Laurelwood, Oregon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Laurelwood, Oregon
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View from the west with Chehalem Mountain in the background
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 Laurelwood, Oregon
Location in Oregon
Laurelwood, Oregon
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Washington |
| Elevation | 243 ft (74 m) |
| Population
(2000)
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| • Total | 503 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
97119
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| Area code(s) | 503 and 971 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1163093 |
Laurelwood is a small community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. It is an unincorporated community, meaning it doesn't have its own city government. Laurelwood is located southwest of the Portland metropolitan area. You can find it near Oregon Route 47 along Laurelwood Road.
This farming community is east of the city of Gaston and near Wapato Lake. About 500 people live in Laurelwood. It was settled in the 1860s. From 1904 to 2007, it was home to Laurelwood Academy, a school. Many people in the community are part of the Seventh-day Adventist faith.
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Exploring Laurelwood's Past
Laurelwood was first settled around 1860. It sits in a small valley east of what is now Gaston. Much of the community is on land that used to be a Donation Land Claim by R. D. Walker.
In 1904, Laurelwood Academy was started here. It was a school run by the Seventh-day Adventist faith. Later, in 1965, Harris Pine Mills, owned by Adventists, opened a furniture and milling factory. This factory grew to have 60 employees.
In 1986, the milling part of Harris Pine Mills closed. The furniture factory closed two years later in 1988.
Life and Community in Laurelwood
Laurelwood's population includes retirees and people who used to be students or teachers at Laurelwood Academy. A big part of the community follows the Adventist faith. Most homes in Laurelwood are on large plots of land, from one to 10 acres.
In 2000, the area had 503 residents. Laurelwood uses the same ZIP code as Gaston, which is 97119. The Gaston Rural Fire District provides fire services. The Laurelwood Water Co-op supplies drinking water. Kids in the community attend public schools through the Gaston School District.
The main road is Laurelwood Road. It winds down from the Chehalem Mountains and passes the former academy. The community's name comes from the many laurel trees that used to grow there. These trees stretched up to Bald Peak on the mountain. The Washington County Scenic Loop also goes through Laurelwood. The area even has a special type of soil called silt loam.
Laurelwood Academy: A School's Journey
Laurelwood Academy was founded in 1904 on the Walker land claim. A chapel was added in 1908. The school started with 5 acres, but more land was bought later. When it first opened, it taught grades one through ten. Robert Arye was the first principal.
In 1907, J. L. Kay became the principal and expanded the school to include all twelve grades. As a Seventh-day Adventist school, the academy grew. By 1976, it had as many as 350 students. The Laurelwood Adventist Elementary School, which was separate but nearby, opened in 1950.
The academy added a building for manual labor in 1925. An administration building followed in 1943, and a new church in 1957. Laurelwood Academy closed in 1985 because fewer students were enrolling in Adventist schools in Oregon.
After closing, an alumni group bought the school and reopened it in 1988. However, in 2007, the academy moved to a new campus near Eugene, Oregon. At that time, it had 90 students. The Laurelwood Seventh-Day Adventist Elementary School is still open today. It has about 20 students in grades 1–8.
Recently, some of the old academy buildings were used by the Mission College of Evangelism. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, half of the academy buildings housed Ananda Laurelwood, a spiritual retreat center.
Images for kids
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Church in the community
