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Brownsville, Oregon facts for kids

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Brownsville, Oregon
C. J. Howe Building in downtown
C. J. Howe Building in downtown
Location in Oregon
Location in Oregon
Country United States
State Oregon
County Linn
Incorporated 1876
Area
 • Total 1.36 sq mi (3.51 km2)
 • Land 1.36 sq mi (3.51 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
265 ft (81 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 1,668
 • Estimate 
(2019)
1,823
 • Density 1,344.40/sq mi (519.02/km2)
  U.S. Census
Time zone UTC-8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-7 (Pacific)
ZIP code
97327
Area code(s) 541
FIPS code 41-09050
GNIS feature ID 1118140

Brownsville is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 1,668. It is the setting for the fictional town of Castle Rock, Oregon, in the 1986 film Stand by Me.

History

Establishment

Brownsville was originally known as "Calapooya" after the area's original inhabitants, the Kalapuya Indians, or "Kirk's Ferry", after the ferry operated across the Calapooia River by early settlers Alexander and Sarah Kirk. When Linn County was created from the southern portion of Champoeg County on December 28, 1847, the Provisional Legislature named Calapooia as the county seat. The Spaulding School in Brownsville served as the original county courthouse. Brownsville was named in honor of Hugh L. Brown, who settled there in 1846 and opened the first store.

In 1851, the Territorial Legislature passed an act establishing Albany as the county seat. A special election in 1856 reaffirmed Albany as the county seat.

Stand By Me

In the mid 1980s Brownsville assumed a modicum of international notoriety as the location set for the film Stand by Me, directed by Rob Reiner. The film was shot in and around the community in June and July 1985, with theatrical release made in August 1986. About 100 local residents were used as extras in the film and the event was memorialized in 2007 with the first community celebration of Stand By Me Day on July 23 of that year.

The date for Stand By Me Day was chosen by local resident and expert on the film Linda McCormick, who recalled in a 2016 interview that the day had been picked as one that did not interfere with other regional events and which "wasn't too close to the start of the school year." About 2,000 visitors made the pilgrimage to Brownsville for the 2007 event. The 2016 iteration, honoring the 30th anniversary of the cinematic release, introduced the first "Ray Brower Memorial 5K Walk/Run," named in honor of the dead body around which the film's plot revolved.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.34 square miles (3.47 km2), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 143
1890 580 305.6%
1900 698 20.3%
1910 919 31.7%
1920 763 −17.0%
1930 746 −2.2%
1940 784 5.1%
1950 1,175 49.9%
1960 875 −25.5%
1970 1,034 18.2%
1980 1,261 22.0%
1990 1,281 1.6%
2000 1,449 13.1%
2010 1,668 15.1%
2019 (est.) 1,823 9.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,668 people, 639 households, and 461 families living in the city. The population density was 1,244.8 inhabitants per square mile (480.6/km2). There were 685 housing units at an average density of 511.2 per square mile (197.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.8% White, 0.3% African American, 1.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.1% of the population.

There were 639 households, of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.9% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.02.

The median age in the city was 39.6 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 29.3% were from 45 to 64; and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Brownsville (Oregón) para niños

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