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Salem Weather Trivia
- Average annual temperature: max 63.1°; min 40.9°F
- Average annual rainfall: 39.15 inches
- Average annual snowfall: 6.45 inches
- Average annual clear days: 77
- Average annual rainless days: 216
- Average annual wind velocity: 7.1 mph
- Average growing season: 204 days
- 70 percent of the rain falls during the winter months of November through March, while only 6 percent falls during the summer months of June through August.
- The only dry day of the year in Salem is July 12, with no recorded rainfall since the National Weather Service began recording data in 1892.
- The average first freeze is on October 22nd in the fall, with the average last freeze on May 5th in the spring.
- Record cold of -12°F on December 8, 1972.
- Record high of 108°F in August 1927, on July 15 1941, August 1941, and on August 8, 1981.
- Record rainfall of 4.3 inches on December 6, 1933.
- Record snowfall of 27 inches in 18 hours on January 31, 1937.
- Record wind speed of 90 mph on Friday, October 12, 1962, during the Columbus Day Storm. Although it is generally believed to have been a hurricane, the Columbus Day Storm was actually an "extra tropical cyclone," a weather pattern formed when a cool air mass meets up with a warm one. The Columbus Day storm traveled very fast: nearly 1800 miles in less than one and a half days, much faster than a hurricane. The storm came with little warning... it crossed the California-Oregon border around 12 noon, moving north at 48 mph, reaching Salem mid-afternoon. At its peak, between 4 pm and 7 pm that Friday, it brought gusts of 90 mph and sustained winds of over 70 mph. One in every three homes in Salem was damaged by the Columbus Day Storm.
Salem Weather and Local Info
ENSO - El Niño Southern Oscillation can dramatically change the winter weather in the Pacific Northwest. The ENSO varies from the warm phase El Niño that occurs when the sea surface temperatures are above average off the western coast of South America. This pattern usually drives the winter storms into California and into Canada and leaves the Pacific Northwest in a warm and dry pattern for the winter. The snowpack during this phase is usually below average in the mountains and can lead to drought conditions during the summer.
The cold phase is called La Niña and tends to bring slightly cooler and much wetter weather patterns. This is identified when there is cooler water off the coast of South America. The winter of 1998-1999 was a classic as the snowpack in much of the Pacific Northwest mountains was 200% of normal. The weather patterns fluctuate between the north jet stream bringing in cool weather and the south jet stream bringing in warmer weather. The ENSO tends to vary from El Niño to La Niña and back to El Niño within about a five year time frame. The La Niña winter of 2005-2006 was a wet one, with Salem receiving 325% of normal rainfall. Beginning in mid-December 2005, Salem had 30 straight days of rain. January 2006 ended with over 13 inches of rain for the month. November 2006 brought a whopping 15 inches of rain in just a few short days. Our webbed feet came in handy!
Oregon Weather Factoids
- It only rains twice a year in Oregon: October to May and June to September.
- What comes after two straight days of rain in Oregon? Monday morning.
- What do you call two weeks of rain in Oregon? Native American Summer.
- What does Daylight Savings Time mean in Oregon? An extra hour of rain.
- What's the definition of a Oregon optimist? A guy with a sun visor on his rain hat.
- "I can't believe it," said the tourist. "I've been here an entire week and it's done nothing but rain. When do you have summer here?" "Well, that's hard to say," replied the local. "Last year, it was on a Wednesday."
- What do you call two straight days of rain in Oregon? A weekend.
- What do you call three straight days of rain in Oregon? A holiday weekend.
- What do you call four straight days of rain in Oregon? A holiday weekend plus one vacation day.
- What do you call nine straight days of rain in Oregon? A week vacation plus two weekends.
- A newcomer to Oregon arrives on a rainy day. He gets up the next day and it's raining. It also rains the day after that, and the day after that. He goes out to lunch and sees a young kid and asks out of despair, "Hey kid, does it ever stop raining around here?" The kid replies, "How should I know? I'm only six."
- How do meteorologists predict the weather in Oregon? If you can see Mt. Hood, it's going to rain. If you can't see Mt. Hood, it's raining.
The Pacific Northwest According To Jeff Foxworthy
- You know the state flower, mildew.
- You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.
- You use the statement "sun break" and know what it means.
- You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.
- You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.
- You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant or to church.
- You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the WALK signal.
- You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted it's not a real mountain.
- You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Veneto's.
- You know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye Salmon.
- You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Haceta, Yaquina, Yachats, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima and Willamette.
- You consider swimming an indoor sport.
- You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.
- In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark while only working eight hour days.
- You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.
- You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," or "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."
- You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.
- You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.
- You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.
- You notice "the mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.
- You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.
- You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.
- You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.
- You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.
- You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.
- You measure distance in hours.
- You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
- You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.
- You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk season (Fall).
Salem History
Salem is the capital of the State of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. West Salem is located in Polk County, across the Willamette River from downtown Salem. Salem is located in the mid-Willamette Valley, roughly halfway between Portland and Eugene. As of July 1, 2006 Salem had a population of 149,305, with a metro area population of nearly 400,000, making it the second largest city, and second largest metropolitan area in Oregon, after Portland.
"Salem" is derived from the Hebrew word "Shalom", and the Arabic word "Salam", both meaning "peace". It is uncertain who chose the name for the town, but it is believed to be one of two people: Trustee David Leslie from Salem, Massachusetts, or William H. Willson who in 1850-1851 filed the plats for the main part of the city. Historically, Salem has been nicknamed the "Cherry City" because of the importance of the local cherry growing industry.
The Kalapuya Native Americans were the first residents of what is now Salem. The Kalapuya traveled the Willamette River in dug-out canoes. Game, fish, fruits, and berries were plentiful in the Willamette River basin. It was a good place to gather.
Immigrants and pioneers from the Eastern United States also found a gathering place in the Willamette Valley, a 100 mile long lowland between the Cascade Mountains to the east, and the lower Coast Range to the west. Arriving by riverboat and wagon, they chose Salem as the territorial and later state capital, and built industries and agricultural enterprises. Soon Salem became a center of government and commerce.
Today, when the "Willamette Queen" excursion riverboat travels along the city's Willamette River shore, passengers view the city parks lining both sides of the river and the monuments to religion, commerce, and government which frame the horizon. Plentiful wildlife is still close by. Salem remains a gathering place for all.
The Kalapuya
Kalapuya Native Americans lived seasonally in the Salem area for more than 5,000 years. They gathered wild foods such as camas, wapato, and tarweed and hunted for deer and other game. They favored this part of the Willamette Valley for winter encampments. The Native American name for the area was Chemeketa, which means "meeting or resting place".
While an estimated 80,000 Kalapuya once resided in the Willamette Valley, their population declined in the early nineteenth century because non-Native American explorers and traders from outside the valley brought Smallpox, Malaria, and other diseases for which the Kalapuya had little or no immunity. By the time the Kalapuya were moved to the Grand Ronde Reservation in the 1850's, their group numbered fewer than 1,000. Descendents of the Kalapuya continue to live in the area and many are members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.
Trappers, Missionaries, and Settlers
The first European-Americans arrived in the Salem area in 1812. Working as trappers and food gatherers for the fur trading companies at Astoria, these early residents built a log dwelling and trapping house near the Willamette River. Today the exact location of these buildings is unknown.
Jason Lee, founder of the first Methodist mission in the Willamette Valley
Permanent American settlement of Salem began with the establishment of Jason Lee's Methodist mission in 1840. Although Lee's first mission was located north of Salem (in an area known today as Wheatland) he soon moved the facility to Mill Creek (near present-day Broadway and "D" streets.) He also built a sawmill. Lee's house and several other pre-territorial buildings were preserved and are now open to the public on the grounds of Salem's Mission Mill Museum.
The Methodist missionaries established the Oregon Institute, an institution of higher learning, in 1842. The Institute was the forerunner to today's Willamette University.
The Oregon Institute was the first institution of higher learning, west of the Mississippi
Early Government and Commerce
As the community matured, residents built the Salem's first schools, churches, industries, and agricultural enterprises.
In 1851, Salem became the territorial capital after it was moved from Oregon City. The capital was moved briefly to Corvallis in 1855, but was moved back to Salem permanently that same year. A two-story state house, which had been occupied for only two months, burned to the ground in December of 1855.
Salem formed its first public school district in 1855 and two years later the City of Salem received its first charter. Although the Methodist faith predominated in early Salem, soon a half dozen other religious denominations established congregations. During this same period, Marion County built its first wood-frame courthouse at High and State streets, a location still held by the present-day county courthouse. Salem was incorporated as a city in 1857 and became Oregon's state capital with statehood two years later.
Oregon became the 33rd member of the United States on February 14, 1859 and in 1864 voters reaffirmed the selection of Salem as its capital.
The governor, legislature, and Supreme Court conducted official business in several downtown Salem locations. The state's first capitol, a wood-frame structure, was destroyed by fire in 1855 shortly after its construction. Construction on the second capitol (on the same site) did not begin until 1872.
Oregon's first State Capitol building, which burned shortly after construction (1855)
Transportation, Commerce, and Communication
Transportation and communication expanded in the mid-nineteenth century with the arrival of the Hoosier, a steamboat, in 1851. The Hoosier traveled the Willamette River south to the city of Eugene and north to Oregon City, near Portland. The steamboat carried passengers, mail, and outbound freight including agricultural goods sold to miners in the California gold fields.
Inbound goods were unloaded at a dock on Pringle Creek near today's Ferry and Commercial streets. Some of these goods were sold in the city's first retail stores while other cargo was sent by ferry to settlements on the western shore of the Willamette River. The city's first newspaper, the Oregon Statesman, which was moved to Salem in 1851, reported on the arrivals and departures of the steamboat.
As a river city, Salem was subject to seasonal flooding. One of the worst recorded floods occurred in 1861 when the Willamette River overflowed its banks, destroying nearby farms and food processing and manufacturing plants.
Salem, Oregon in 1876
Salem's population grew to 2,500 by 1880. The city's growth was accelerated by the expansion of agriculture and logging, and the continued development of national and international markets. Food processing plants and woolen mills, such as the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, formed the base of Salem's economy. The state's first agricultural fair, a forerunner to today's Oregon State Fair, had been held about twenty years earlier, in 1861.
Telegraph service had arrived in Salem in 1864 and a railroad line to Portland was completed in 1872. Salem's first bridge across the Willamette River was built in 1886. The city's economic growth continued into the 1880s and 1890s, although it stalled during the severe 1890 flood and the national economic depression of 1893 to 1897.
Boons Treasury in NE Salem (1800s)
Commercial Street Bridge over Mill Creek (1890)
Salem's Bridges
The history of the bridges over the Willamette River begins in December 1886 with the opening of the first Center Street Bridge. It was felt necessary to tie Salem and West Salem together. Before that time the only river crossing was by ferry. This was the first bridge over the Willamette anywhere in Oregon, the Morrison Street Bridge in Portland not opening until April 1887. This first bridge cost $49,901 and was constructed mostly of wood. It was located in the wrong position in relation to river currents and collapsed with a crash on February 3, 1890 during a flood.
Salem's 1st Center Street Bridge across the Willamette River (1886)
Salem's 1st Center Street Bridge across the Willamette River (1886)
Salem's 1st Center Street Bridge destroyed during the 1890 Flood
Salem's next bridge was opened on January 13, 1891. It was a willowy affair that was deemed unsafe almost before the paint was dry. It was not replaced, though, until 1918.
Salem's 2nd Center Street Bridge across the Willamette River (January 1891).
Structurally un-sound, it wasn't replaced until 1918.
Salem's 2nd Center Street Bridge across the Willamette River (1891)
Salem's 2nd Bridge across the Willamette River (1892).
Salem celebrates with a parade for the dedication of the 3rd Center Street Bridge across the Willamette River,
known as the Marion-Polk Inter-County Bridge on July 30, 1918
Dedication of Salem's 3rd Center Street Bridge across the Willamette River,
known as the Marion-Polk Inter-County Bridge on July 30, 1918
Salem's 3rd Center Street Bridge across the Willamette River,
known as the Marion-Polk Inter-County Bridge (1918).
This third Center Street Bridge was dedicated in a burst of patriotic fervor on July 30, 1918. The historical record shows that Frank Davey delivered the dedication address. Program Chairman was F.T. Wrightman assisted by W.H. Dancy. Others helping were Frank Smith, Marshal; Charles Archered was Auctioneer; and Henry W. Myers, head of the Willamette chapter of the American Red Cross. The Red Cross was the beneficiary of the $3000 raised by the various concessions. These included postcards, lunches, and the privileges of being first. Chas. H. Vick and Elbert A. Thompson paid $500 to be the first to drive a vehicle across the bridge. The vehicle in question was a Fordson tractor. Mr. Vick owned the agency it came from. There was an afternoon parade that day and the local newspaper reported that an estimated 20,000 people watched it. (Salem's population at that time was about that number). Dedication of the bridge was on a platform underneath the east approach to the bridge. Following the dedication two Red Cross workers, Miss Catherine Fowle and Miss Gladys Bartholomew, raised semaphores allowing traffic to pass. "Little Miss Rowena Eyre" either scattered flowers on the roadway or pulled a ribbon that released them. Mrs. William Colder of Polk County paid $100 to be the first to turn on the lights illuminating the bridge.
Salem's 3rd Center Street Bridge across the Willamette River,
known as the Marion-Polk Inter County Bridge (1945).
December 14, 1952 a Marion Street bridge was added. Construction took nearly three years and it was opened without ceremony. At the time it was the longest bridge of its type west of the Mississippi. To the south, though technically not in the city, the Independence Bridge also spans the Willamette. Governor Douglas McKay dedicated this bridge on December 18, 1950.
Salem's Bridges in the 1950s included the Center Street Bridge (1918), the Marion Street Bridge (1952),
and the RailRoad Bridge (1912)
Although not a bridge over a river, the 17th Street overpass, opened in the 1980s, further increased the ability of Salemites to travel from one part of the city to another. Before this overpass opened trains on the north-south railroad tracks occasionally blocked access in an east-west direction. An abandoned railroad bridge over the Willamette still stands. The bridges, particularly those over the Willamette, have helped integrate the City of Salem.
During this same time, Salem's streets were improved and its water and sewer systems were installed. Chemawa Indian School, a federal boarding school for Native American youth, moved to an area just north of Salem in 1885.
Salem's City Hall in 1900
Dynamic Nineteenth Century
Many influential people lived in Salem during the last half of the nineteenth century. Some of the city's leading citizens built large homes along Court Street between downtown and the capitol, while others preferred more rural areas. In 1877 Asahel Bush, a banker and newspaper publisher, built his elegant home just south of downtown in what is today Bush's Pasture Park. Nearby, Dr. Luke Port finished his beautiful Queen Anne-style home in 1894, a mansion known today as Historic Deepwood Estate.
The Deepwood Estate (1894)
Other notable Salem residents of the time include Myra Albert Wiggins, an internationally known professional photographer; future United States president Herbert Hoover, then employed as an office boy for the Oregon Land Company; and Ruben Sanders, an award-winning Native American athlete who played and coached at Chemawa Indian School.
Minority Residents
At the outbreak of the U. S. Civil War, Salem residents were divided over which side to support. While most residents supported the Union, they also did not want African-Americans living among them. Although no military battles were fought here, at least one stick-and-stone brouhaha took place over issues related to the war.
The several hundred Chinese-American residents of Salem were limited to living in a two block section of the city's downtown. Most were employed in low-wage jobs, the only employment available to them.
Several generations of Japanese-Americans, who farmed at Lake Labish just north of Salem, were removed from their homes and sent to detainment camps in 1942 at the outbreak of World War II. Most never returned to Salem.
Mexican and Mexican-American families moved to Salem to do farm work during World War II. After the war many became permanent Willamette Valley residents.
Becoming a Modern City
Women, who had won the right to vote in 1912, were active in the political and cultural life of the city during the early twentieth century. The Salem Woman's Club appointed a library committee in 1903 and operated the city's first public library, eventually ceding its ownership to the City of Salem. Members of the Woman's Club were instrumental in securing library construction funds from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie a decade later. In 1916, Salem's women helped establish Deaconess Hospital, a forerunner to today's Salem Hospital.
High school instruction was first offered to Salem children in the early 1900's. In 1907, the city's first high school opened at High and Marion streets in downtown Salem. (This building was later demolished, making way for the former Meier and Frank Department Store, now Macy's at Salem Center.)
Looking east in 1910... State Capitol Building (1872), Salem's Post Office (1903), Marion County Courthouse (1873), and the First United Methodist Church (1878). This capitol building burned in 1935; the Post Office building was moved in 1937 and is now Gatke Hall at Willmette University; a new Post Office building was finished in 1937 and is now the State of Oregon Executive Building. The First United Methodist Church is the lone survivor on its original site.
Largely due to an annexation in 1903, Salem's population tripled from 1900 to 1920. Its municipal government began paving the community's streets in 1907, with five blocks of Court Street its first project. Paved streets had become a necessity after the arrival of the city's first automobile in 1902.
Memorial Day Parade on Commercial Street in downtown Salem (1904)
Salem took the nickname "The Cherry City" in 1903 in recognition of its food processing industry and for many years the city celebrated an annual Cherry Festival.
12th Street Line Streetcar (1912)
The 1920's and 1930's
The 1920's marked a decade of rapid change. In industry, the Oregon Pulp and Paper Company began operations near Pringle Creek in 1920. Medical services expanded with the opening of Salem General Hospital, and in 1923 the city established its first full-time municipal fire department.
By the time the last streetcar ceased operation in 1927 (after nearly 40 years of transporting Salem residents) the city had more than 35 miles of paved streets. Two major downtown buildings, the Elsinore Theatre and the Livesley Building (today's Capitol Center) both opened in 1926. The city's first radio stations also began broadcasting in the 1920s.
Salem's Capitol Theater on State Street (1928)
In 1930, Salem residents voted for a municipal water system and by 1935 had purchased the private water works which had served the city. Although telephone service had been available since the late nineteenth century, Salem's first dial telephone system was installed in 1931. Another technological innovation, the police radio, arrived in Salem in 1933.
The capitol was destroyed by fire on April 25, 1935 despite the efforts of fire crews from throughout the Willamette Valley. With the help of funds from the federal government, Oregon built a new capitol during the next three years, topped by a twenty-two foot bronze figure with gold overleaf called the "Oregon Pioneer." A new State Library opened across Court Street a year later.
During the 1930's Salem residents watched the activities of several national politicians with strong connections to their city. Herbert Hoover was the President of the United States from 1929 to 1933, while Charles McNary was a leading United States Senator and Vice Presidential nominee in 1940. Hollis Hawley was a leader in the United States House of Representatives. Oregon Statesman publisher Charles Sprague served as the Governor of Oregon from 1939 to 1943.
State and Commercial Streets, downtown Salem, during the January 1937 Blizzard. Yes, that's a car buried there.
The 1940's and post-World War II
Salem celebrated its centennial in 1940. The city's population was 30,908. Although the Great Depression of the 1930s forced many residents from their jobs, Salem's economy was on the rebound as the new decade began.
Salem's economy continued to be strong during World War II as businesses turned their production to the war effort. Nearby Camp Adair, a military training facility, brought many soldiers to Salem.
Residents celebrated the end of World War II for two days, but also recalled the hundreds of fellow Salem citizens who were injured or killed during the war.
The postwar years saw the decline of Salem's downtown area. Sulfurous odors from the paper mill penetrated nearby homes. Busy railroad crossings and other traffic problems made it easier to shop in the suburban retail areas.
Salem adopted the City Manager-Council form of government in 1947 with J. L. Franzen taking office as the first Salem city manager. In 1949 Salem annexed the adjoining community of West Salem, an independent city since its incorporation in 1913. With the annexation Salem straddled the eastern and western shores of the Willamette River; its citizens resided in Marion and Polk counties respectively. Also in 1949, the Salem Art Association staged the first Salem Art Fair in Bush's Pasture Park, a recent addition to the city's park system. The Art Fair, which recently celebrated its fifty sixth anniversary, continues to be a popular Salem event.
During the 1950's Salem improved and extended crucial utilities needed in a growing city, including the sewage treatment system and natural gas connections. The Marion County Courthouse, still in use today, was built in 1952 after the old courthouse was demolished.
Salem received its first television signals in 1952 and in 1953 the Capital Journal and Oregon Statesman newspapers merged business operations but continued as separate publications. By the mid-1980's these newspapers would merge into one newspaper, renamed the Statesman Journal.
The Detroit Dam in the Cascade Mountains east of Salem was completed in 1953 by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. Located on the North Santiam River, the dam created 400 foot deep Detroit Lake, more than 9 miles long with 32 miles of shoreline. The dam was authorized for the purposes of flood control, power generation, navigation, and irrigation. Other uses are fishery, water quality, and recreation. Detroit Dam and other dams on the Willamette River and its tributaries reduced the chance of flooding and encouraged development in low lying areas such as Keizer, Salem's neighbor to the north.
 Detroit Dam under construction (1950) |
 Detroit Dam today |
Salem, Oregon, looking NW with Mt. Hood in the background (1959)
Salem's City Hall in 1959
Construction of the R.H. Baldock Freeway was completed in 1954 from Eugene to Tigard, passing east of Salem's city limits. In 1961, the Baldock Freeway was officially renamed Interstate 5, and in 1966, Oregon's portion of Interstate 5 was completed... 308 miles from the Columbia River at Portland (northern border with the State of Washington) to the Siskiyou Summit at the California border. Within the State of Oregon, Interstate 5 is also now officially known as the Pacific Highway, whereas Highway 101 is known as the Pacific Coast Highway.
The 1960's and 1970's
Salem garnered national attention and the coveted "All-American City" award in 1960-1961. The award recognized Salem for its efforts in inter-government and government-school cooperation during the 1950's. Salem was again awarded the "All American City" in 1982-1983.
The 1960's and 1970's brought natural disasters to the city. A heavy windstorm on Columbus Day 1962 caused extensive damage as did a flood during December 1964. The Marion Hotel, a longtime downtown landmark, burned in 1971.
Educational opportunities for local residents expanded with the opening of Chemeketa Community College in 1970.
City Hall, formerly at Chemeketa and High streets, was torn down in 1972 and a City Hall/Civic Center was constructed on the southern edge of downtown. A new Public Library and a central Fire Station were included in the modern complex.
Salem's City Hall in 1971
Salem's New City Hall and Civic Center completed in 1972
Interstate 305 was initially planned as a four mile spur to join I-5 and Salem. As originally proposed, the route was to begin at Keizer on I-5 (at the time, I-5 was still referred to as the R. H. Baldock Freeway) and follow Chemawa Road, continuing into the existing Salem street grid. Later, the project was modified and extended approximately 2.34 miles to include a new bridge across the Willamette River and to meet Oregon 22 (Willamina-Salem Highway No. 30), providing increased access within Polk County. In Nov. 1968, the top choice for a design, estimated to cost $14.5 million, was submitted to the federal government. Before it was reviewed, a request for the extension was submitted, increasing the cost by $35.5 million.
Despite the local and state support, the cost of the third bridge and extension was not reviewed favorably by the Federal Highway Administration, and the project apparently stalled. Because of the delay, and because of changes in Federal law adopted subsequent to the original submittals, the re-designed project was required to file an Environmental Impact Statement. That requirement opened up the public discussion in the early 1970s. Public meetings turned up both support and objections to the proposed I-305. There was growing opposition to the planned route going through neighborhoods in northern Salem. December 1976 brought to an end the I-305 plan.
Some of the funds that had been set aside for I-305 went toward widening a bridge across the Willamette River and toward the completion of the Salem Parkway, which joins I-5 at Keizer and connects to downtown Salem, following much of the route originally identified for I-305. The Salem Parkway was completed in 1986.
Although many inner cities deteriorated during the 1960's and 1970's, Salem's efforts resulted in a revitalized downtown. Streams, once hidden beneath streets and behind factories, were uncovered. New parks, plazas, footpaths, and bicycle lanes were constructed.
The downtown received a new look with the construction of a shopping complex, anchored by Nordstrom, a major retailer. An adjoining mall facility was built in the 1990's and the complex was renamed Salem Center. It soon became a flagship for downtown businesses and services. Marion County joined the Salem Mass Transit District to build Courthouse Square, a centralized downtown transit center and county office facility which opened in 2000.
The 1980's and beyond
Salem's population had climbed to 96,830 by 1980 and two decades of rapid change began.
Large national retailers such as Costco, Shopko, Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Macy's have recognized Salem's market potential and opened outlets in suburban Salem.
Salem's roots in the lumber and textile industries gradually gave way to high technology. In 1989, Siltec, a computer chip manufacturer, established a facility. By 1996, the facility had grown to more than one million square feet of manufacturing and had been renamed Mitsubishi Silicon America. II Morrow, a successful local high technology business was purchased by United Parcel Service. Salem's diversification into electronics and metal fabrication was praised by Oregon Business magazine.
The city's ethnic diversity flourished during the 1980's and 1990's. Salem's Hispanic and Asian communities grew and migration from the former Soviet Union brought numerous Eastern European families to Marion County. Tokyo International University of America, a Japanese college, opened a Salem campus in conjunction with Willamette University in 1989. Restaurants and retail stores catering to Salem's immigrant communities opened for business.
Salem citizens continued their active involvement in several neighborhood associations. Crime prevention, parks, and livability were issues addressed by the neighborhood associations. During the 1980's, the Court-Chemeketa and Gaiety Hill-Bush's Pasture Park neighborhoods were designated National Historic Districts.
Formerly a lead acid ball used to bleach paper at the Boise Cascade Plant,
now Salem can be very proud of the beautiful EcoEarth in Riverfront Park
Although the city no longer celebrated its Cherry Festival, a new event, the Festival of Lights parade, attracted thousands of spectators to downtown Salem each December. Riverfront Park was dedicated in 1998, nearly fifty years after its initial plans were discussed. A carousel, featuring horses and other whimsical fixtures carved by local residents, opened in the park in 2001.
One of many handcrafted and painted ponies at the Salem Riverfront Carousel
As Salem enters the twenty-first century it continues to be the heart of Oregon state government and a center for finance, retail, and services in the mid-Willamette Valley. New housing developments cover hillsides in West and South Salem which were once occupied by orchards and fields. Salem's water, originating high in the Cascade Mountains, is very soft with hardness of only 14 parts per million, and very pure, far exceeding standards of the State Health Department. In 2002, Salem surpassed Eugene to become Oregon's second largest city. Salem's population in 2006 was 149,305; The Salem MSA population in 2006 was 373,335.
The citizens of Salem today, like those before them, will continue to create a new Salem. Jason Lee's mission on the Willamette continues as a gathering place for the future generations to come...
The Rainbow at the End of the Oregon Trail
For the thousands of pioneers who came across The Oregon Trail, including my great-grandfather John Bayne, born and raised in Muthill, Perthshire, Scotland, the rich and fertile Willamette Valley was truly the promised land.
Salem City Hall Park
Protected from fierce Pacific winter storms by the Coast Range to the west, and from arctic blasts from Canada by the Cascades to the east, the temperate valley takes its name from the river that flows north through it. Due to the mild climate, the area is perhaps best known for its diverse agriculture, which includes all kinds of vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs, nuts, hops, and Christmas trees. It's also one of the nation's best locations for growing yard sod and grass seed. Oregon leads in growing peppermint, cover seed crops, blackberries, boysenberries, loganberries, black raspberries, and hazelnuts. It is second in raising hops, red raspberries, prunes, snap beans, and onions.
With the low-cost electric power provided by dams, Oregon has developed steadily as a manufacturing state. Leading manufactured items are lumber and plywood, metalwork, machinery, aluminum, chemicals, paper, food packing, and electronic equipment. Oregon has a $3.3 billion lumber and wood products industry, and an $859 million paper and allied manufacturing industry. Oregon has the only nickel smelter in the United States. Its salmon-fishing industry is one of the world's largest. Nike has its world headquarters in Beaverton, while the Portland Trailblazers shoot the hoops at the Rose Garden.
Modern day visitors come to experience the abundance of year round recreational activities including skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, wind surfing, mountain climbing, hiking, fishing, and camping; to look in awe at the spectaculor volcanoes in the area, including Mount St. Helens (8,364 ft), Mt Hood (11,235 ft), Mt Jefferson (10,495 ft), Three Fingered Jack (7,848 ft), Mt Washington (7,802 ft), Three Sisters (North Sister 10,094 ft)(Middle Sister 10,053 ft)(South Sister 10,354 ft), Broken Top (9,165 ft), and Mt Bachelor (9,600 ft); to explore the area's progressive communities including Salem, Keizer, Silverton, Independence, Monmouth, Dallas, and Corvallis; and to tour the Willamette Valley wine country, gaining worldwide attention as one of the Pacific Northwest's finest wine appellations - consistently turning out internationally acclaimed Pinot noir, Pinot gris and Riesling.
Major tourist attractions in Oregon include: Crater Lake National Park; Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River; the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area on the Southern Oregon Coast; Oregon Caves National Monument; Siuslaw National Forest; the Columbia River Gorge; Hells Canyon National Recreation Area in Eastern Oregon; Newberry Volcanic National Monument, and the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.
Oregon. The very word inspired the largest voluntary land migration in recorded history, and not without good reason. Windswept beaches, verdant forests and snow-capped peaks give way to sweeping rangelands, towering rock formations and dramatic river valleys in this incredibly diverse land. Mother Nature's finest elements provide the perfect foil for human innovation, and the result is a vast and ever-changing playground for the soul. Oregonians invite you to discover a state where renowned chefs, four-star hotels and world-class golf exist side-by-side with roadside diners, yurts and snowboarding. Oregon. Things look different here.
See more of Oregon with The Oregon Bluebook
See more of Oregon with the Oregon Historic Photograph Collection
See some cool weather related pictures from the National Weather Service
Area Cams
Capitol Cam - Salem, Oregon |
Rose City Cam - Portland, Oregon
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Yaquina Head Cam, Newport (162 ft)
Three Arch Rocks, Oceanside, Oregon
Salem City Hall Park
The Oregon Capitol on the left was built in 1937 after the original Capitol was consumed by fire in 1935. It is 173.4 feet tall.
The First United Methodist Church on the right, built in 1878, is Salem's tallest building at 188.4 feet.
In the background, the Oregon Cascades watch over the Willamette Valley
Five members of the Salem Diving Association are dressed in wet suits and flippers ready to jump into the Willamette River from the deck of the "Maid of Bayne." The boat is upstream from the Center Street bridge which can be seen in the background. Wallace Marine Park can be seen between the Center Street and railroad bridges (May 1960)
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