Driving north on Highway 101, we will follow a beautiful and rugged coastline studded with quaint seaside towns such as Otter Rock and
Located around
New to the Fifth Congressional District is the city of
Thank you for visiting the Fifth District and seeing some of the very best that
Benton County:
Established: Dec. 23, 1847
Area: 679 sq. mi.
Annual Precipitation: 42.71"
Economy: Agriculture, forest products, research and development, electronics and wineries.
Incorporated cities
Adair Village | Albany | Corvallis | Monroe | Philomath
Points of interest
Benton County Courthouse, Oregon State University Campus, Benton County Museum (Philomath), Alsea Falls, Mary’s Peak, William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge, Peavy Arboretum, McDonald Forest, Jackson Frazier Wetland.
History and general information
Benton County was created from Polk County by an act of the Provisional Government of Oregon in 1847. It is one of seven counties in the United States to be named after Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri, a longtime advocate of the development of the Oregon Territory. The county was created out of an area originally inhabited by the Klickitat Indians, who rented it from the Calapooia Indians for use as hunting grounds. At that time, the boundaries began at the intersection of Polk County and the Willamette River, ran as far south as the California border and as far west as the Pacific Ocean. Later, portions of Benton County were taken to form Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Lane and Lincoln Counties, leaving it in its present form with 679 square miles of land area.
Oregon State University, agriculture, and lumber and wood products manufacturing form the basis of Benton County’s economy. A substantial portion of the nation’s research in forestry, agriculture, engineering, education and the sciences takes place at OSU.
Web: www.co.benton.or.us
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Clackamas County:
Established: July 5, 1843
Area: 1,879 sq. mi.
Annual Precipitation: 48.40"
Economy: Agriculture, metals manufacturing, trucking and warehousing, nursery stock, retail services, wholesale trade and construction.
Incorporated cities
Barlow | Canby | Damascus | Estacada | Gladstone | Happy Valley | Johnson City | Lake Oswego | Milwaukie | Molalla | Oregon City | Portland | Rivergrove | Sandy | Tualatin | West Linn | Wilsonville
Points of interest
Mt. Hood and Timberline Lodge, End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, Willamette Falls and locks, McLoughlin House, Canby Ferry, Molalla Buckaroo, driving tour of Old Barlow Road, Clackamas Town Center, Museum of the Oregon Territory, North Clackamas Aquatic Park.
History and general information
Clackamas County was named for the resident Clackamas Indians and was one of the four original Oregon counties created in 1843. Oregon City, the county seat, was the first incorporated city west of the Rockies, the first capital of Oregon Territory, and the site of the first legislative session.
Oregon City was also the site of the only federal court west of the Rockies in 1849, when the city of San Francisco was platted. The plat was filed in 1850 in the first plat book of the first office of records in the West Coast and is still in Oregon City. The area’s early history is featured at the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, a living history museum on an 8.5 acre site with three 50-foot high covered wagon-shaped buildings, an outdoor amphitheater and heritage garden.
From its 55-foot elevation at Oregon City, the county rises to 11,235 feet at the peak of Mt. Hood, the only year-round ski resort in the United States and the site of Timberline Lodge National Historical Landmark. The mountain, rivers and forests offer excellent outdoor recreation activities, from skiing and rafting to fishing and camping. The Clackamas Town Center, one of the largest shopping malls in Oregon, is the hub of eastside business.
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Lincoln County:
Established: Feb. 20, 1893
Area: 992 sq. mi.
Annual Precipitation: 71.93"
Economy: Tourism, government, services/retail, forest products and fishing.
Incorporated cities
Depoe Bay | Lincoln City | Newport | Siletz | Toledo | Waldport | Yachats
Points of interest
Agate Beach, Alsea Bay Interpretive Center, Beverly Beach State Park, Boiler Bay, Cape Perpetua Visitors’ Center, Cascade Head, Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy, Devils Lake, Lincoln County Historical Museum, Newport Performing and Visual Arts Centers, OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center and Interpretive Center, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Otter Crest Viewpoint, Seal Rock Park, South Beach State Park, Yaquina Arts Center, Yaquina Bay State Park and Lighthouse, Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area.
History and general information
With miles of beach and coastline, Lincoln County is one of the most popular visitor destinations on the Oregon Coast. Named for President Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln County was created by the Oregon Legislature in 1893. Lincoln County has a very temperate climate, and a short but productive growing season.
Depoe Bay is known as “the whale watching capital of the world.” Lincoln City offers more than 2,000 hotel/motel/bed and breakfast rooms, and resorts as well as the Siletz Tribe’s Chinook Winds Casino; Newport, known as Oregon’s oceanography research center, features numerous interpretive centers and the Oregon Coast Aquarium, along with a large fishing fleet and working bay front; Siletz is the home of the Administration Center and reservation of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon; Toledo is known as Lincoln County’s industrial center; Waldport features the Alsea Bay Interpretive Center; and Yachats is known as the “Gem of the Oregon Coast.”
Web: www.co.lincoln.or.us
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Marion County:
Established: July 5, 1843
Area: 1,194 sq. mi.
Annual Precipitation: 40.35"
Economy: Government, agriculture, food processing, forest products, manufacturing, education and tourism.
Incorporated cities
Aumsville | Aurora | Detroit | Donald | Gates | Gervais | Hubbard | Idanha | Jefferson | Keizer | Mill City | Mt. Angel | Salem | Scotts Mills | Silverton | St. Paul | Stayton | Sublimity | Turner | Woodburn
Points of interest
State Capitol, Champoeg State Park, Silver Falls State Park, The Oregon Garden, Wheatland Ferry, Buena Vista Ferry, Detroit Dam and Santiam River, Breitenbush Hot Springs, Mt. Angel Abbey, food processing plants, Willamette University, Chemeketa Community College, Mission Mill Museum Village, Bush House, Deepwood House and the Gilbert House Children’s Museum.
History and general information
Marion County, then called Champooick, was created by the Provisional Government in 1843, 16 years before Oregon gained statehood. In 1849 the name was changed to Marion in honor of Gen. Francis Marion.
The county, located in the heart of the Willamette Valley, has the Willamette River as its western boundary and the Cascade Range on the east. Salem, the county seat, is one of the valley’s oldest cities. Among its public buildings are the Marion County Courthouse, Courthouse Square county office building and Cherriots bus transit mall (opened in September 2000), State Capitol, Capitol Mall buildings and Salem Civic Center. The county was presided over by the Marion County Court until January 1, 1963, when the court was abolished and replaced by a Board of Commissioners.
Web: www.co.marion.or.us
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Multnomah County:
Established: Dec. 22, 1854
Area: 465 sq. mi.
Annual Precipitation: 37.39"
Economy: Manufacturing, transportation, wholesale and retail trade, and tourism.
ncorporated cities
Fairview | Gresham | Maywood Park | Portland | Troutdale | Wood Village
Points of interest
Oregon Historical Center, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland Art Museum, Washington Park and Zoo, Rose Test Gardens, Japanese Gardens, Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls, Blue Lake Park, Oxbow Park, Pittock Mansion, Port of Portland, Memorial Coliseum, Oregon Convention Center.
History and general information
Lewis and Clark made note of the Indian village of Multnomah on Sauvie Island in 1805, and applied that name to all local Indians. The name is derived from nematlnomaq, probably meaning “downriver.” Multnomah County was created from parts of Washington and Clackamas Counties by the Territorial Legislature in 1854, five years before Oregon became a state, because citizens found it inconvenient to travel to Hillsboro to conduct county business.
The county is both the smallest in size and largest in population in Oregon. Over 50 percent of its people live in Portland, a busy metropolis dominated by rivers and greenery. The remaining area includes picturesque rural land, from pastoral farms on Sauvie Island to the rugged Columbia River Gorge and the western slopes of Mt. Hood.
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Polk County:
Established: Dec. 22, 1845
Area: 745 sq. mi.
Annual Precipitation: 51.66"
Economy: Agriculture, forest products, manufacturing, electronics and education.
Incorporated cities
Dallas | Falls City | Independence | Monmouth | Salem | Willamina
Points of interest
Western Oregon University, covered bridges, historic courthouse, Brunk House, Baskett Slough Wildlife Refuge, mountain scenery, wineries, National Historic Trail, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Headquarters and Spirit Mountain Casino.
History and general information
Polk County was created from the original Yamhill district in 1845, by the Provisional Legislature. It was named for then President James Knox Polk. The first county seat was at Cynthia Ann. City officials later changed its name to Dallas, after Vice-President George M. Dallas, and moved the community about a mile to improve its water supply.
The first courthouse was at Cynthia Ann. A second courthouse burned in 1898 and was replaced with the present building, built with sandstone quarried three miles west of Dallas. A three-story office annex was completed in 1966. Polk County Human Services was consolidated in the newly acquired Academy Building in 1989.
Traveling back roads in Polk County will reveal many attractions, from covered bridges and pleasant parks to vineyards, wineries, and bed and breakfast lodgings spotting the surrounding hills. Many roads meander through beautiful fertile valleys from the Willamette River to the timbered foothills of the Coast Range. Polk County was the primary destination of early wagon trains which took the southern route to Oregon. Cities located in Polk County include Dallas, Independence, Monmouth, Falls City and portions of Salem and Willamina.
Web: www.co.polk.or.us
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Tillamook County:
Established: Dec. 15, 1853
Area: 1,125 sq. mi.
Annual Precipitation: 90.90"
Economy: Agriculture, forest products, fishing and recreation.
Incorporated cities
Bay City | Garibaldi | Manzanita | Nehalem | Rockaway Beach | Tillamook | Wheeler
Points of interest
Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain; Tillamook, Nehalem, Netarts and Nestucca Bays; Oswald West State Park; Nehalem Bay State Park; Bob Straub State Park; Cape Lookout State Park; Pioneer Museum; Blue Heron Cheese Factory; Tillamook Cheese Factory; Naval Air Station Museum; Haystack Rock at Cape Kiwanda; Whalen Island State Park.
History and general information
Tillamook County was formed in 1853 from Yamhill and Clatsop counties. The name Tillamook comes from the Tillamook (or Killamook) Indians.
Dairy farms dominate the county’s fertile valley. It is the home of the world-famous Tillamook Cheese Factory. The reforested, 355,000 acre “Tillamook Burn” is rapidly maturing. Commercial thinning will become increasingly evident. With 75 miles of scenic coastline, four bays and nine rivers, Tillamook County offers the finest deep-sea and stream fishing, charter and dory boats, clamming, crabbing, beachcombing and hiking. Its forests also furnish excellent hunting.
Web: www.co.tillamook.or.us
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