Brownsville is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 1,694. When Linn County was created from the southern portion of Champoeg County on December 28, 1847, the Provisional Legislature named Calapooia as the county seat. The Spaulding School in Brownsville served as the original county courthouse.
In 1851, the Territorial Legislature passed an act establishing Albany as the county seat.
Stand by Me
In the mid-1980s, Brownsville assumed a modicum of international renown as the location for the film Stand by Me, directed by Rob Reiner. The film was shot in and around the community in June and July 1985, with theatrical release in August 1986. Another prominent landmark is the First Baptist Church of Brownsville building. Constructed in the mid-19th century, it housed one of the earliest pioneer congregations in the Oregon Territory.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Brownsville had a population of 1,694. The median age was 44.5 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.4 males age 18 and over.
0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 681 households in Brownsville, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.5% were married-couple households, 15.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 1,499 || 88.5%
|-
| Black or African American || 13 || 0.8%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 15 || 0.9%
|-
| Asian || 27 || 1.6%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0%
|-
| Some other race || 32 || 1.9%
|-
| Two or more races || 108 || 6.4%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 59 || 3.5%
|}
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,668 people, 639 households, and 461 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 685 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.8% White, 0.3% African American, 1.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.1% of the population.
There were 639 households, of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.9% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.02.