/> It has a single runway with the specs of 16–34 3,004 X 75, and is an asphalt runway. The closest airports with commercial air service available are the Eugene Airport<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to the south and the Portland International Airport<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to the north.

Bus

Public transportation within Albany is provided by Albany Transit System (ATS).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Connections to Corvallis are provided by bus service via the Linn-Benton Loop<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Valley Retriever Thruway inter-county bus systems.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> ATS, the Linn-Benton Loop, and the Valley Retriever all provide bus service to and from the Amtrak station.

Train

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Albany from its Albany Station at 10th Avenue SW on two routes. Long-haul train route the Coast Starlight<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (with service from Los Angeles to Seattle) stops in Albany daily in both directions. Amtrak Cascades commuter trains operate between Vancouver, British Columbia and Eugene, Oregon, and serve Albany several times daily in each direction. The Amtrak Cascades line is the proposed path of the Pacific Northwest Corridor high-speed rail line. The Albany station would be one of many stops along the proposed Template:Convert, Template:Convert passenger line.

The station itself was constructed in 1909 for the Southern Pacific Railroad and is built of masonry. It is one of the oldest continuously operating passenger rail stations in the U.S.<ref name="ATS">Template:Cite web</ref> and has one of the best-equipped engine shops in the northwest. Southern Pacific 4449, a steam locomotive which resides at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland, occasionally visited the shop for repairs when it was residing at the Brooklyn Roundhouse in Portland (before 2012), as did several other locomotives stored at the now-demolished roundhouse.Template:Citation needed Beginning in 2004, the station and the surrounding area underwent an $11.3 million restoration that was funded with a combination of federal, state, local, and Amtrak money.<ref name="ATS"/><ref name="ATS2">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2006 the city received the Award in Downtown Excellence from the Oregon Downtown Development Association for the renovation of the station.

Bridges

Albany has both the Ellsworth Street Bridge which was constructed in 1926<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Lyon Street Bridge that was constructed in 1973. They are both two-lane bridges that make up part of U.S. Route 20. The two bridges connect Linn to the south with Benton county in the north as they pass across the Willamette River. this makes up the major connection of downtown Albany with the north end of town and to Corvallis.

Paths and trails

Albany has many paths and trails open to both pedestrian and bicyclists. Simpson Park Trail is a dirt pedestrian trail with a round trip distance of Template:Convert. The dirt trail starts at the parking lot of Simpson Park and continuing until the path ends in a grassy area with one very narrow path heading back toward the river. Periwinkle Creek Trail though is the longest of all the paved trails. It is a flat bicycle and pedestrian path that runs along Periwinkle Creek from the northwest corner of Grand Prairie Park to the Albany Boys and Girls Club, and travels a round trip distance of Template:Convert. There are many other trails throughout the city to include, Cox Creek Loop and Waverly Lake Loop, Dave Clark Trail, Oak Creek Greenbelt Trail, Takena Landing Trail, Timber Linn Park Trails, and a proposed Swanson Park Connector a paved path on the north side of highway 99 that connects Swanson Park with the nearby Amtrak/Transit Center.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Albany has made a growing effort to increase itself as a bicyclist friendly town through increasing the number of paths and trails that are open to them. The city was recently recognised as a Bicycle-Friendly Community for 2010 by the League of American Bicyclists for its efforts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Health care

Albany is served by Samaritan Albany General Hospital, a 76-bed medical facility<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> that is the main hospital for the city and has been in operation since 1924. Albany is also served by Samaritan North Albany Urgent Care<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Geary Street Urgent Care,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> both of which are part of Samaritan Health Services. The unaffiliated Albany Family & Specialty Medicine also provides medical services to the community.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable people

File:George E Chamberlain 2.jpg

George Chamberlain, the 11th Governor of Oregon

• Jerry Andrus (1918–2007) – magician<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Mike Barrett (born 1968)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> – TV announcer of the NBA
• Charles B. Bellinger (1839–1905) – federal district court judge, editor of the State Rights Democrat (Now the Albany Democrat-Herald)<ref name="Oregon"/>
• Dyrol Burleson 1500m Olympian<ref>"Jaw Talk" Albany Democrat Herald March 28, 1968, Page H.</ref>
• George Earle Chamberlain (1854–1928) – 11th Governor of Oregon<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Daveigh Chase (born 1990) – actress<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Abigail Scott Duniway (1834–1915) – writer, newspaper publisher, and women's rights advocate<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Neil Elshire – former NFL defensive end, Minnesota Vikings
• Members of Falling Up – Christian rock band<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Alan L. Hart (1890–1962) – physician and novelist, was raised in Albany<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Dave Johnson (born 1963) – Olympic athlete and former West Albany High School teacher<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Percy R. Kelly (1870–1949) – American attorney and jurist in the state of Oregon<ref name="Oregon"/>
• Frank Morse (born 1943) – politician<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Sam Shoen (1916–1999) – founder of U-Haul Corp., operated a barbershop in the St. Francis Hotel at First Ave. and Calapooia St. while a student at Oregon State College in the early 1940s
• Delazon Smith (1816–1860) – politician<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Elmo Smith (1909–1968) – 27th Governor of Oregon<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Evelyn Waldren (1908-1986) - Aviation Pioneer <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• James K. Weatherford (1850–1935) – Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives (1876) and State Senator<ref>"Death Closes Colorful Career of Weatherford; Funeral Service Friday," Capital Journal (Salem, OR),

Aug. 1, 1935, pg. 16.</ref>

• Mae Yih (born 1928) – member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly<ref>Template:Cite Q</ref><ref>Template:Cite Q</ref>

See also

• West Albany

Further reading

• The City of Albany, State of Oregon. Portland, OR: Lewis & Dryden Printing Co., 1891.
• "Mayors of Albany: Men Who Have Served Since the Earliest Municipal Organization," Morning Daily Herald [Albany], vol. 4, no. 33 (Jan. 6, 1889), pg. 3.

External links

• Entry for Albany in the Oregon Blue Book
• Official Website
• Albany Chamber of Commerce
• Albany Visitors Association
• Linn County Roots entry for Albany
• Albany Carousel Documentary produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting
• Template:Oregon Encyclopedia
• Template:Cite NIE
• Template:Cite Americana
• Albany Covered Bridge Route