Mill City is a city in Linn and Marion counties in the U.S. state of Oregon on Oregon Route 22. The population was 1,971 at the 2020 census. It is on the North Santiam River, downstream from Detroit Lake.
The Linn County portion of Mill City is part of the Albany–Lebanon Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the Marion County portion is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The City of Mill City contracts through the Linn County Sheriff's Office for local law enforcement, however, it does have its own Mill City Fire Department and other public works departments.
In September 2020, Mill City suffered extensive damage from the Santiam Fire.
History
The city was incorporated in 1941, and serves as the education hub of the Santiam Canyon. It was named and known for its various lumber mills, including Hammond Lumber Company and Santiam Lumber Company. Mill City is now home to two lumber mills, Frank Lumber Co. and Freres Lumber Plant 3.
One of the oldest and best-known landmarks in Mill City is the former railroad bridge, now a pedestrian bridge. The Phoenix Column Bridge, built by Phoenix Iron Works, was manufactured in 1888, moved to San Jose, California, then to Lake Oswego, Oregon, then to Mill City and installed in 1919. Abandoned by Southern Pacific Railroad around 1967, it is now a pedestrian and bike bridge. Current restoration efforts are being undertaken by the Save our Bridge Foundation.
In September 2020, the Beachie Creek Fire swept through the town. Mill City suffered heavy damage from the fire.
Media
In 1926 the Mill City Logue was founded by A.N. Merrill. In 1928 he added content produced by local high school journalists during the school year. In 1930 the newspaper was purchased by Al and Arlene Van Dahl, with Al Van Dahl adding a column on stamp-collecting. The column became nationally popular and formed the basis for a supplemental publication, Western Stamp Collector. In 1933 the Mill City Logue was shut down so the Van Dahls could focus full-time on Western Stamp Collector. Copies of Mill City Logue are preserved on microfilm at the University of Oregon.
In 1944 The Mill City Enterprise was founded by Charles Wolverton. In 1968 the paper was purchased by George and Norma Long, who would run the publication for the next 30 years before selling the paper upon their retirement in 1998. After this its name would change. With a 54-year publication history, the Enterprise remains the longest-running newspaper in Mill City and is currently being archived by the University of Oregon.
In 1998, The Mill City Enterprise was purchased by Tree Fredrickson and Lorie Foster and renamed Independent Press. When Foster died in 2007 her ownership stake passed to her daughter-in-law Sinneme Baney. In 2009 the paper was sold to Bill Downer, a former logger and former mayor of Mill City, and his wife Judy Downer. Following Bill Downer's death in 2014 Judy Downer said it was too difficult to keep up with the publication and the paper closed that year.
Since 2010, the area has been served by The Canyon Weekly, a community newspaper founded by Karen & Tim Widmer and Michelle Gates to cover local and regional news. In 2018 The Canyon Weekly was purchased by Silverton-based Mt. Angel Publishing and maintains a print edition published every Friday and a digital edition.
In 2014 KYAC (FM) was founded by non-profit Santiam Hearts to Arts to "inform and entertain underserved communities in the Santiam Canyon." Programming includes live interviews and performances from local personalities and musicians. The station began broadcasting at 94.9 FM on its initial 100-watt antenna, then in 2022 switched to 90.1 FM after upgrading to a 500-watt antenna. The station is notable for broadcasting during the Santiam Fire evacuation, with Program Director Ken Cartwright sharing public safety information until around 2 a.m. Sept. 8, 2020, when the fire was too close to Mill City for residents to remain.
Geography and climate
Mill City is located at
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Mill City had a population of 1,971. The median age was 39.0 years; 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.1 males age 18 and over.
0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 701 households in Mill City, of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.1% were married-couple households, 16.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 1,695 || 86.0%
|-
| Black or African American || 6 || 0.3%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 33 || 1.7%
|-
| Asian || 6 || 0.3%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1 || 0.1%
|-
| Some other race || 33 || 1.7%
|-
| Two or more races || 197 || 10.0%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 169 || 8.6%
|}
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,855 people, 681 households, and 475 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 742 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.7% White, 0.4% African American, 1.9% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 2.0% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.2% of the population.
There were 681 households, of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.2% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.14.
The median age in the city was 36.2 years. 27.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64, and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.8% male and 48.2% female.
2000 census
As of the census
References
External links
- Entry for Mill City in the Oregon Blue Book
- Mill City. Episode of States of Mind by Oregon Public Broadcasting, made available by the University of Georgia's Brown Media Archive on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.