alt=Map of Linn County|thumb|Map of Linn County
thumb|right|Sign welcoming visitors to the county
Linn County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2023 census population estimates, the population was 131,496. The county seat is Albany. The county is named in the honor of Lewis F. Linn, a U.S. Senator from Missouri who advocated the American settlement of the Oregon Country. Linn County comprises the Albany, OR Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the Willamette Valley. In 2010, the center of population of Oregon was located in Linn County, near the city of Lyons.
History
On December 28, 1847, the Provisional Legislature created Linn County from the southern portion of Champoeg (later Marion) County. The boundaries were altered in 1851 and 1854 with the creation of Lane and Wasco Counties. The county seat was originally located in Calapooia (later known as Brownsville), but in 1851 the Territorial Legislature passed an act establishing Albany as the county seat. A special election in 1856 reaffirmed Albany as the county seat.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Polk County (northwest)
- Marion County (north)
- Jefferson County (east)
- Deschutes County (southeast)
- Lane County (south)
- Benton County (west)
National protected area
- Willamette National Forest (part)