Vernonia, Oregon

Vernonia is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It is located on the Nehalem River, in a valley on the eastern side of the Northern Oregon Coast Range that is the heart of one of the most important timber-producing areas of the state. Logging has played a large role in the history of the city. The population was 2,374 at the 2020 census.

History

File:Boat in Vernonia, Oregon flood.jpg|Vernonia during the 2007 flooding

File:Shay Park, Vernonia, Oregon.jpg|View of the Shay locomotive in Shay Park along Rock Creek in Vernonia

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The community was first settled in 1874 by the Parker and Van Blaricom families. Cousins Judson Weed and Ozias Cherrington, both of Ohio, arrived in 1876. Sometime afterwards, the question of a name for the community came up, and Cherrington suggested the name of his daughter (Vernona) in Ohio, which was adopted. Due to a clerical error during the incorporation process, an "i" was inserted into the name. Cherrington died in a farming accident in 1894, never having seen his daughter since his departure from Ohio.

Vernonia started to become more than an isolated farming community on July 10, 1924, when the Oregon-American Lumber Company opened a state-of-the-art lumber mill, which was supported by a railroad line connecting Vernonia to the rest of the country. Oregon-American merged with Long-Bell Lumber Company in May 1953, which itself merged with International Paper in November 1957. International Paper judged the mill antiquated, and closed it on December 20, 1957.

The city has been severely impacted by floods on multiple occasions. The rains that caused the Willamette Valley Flood of 1996 flooded Vernonia as well; some homes in the floodplain were elevated, and some flooring materials were replaced, mitigating some damage from later flooding. In 2007, heavy storms that impacted the Pacific Northwest washed out roads and destroyed homes, cars, Despite preparations in 1996, in some parts of town flood water reached above the 100 year base flood elevation.

In the wake of the 2007 flood, Vernonia School District voters approved a $13 million bond in 2009 to build a new K-12 school in Vernonia. The new school opened in fall 2012.

Community events

The Friendship Jamboree is an annual event inaugurated in 1957 and currently held on the first full weekend of August.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Vernonia has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Vernonia had a population of 2,374. The median age was 38.8 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.6 males age 18 and over.

0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 919 households in Vernonia, of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.1% were married-couple households, 20.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 2,061 || 86.8%

| Black or African American || 10 || 0.4%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 43 || 1.8%

| Asian || 11 || 0.5%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 3 || 0.1%

| Some other race || 27 || 1.1%

| Two or more races || 219 || 9.2%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 123 || 5.2%

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,151 people, 822 households, and 571 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 962 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.1% White, 0.3% African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.2% of the population.

There were 822 households, of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.5% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% 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 3.09. The Banks–Vernonia State Trail, a rails-to-trails conversion featuring a raised path for bicyclists, pedestrians, and horseback riders, roughly parallels Route 47 to the south of Vernonia. The Crown Zellerbach trail is a conversion of old logging roads (themselves a conversion from old railroad way) to a trail for mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding. This trail extends over Vernonia to Scappoose. In 2023 the trail was designated as a National Recreation Trail to be included in the National Trail System.

Public transit

Vernonia Currently has no Public Transportation Routes. However Dial-A-Ride Service is available though, through the Columbia County Rider

Airport

Vernonia Municipal Airport (FAA: 05S) is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) west of the central business district of Vernonia.

In popular culture

The December 2007 flooding in Vernonia was featured in the first season of the television show Ax Men.

Vernonia has also appeared in several films, including Ring of Fire (1961), The Vernonia Incident (1989), Thumbsucker (2005), Tillamook Treasure (2006), The Water Man (2020), and Twilight (2008).

References

External links

Entry for Vernonia in the Oregon Blue Book
Vernonia history from VanNatta Forestry