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Lane County, OR
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 Established:
Jan. 28, 1851
Population: 329,400 (2003)
Elev. at Eugene: 422'
Area: 4,620 sq. mi.
Average Temp.: January 40°, July 70°
Assessed Value: $20,378,962,403
Real Market Value: $26,749,361,683
Annual Precipitation: 46"
Economy: Agriculture, higher education, high technology, forest
products, recreation, RV manufacturing and tourism.
Incorporated Cities: Coburg | Cottage Grove | Creswell | Dunes
City | Eugene | Florence | Junction City | Lowell | Oakridge |
Springfield | Veneta | Westfir
Points of Interest: Twenty historic covered bridges, Bohemia
Mines, coastal sand dunes, Darlingtonia Botanical Wayside, Fern
Ridge Reservoir, Heceta Head Lighthouse, Hendricks Park
Rhododendron Garden, hot springs, Hult Center for the Performing
Arts, Lane Community College, Lane ESD Planetarium, Martin
Rapids whitewater, McKenzie Pass, Mt. Pisgah Arboretum, Old Town
Florence, Pac-10 sports events, Proxy Falls, sea lion caves,
University of Oregon, vineyards and wineries, Waldo Lake,
Washburne State Park tide pools, Willamette Pass ski area.
General Information: Lane County was named for Gen. Joseph Lane,
a rugged frontier hero who was Oregon’s first territorial
governor. Pioneers traveling the Oregon Trail in the late 1840s
came to Lane County mainly to farm. The county’s first district
court met under a large oak tree until a clerk’s office could be
built in 1852. A few years later, the first courthouse opened in
what is now downtown Eugene. With the building of the railroads,
the market for timber opened in the 1880s. Today, wood products
are still an important part of the economy in addition to
high-tech manufacturing and tourism. Lane County government
operates under a home rule charter approved by voters in 1962.
Although 90 percent of Lane County is forestland, Eugene and
Springfield comprise the second largest urban area in Oregon.
County Officials: Commissioners—Bill Dwyer (NP) 2007, Bobby
Green Sr. (NP) 2009, Anna Morrison (NP) 2007, Peter Sorenson
(NP) 2009, Faye Stewart (NP) 2007; Dist. Atty. Doug Harcleroad
2009; Assess. Jim Gangle (NP) 2007; Clerk Annette Newingham;
Justices of the Peace Cindy Cable (NP) 2009, Charles Navarro
(NP) 2009, Cindy Sinclair (NP) 2009; Sheriff Russ Burger (NP)
2009; Surv. Bill Robinson; Co. Admin. Bill VanVactor. |
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County History |
Lane County was established on January 29, 1851. It was
created from the southern part of Linn County and that portion
of Benton County that was east of Umpqua County. Originally it
covered all of southern Oregon east to the Rocky Mountains and
south to the California border. It was named after the
territory's first governor, Joseph Lane.
Lane County is situated in central western Oregon. It has been
vastly reduced from its original size and shifted from its
original location by several boundary changes. One of the first
changes gave it access to the Pacific Ocean when it acquired the
northern part of Umpqua County in 1853. With the creation of
Wasco County in 1854, it lost all of its territory east of the
Cascade Mountains. Minor boundary changes occurred with Douglas
County in 1852, 1885, 1903, 1915, and 1917; with Linn County in
1907; and with Benton County in 1923. The county currently has
4,620 square miles and is bounded by Lincoln, Benton, and Linn
Counties to the north; Deschutes and Klamath Counties to the
east; Douglas County to the south; and the Pacific Ocean to the
west.
When the Territorial Legislature created Lane County, it did not
designate a county seat. In the 1853 election four sites
competed for the designation. The "Mulligan donation" received a
majority vote; however, since it was contiguous to the "Skinner
claim" both became part of the new county seat known as Eugene.
The city takes its name from the early pioneer Eugene Skinner.
There have been several buildings used for courthouses or
clerk's offices. The first courthouse was in a small board
shanty used in 1852 to hold trials. The county clerk's building,
constructed in 1853, was used until it became too small. This
building has been moved several times and is now at the
fairgrounds adjacent to the Lane County Historical Museum. The
first courthouse was constructed in 1855 at a cost of $8,500. A
second courthouse was completed in 1898, at a cost of under
$50,000. The building was torn down in 1959 to make way for the
current structure, which cost $2,146,350.
The government of Lane County originally consisted of a county
judge, three commissioners, assessor, treasurer, and sheriff. A
clerk and school superintendent were added later. The county
judge's position was abolished in 1953. In 1963 Lane County
became a home rule county. The charter system permits county
government to exercise legislative authority. Only the three
county commissioners, assessor and sheriff remained, all other
elected positions were abolished. The sheriff assumed both the
law enforcement and tax collection duties. In 1969 the number of
commissioners was increased to five. The Lane County Local
Boundary Commission was also created in 1969. The port district
at the Port of Siuslaw in Florence was created in 1909.
The 1860 census showed a population of 4,780. Since then it has
seen steady, even rapid growth. The 2000 population of 322,959
represented an increase of 14.16% since 1990. In spite of this
growth, the county dropped from the second to the fourth most
populous county in recent years.
Historically, Lane County's economy has been based on timber and
agriculture. Timber became important because the county is on
the edge of Oregon's largest stand of timber. Agriculture grew
because of the fertile soil and moderate climate that exists in
the Willamette Valley, making it one of the most productive
farming areas in the nation. However, with the reductions in
timber harvesting and the continued population growth affecting
many agricultural areas, there has been a change of emphasis in
the economic development of the county.
Growth in the next decades is predicted to shift away from
forestry to services, manufacturing of transportation equipment,
printing and publishing, and trade. A major economic asset for
the county is the University of Oregon in Eugene. Finally, with
access to the mountains and the coast, tourism adds to the
county's economic vitality. |
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