Benton County, Oregon

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Map of Benton County
Map of Benton County

Benton County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,184.[1] Its county seat is Corvallis.[2] The county was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. Senator who advocated American control over the Oregon Country. Benton County is designated as the Corvallis, OR Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Portland–Vancouver–Salem, OR–WA Combined Statistical Area. It is in the Willamette Valley.

History

Benton County was created on December 23, 1847, by an act of the Provisional Government of Oregon.[3] The county was named after Democratic Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri, an advocate of the doctrine of Manifest Destiny and the belief that the American government should control the whole of the Oregon Country. At the time of its formation the county included all the country west of the Willamette River, south of Polk County and running all the way to the California border in the south and the Pacific Ocean in the west.[4]

The county was created out of lands originally inhabited by the Klickitat, who rented it from the Kalapuyas for use as hunting grounds. All aboriginal claims to land within Benton County were ceded in the Treaty of Dayton in 1855. Portions of Benton County were taken to form Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Lane and Lincoln Counties, leaving Benton County in its present form.

The city of Marysville, later renamed Corvallis, was made the county seat in 1851. The city briefly was the capital of Oregon.[5] In 1862 Corvallis became the site of the Oregon State Agricultural College, known today as Oregon State University.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Script error: No such module "convert"., of which Script error: No such module "convert". is land and Script error: No such module "convert". (0.4%) is water.[6] It is the fourth-smallest county in Oregon by land area and third-smallest by total area.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Template:Sronly%±
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194018,629Script error: No such module "String".%
195031,570Script error: No such module "String".%
196039,165Script error: No such module "String".%
197053,776Script error: No such module "String".%
198068,211Script error: No such module "String".%
199070,811Script error: No such module "String".%
200078,153Script error: No such module "String".%
201085,579Script error: No such module "String".%
202095,184Script error: No such module "String".%
2024 (est.)98,899[7]Script error: No such module "String".%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1]

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2020 census

Benton County, Oregon – Racial and ethnic composition
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Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980[12] Pop 1990[13] Pop 2000[14] Pop 2010[15] Pop 2020[16] % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 63,913 64,103 67,816 71,552 72,209 93.70% 90.53% 86.77% 83.61% 75.86%
Black or African American alone (NH) 435 580 637 715 938 0.64% 0.82% 0.82% 0.84% 0.99%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 380 501 556 493 528 0.56% 0.71% 0.71% 0.58% 0.55%
Asian alone (NH) 1,705 3,845 3,493 4,404 6,375 2.50% 5.43% 4.47% 5.15% 6.70%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [17] x [18] 175 199 276 x x 0.22% 0.23% 0.29%
Other race alone (NH) 555 47 173 156 538 0.81% 0.07% 0.22% 0.18% 0.57%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [19] x [20] 1,658 2,593 5,796 x x 2.12% 3.03% 6.09%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1,223 1,735 3,645 5,467 8,524 1.79% 2.45% 4.66% 6.39% 8.96%
Total 68,211 70,811 78,153 85,579 95,184 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 95,184. Of the residents, 16.3% were under the age of 18 and 17.1% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 33.2 years. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.0 males. 80.6% of residents lived in urban areas and 19.4% lived in rural areas.[21][22][23]

The racial makeup of the county was 78.4% White, 1.1% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.8% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.3% from some other race, and 9.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 9.0% of the population, and 75.9% were non-Hispanic white according to the same redistricting data.[23]

There were 37,447 households in the county, of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[22]

There were 40,150 housing units, of which 6.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 54.0% were owner-occupied and 46.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.0%.[22]

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 85,579 people, 34,317 households, and 19,256 families residing in the county.[24] The population density was Script error: No such module "convert".. There were 36,245 housing units at an average density of Script error: No such module "convert"..[25] The racial makeup of the county was 87.1% white, 5.2% Asian, 0.9% black or African American, 0.7% American Indian, 0.2% Pacific islander, 2.3% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.4% of the population.[24] In terms of ethnicity, 22.6% reported German ancestry, 16.1% English, 13.5% Irish, and 3.6% were American heritage.[26]

Of the 34,317 households, 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 43.9% were non-families, and 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 32.1 years.[24]

The median income for a household in the county was $48,012 and the median income for a family was $71,763. Males had a median income of $50,282 versus $35,387 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,177. About 7.7% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.[27]

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 78,153 people, 30,145 households, and 18,237 families residing in the county. The population density was Script error: No such module "convert".. There were 31,980 housing units at an average density of Script error: No such module "convert".. The racial makeup of the county was 89.16% White, 0.84% Black or African American, 0.79% Native American, 4.49% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 1.92% from other races, and 2.56% from two or more races. 4.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.2% were of German, 11.6% English, 8.9% Irish and 7.0% American ancestry. 91.1% spoke English, 4.1% Spanish and 1.0% Chinese as their first language.

There were 30,145 households, out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.40% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.50% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, 21.30% of the population was under the age of 18, 20.20% was from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,897, and the median income for a family was $56,319. Males had a median income of $42,018 versus $29,795 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,868. About 6.80% of families and 14.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.60% of those under age 18 and 4.90% of those age 65 or over.

Benton County has the lowest church attendance per capita of any county in the nation (25% attendance).[28]

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

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Politics and government

For a long time, Benton County strongly favored the Republican Party due to its significant Yankee influence. In the 1932 presidential election, it was the only county in the state to vote for Herbert Hoover instead of FDR. Along with Riverside County in California, it was one of only two counties in the Pacific States to be held by Hoover that year. As late as 1960,[29] Benton was the most Republican county in the traditionally Republican state of Oregon, which at that point had never supported a Democrat other than FDR for president, except for 1912 when the Republican Party was divided and a very narrow victory in 1868. Up to 1984, Benton County had voted for a Democratic presidential candidate only four times, in the above-mentioned 1868 election plus the national Democratic landslides of 1912, 1936, and 1964. In 1964, Lyndon Johnson became the first Democrat to win an absolute majority of the county's vote since Horatio Seymour.[30]

The Republican edge in the county narrowed from the 1970s onward, culminating when it swung from a five-point victory for Ronald Reagan in 1984 to a nine-point victory for Michael Dukakis in 1988. Since then, Benton County has become a strongly Democratic county, and is usually the second-strongest Democratic bastion in the state, behind only Multnomah County (Portland). This is largely due to the leanings of Oregon State's student body and staff, closely tracking with Democratic gains in other counties influenced by college towns. No Republican has come within nine percentage points of carrying Benton County since 1988, and Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris have won the county by over thirty percentage points during each of the last five presidential elections. Overall, Benton County is a reliable state bellwether, having voted for Oregon's statewide winner in every presidential election since 1948, along with Hood River County.

Since 1972, Benton County has been a home rule county, meaning that the citizens have full control over the county charter, rather than using a standard charter issued by the state.[31] The voters have chosen to eliminate the traditional elected county offices of Assessor, Treasurer, Surveyor, Justice of the Peace, and Clerk. Currently, they only elect three County Commissioners and a Sheriff.[32][33]

The three current Benton County Commissioners are Chair Pat Malone, Xanthippe Augerot, and Nancy Wyse. They are all members of the Democratic Party and have served since 2019, 2017, and 2021; respectively. Wyse and Augerot's current terms expire in January 2025, while Malone's is up in January 2023.[33][34][35]

The current Benton County Sheriff is Jef Van Arsdall. He was appointed to the office in March 2021 to fill the remainder of the term of retiring sheriff Scott Jackson.[36]

Benton County is currently one of 11 counties in Oregon in which therapeutic psilocybin is legal.

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Economy

Along with Oregon State University, agriculture, lumber, wood products, and some printing technology research and development form the economic base of the county. A substantial portion of the nation's research in forestry, agriculture, engineering, education and the sciences takes place at OSU.

Education

School districts include:[37]

Most of Benton County is in the district of the Linn-Benton Community College. A piece to the southwest is in the boundary of Lane Community College.[38]

See also

References

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  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft: Volume XXX: History of Oregon: Volume II, 1848–1888. San Francisco, CA: The History Company, 1888; pg. 706.
  4. ↑ Bancroft, History of Oregon, Volume II, pp. 706-707.
  5. ↑ Benton County - A rich history Template:Webarchive, Official Website of Benton County
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  17. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
  18. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
  19. ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
  20. ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  24. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas; 1960 Presidential General Election Data Graphs – Oregon by County
  30. ↑ Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868–2004, pp. 284–286 Template:ISBN
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Benton County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1". - Text list
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".

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Further reading

External links

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