Willamina, Oregon

thumb|Andrew Kershaw House

Willamina is a city in Polk and Yamhill Counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 2,239 at the 2020 census.

The Yamhill County portion of Willamina is part of the Portland–Vancouver–Beaverton, Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Polk County portion is part of the Salem Metropolitan Area.

History

Willamina was named after Willamina Creek, which in turn was named for early settler Willamina Williams shortly after she fell off of her horse and into the creek. Williams was born Willamina Craig in 1817 in Ohio.

The city lies near the intersection of Oregon Route 18, Oregon Route 18 Business, and Oregon Route 22 next to the South Yamhill River. Willamina is approximately 18 miles southwest of McMinnville. The communities of Shipley and Sheridan are around 2 miles and 5 miles to the northeast, respectively. Valley Junction is located 6 miles to the southwest of Willamina.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Willamina had a population of 2,239. The median age was 35.9 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.4 males age 18 and over.

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

There were 807 households in Willamina, of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.4% were married-couple households, 20.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 852 families living in the city.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 1,748 || 78.1%

| Black or African American || 5 || 0.2%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 177 || 7.9%

| Asian || 12 || 0.5%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 8 || 0.4%

| Some other race || 77 || 3.4%

| Two or more races || 212 || 9.5%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 197 || 8.8%

The ancestry of Willamina was 18.5% German, 12.9% Irish, 10.3% English, 7.4% Scottish, 3.7% Norwegian, 3.4% French, 2.9% Polish, and 2.0% Italian.

The median household income was $49,773, families had $57,656, married-couples had $65,273, and non-families had $33,000. 15.7% of the population were in poverty, with 13% of people under 18, 15.8% of people between 18 and 64, and 20.4% over 65 were in poverty. there were 2,025 people, 698 households, and 501 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 777 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 82.1% White, 0.3% African American, 8.8% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 2.3% from other races, and 5.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.0% of the population.

There were 698 households, of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 10.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.2% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.26.

The median age in the city was 33.2 years. 28.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.4% were between the ages of 25 and 44; 26.6% were between the ages of 45 and 64; and 9.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.1% male and 49.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census The Sheridan and Willamina Railroad was built to the city because of the brick plant, which ran for 82 years. Bricks made at Willamina Clay Products were used in the Portland Art Museum, Jackson Tower, and Lloyd Center in Portland, and the Yamhill County Courthouse. The brick plant closed in 1974; the buildings were razed in 1976. The red clay for the company's products came from Newberg, the white clay from Willamina, and the buff clay from Buena Vista.

The other mainstay of the city's economy is the timber industry, and when the Pacific Plywood Corporation opened a plant in 1939, the city's population tripled. Willamina became known as "The Little Town with the Big Payroll".

Education

Willamina is served by the Willamina School District, including Willamina High School.

Media

Willamina was formerly served by The Sun, Sheridan's weekly newspaper, which ceased publication in 2014. Currently, Willamina is served by the News-Register, a county-wide publication based in McMinnville.

Infrastructure

Rail

The Sheridan and Willamina Railroad was founded in 1907 and became part of the Southern Pacific Railroad's Willamina Branch in 1913. The independent short line company Willamina and Grand Ronde Railroad (W&GR) extended the line south and west from Willamina to Grand Ronde in 1922; the W&GR changed ownership several times. It was purchased by the Willamette Valley Railway in 1980. Today the lines east and west of Willamina are owned by the Portland and Western Railroad, although the portion of the line from Fort Hill to Grand Ronde is abandoned.

References

Sources

Entry for Willamina in the Oregon Blue Book
Official website
Historic images of Willamina from Salem Public Library
Willamina Planning Atlas, 1979
Willamina Brick Factory historic inventory by Stephen Dow Beckham

External links

Official website