History
Eugene is named after its founder, Eugene Franklin Skinner. In 1846, Skinner
erected the first cabin in what is now known as Eugene. It was used as a
trading post and was dubbed as a post office in 1850. Skinner founded Eugene
in 1862.
Cultural attractions in Eugene include the Hult Center for the Performing
Arts, resident ballet, theater, opera and symphony, Bach Festival, Historic
District, walking tours, 23 art galleries and museums, the Willamette
Science and Technology Center (now called "The Science factory), and the
Festival of Musical Theater. The Three Sisters Wilderness and The Oregon
Dunes are just a short drive away. Local events include: Eugene Celebration,
Lane County Fair, Asian Celebration, and the Oregon Country Fair.
Eugene is often called Track City, USA by athletes because of its track and
field history. Shoe giant Nike, Inc. was founded in Eugene, and the city is
home to the University of Oregon's Hayward Field, which hosts numerous
collegiate and amateur track and field meets throughout the year — notably
the Prefontaine Classic and, recently, the 2004 Junior Olympics. Eugene
currently has one of the highest unemployment rates for a city in the entire
nation (6.4% as of July 2004. 257 out of 331 for all U.S.MSAs).
Government
Mayor: James D. Torrey
Geography
Eugene is located at 44°3'28" North, 123°6'37" West (44.057663, -123.110345)
(see Geographic references) at an elevation of 426 feet.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
105.0 km˛ (40.6 mi˛). 104.9 km˛ (40.5 mi˛) of it is land and 0.1 km˛ (0.04
mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 0.10% water.
The Willamette and McKenzie rivers run through Eugene and its sister city
Springfield.
Transportation
Eugene is the headquarters of the Lane Transit District (LTD), a public
transportation agency formed in 1970. LTD covers 240 square miles of Lane
County, including Creswell, Junction City and Veneta. Operating more than 90
buses at the high activity time, LTD carries riders on 3.7 million trips
every year.
The Eugene Airport, also known as Mahlon Sweet Airport, is the fifth largest
airport in the northwest.
Highways
Highways traveling within and through Eugene include:
Interstate 5: Interstate 5 forms much of the eastern city limits, forming a
boundary between Eugene and Springfield. To the north, I-5 leads to the
Willamette valley and Portland. To the south, I-5 leads to Roseburg and the
southwestern portion of the state.
Interstate 105/Oregon Highway 126: Oregon Highway 126 is routed along the
Eugene-Springfield Highway, a limited access freeway. The Eugene portion of
this highway begins at an interchange with Interstate 5 and ends two miles
west at a freeway terminus. This portion of Oregon Highway 126 is also
signed Interstate 105, a spur route of Interstate 5. Oregon Highway 126
continues west, a portion shared with Oregon Highway 99, and continues west
to Florence. Eastward, Oregon Highway 126 crosses the Cascades and leads to
the central Oregon.
Beltline Road: Beltline Road is a limited-access freeway which runs along
the northern edge of Eugene.
Delta Highway: The Delta Highway forms a short (less than 2 miles or 3
kilometers) connector between Interstate 105 and Beltline Road.
Oregon Highway 99: Oregon Highway 99 forks off Interstate 5 south of Eugene,
and forms a major surface artery in Eugene. It continues north into the
Willamette valley, parallel to I-5.
Parks
To the north of downtown is Skinner Butte park. Hendricks Park is famed for
its Rhododendron Garden, while Alton Baker park attracts many to its duck
ponds.
Hospitals
The Eugene/Springfield area is home to two major hospitals:
PeaceHealth (http://www.peacehealth.org/)
Mckenzie/Willamette (http://www.mckweb.com/)
Mckenzie/Willamette recently filed a lawsuit angainst PeaceHealth, claiming
anti-trust violations on the part of the latter. PeaceHealth, who at the
time was based in Eugene, lost the lawsuit. Mckenzie/Willamette, who was at
the time a small hospital based in Springfield, has gained thousands from
the case.
Library
The Eugene Public Library (http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/library/) recently
moved into a new, larger building. The new library contains state-of-the-art
technology such as an automated checking in/out system which sorts the books
using RFID chips.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 137,893 people, 58,110 households, and
31,321 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,313.9/km˛
(3,403.2/mi˛). There are 61,444 housing units at an average density of
585.5/km˛ (1,516.4/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 88.15% White,
1.25% African American, 0.93% Native American, 3.57% Asian, 0.21% Pacific
Islander, 2.18% from other races, and 3.72% from two or more races. 4.96% of
the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 58,110
households out of which 25.8% have children under the age of 18 living with
them, 40.6% are married couples living together, 9.7% have a female
householder with no husband present, and 46.1% are non-families. 31.7% of
all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone
who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.27 and the
average family size is 2.87.
In the city the population is spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18,
17.3% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100
females there are 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 94.0 males. The median income for a household in the city is $35,850,
and the median income for a family is $48,527. Males have a median income of
$35,549 versus $26,721 for females. The per capita income for the city is
$21,315. 17.1% of the population and 8.7% of families are below the poverty
line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.8% are under the age of
18 and 7.1% are 65 or older.
Eugene has a significant population of people in pursuit of alternative
ideas including anarchism, and a strong aging hippie population. This has
been referenced in an episode of Futurama in which the character Bender
relates Eugene to a town filled with hobos. Eugene's trainyard and welcoming
valley climate used to be the center of this, though now more recent liberal
welfare social policies are likely the cause.
Sports
University of Oregon fields a number of popular sport teams, including
football, basketball, and wrestling. Autzen Stadium is the home field of the
university football team.
Eugene Emeralds, Minor-league baseball
Famous Athletes
Danny Ainge, North Eugene High School (1977), NBA player & coach, MLB player
Bill McChesney, South Eugene High School (1977), 1980 Olympian
Colleges and Universities
University of Oregon
Lane Community College
Eugene Bible College
Northwest Christian College
Notable Citizens of Eugene
Jan Elliot, Stone Soup cartoonist
Joey Harrington, athlete
Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, Inc.
Damon Knight, author
Ken Kesey, author
Amit Goswami, physicist, author
Elizabeth Engstrom (Cratty), teacher, author
