Lebanon, Oregon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lebanon, Oregon
City
Former railroad station in downtown Lebanon
Motto(s):  "The town that friendliness built"
Location in Oregon
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Linn
Incorporated	1878
Area
• Total	7.25 sq mi (18.79 km2)
• Land	7.02 sq mi (18.19 km2)
• Water	0.23 sq mi (0.60 km2)
Elevation	348 ft (106 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	19,690
• Density	2,626.66/sq mi (1,014.17/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (Pacific)
ZIP code	97355
Area code(s)	541
FIPS code	41-41650
GNIS feature ID	2410815

Lebanon (pronounced LEB-uh-nuhn) is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. It is located in northwest Oregon, southeast of Salem. In 2020, about 19,690 people lived there.

Lebanon is situated next to the South Santiam River. It is on the eastern edge of the Willamette Valley, close to the Cascade Range. The city is known for its walking and biking trails. It also has a friendly, small-town feel.

Population of Lebanon, Oregon

Lebanon has grown quite a bit over the years. Here's how its population has changed:

Geography and Climate

Lebanon covers about 7 square miles (18 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

Weather in Lebanon

Lebanon has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. This means it has warm, dry summers. The average monthly temperatures usually stay below 71.6°F (22°C).

Economy and Jobs

Lebanon has several important employers. The largest is the Lowe's Regional Distribution Center, which employs 650 people. Other major employers include Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital, the Lebanon Schools, Walmart, Weyerhaeuser, and Entek International. These businesses provide many jobs for the community.

Education in Lebanon

Students in Lebanon attend schools in the Lebanon Community Schools public school district. This district includes Lebanon High School. There is also a private school called East Linn Christian Academy. It serves students from preschool all the way through twelfth grade.

Lebanon is also home to higher education. Western University of Health Sciences opened its College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Northwest in 2011. This was the first new medical school in Oregon since Oregon Health & Science University began. In 2017, Linn-Benton Community College opened its HealthCare Occupations Center nearby. Western University of Health Sciences also opened its College of Health Sciences for physical therapy students in 2021.

History of Lebanon

Early Beginnings

Lebanon was founded in 1847 by Jeremiah and Jemima Ralston. They bought a cabin and built a log house. They also opened a store on what is now Main Street. This store became a popular stop for people traveling to California to find gold. A small village grew around the store.

In 1855, the Ralstons officially planned the town. They named it after Jeremiah's birthplace, Lebanon, Tennessee. They also gave land for the Santiam Academy, a school run by the Methodist Episcopal Church until 1906.

Native American History

Lebanon was built on land that belonged to the Louis Band of the Santiam Kalapuya tribe. Like other Kalapuya tribes, their numbers had decreased due to diseases before American settlers arrived. In 1855, the tribe sold their land rights to the U.S. government. They then moved to a temporary reservation near the Ralstons' son's land. They waited there to be moved to the Grand Ronde Valley.

Trade Routes and Transportation

In 1859, local men discovered the Santiam Pass. This pass helped them drive cattle to central Oregon. Soon, Lebanon became part of another important trade route. In 1864, local stockmen created the Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountain Road. This road, later called the Santiam Wagon Road, was used by travelers and people moving livestock. It was eventually replaced by U.S. Highway 20.

Early transportation was often easier by water. The South Santiam River was too shallow for large boats. So, in 1872, people started building a canal. This canal was meant to carry barges of goods between Lebanon and Albany. However, the water flowed too fast for boats going upstream. Also, the arrival of railroads reduced the need for river shipping. Today, the canal is still used to provide water to Albany.

Railroads helped Lebanon connect to Albany and the rest of the world. The Albany–Lebanon Railroad was finished in 1880. It was a branch of a larger railroad line. The Southern Pacific eventually took over these lines. In 1910, they rerouted an older line through Lebanon.

Farming and Food Industries

From the 1890s onward, many farming and food-processing businesses grew in the area. While eastern Oregon became known for wheat, Lebanon-area farmers grew many other things. These included fruits, berries, walnuts, hops, and vegetables. They also raised turkeys and produced honey. Lebanon had a cheese factory, a creamery, and places to process potatoes, prunes, and nuts.

In the 1920s, the local grass-seed industry began. By the 1930s, Linn County was the top county in the United States for grass-seed production.

Strawberries were a very special crop for Lebanon. By 1907, Lebanon was one of the main strawberry-growing areas in the Willamette Valley. The Lebanon Strawberry Festival started in 1909. Since 1931, it has featured "the World's Largest Strawberry Shortcake." As of 2020, only one local strawberry field remains.

Timber and Plywood Boom

The wood-products industry in Lebanon began to grow around 1900. This happened as timber supplies in the Midwest started to run out. The industry really boomed when the Oregon and Electric Railroad was completed in 1932. New sawmills were built in town and in the mountains. From 1937 to 1942, twenty new mills opened in Lebanon. They made many different wood products. The paper mill, which used to make paper from wheat straw, doubled in size in 1936. It started processing logs floated down the South Santiam River. The city's population grew, and the Great Depression did not affect Lebanon much.

A bigger boom started in 1940. That year, Evans Products built what was said to be the biggest plywood mill in the world. This area became a station on the Oregon and Electric line. World War II increased the need for plywood. Women took over jobs in the mill while men were away. From 1940 to 1950, Lebanon's population grew by 115 percent!

In 1952, the plywood plant, then called Cascade Plywood, started making Lebanite. This was a hard, strong board made from wood. People in Lebanon even started calling themselves Lebanites. Cascade Plywood became the most important part of Lebanon's economy.

Economic Changes

Lebanon's economy began to slow down in the 1970s. It became more expensive to get timber from nearby forests. Because of this, the mills started closing. Lebanon's paper mill closed in 1980, the plywood mill in 1984, and the Lebanite plant in 2004. Weyerhaeuser closed the last of the big mills in 2006 and 2007. Many people lost their jobs, and stores on Main Street became empty.

In the 2000s, the city's economy started to get better. New places like the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific Northwest (2011) and the Edward C. Allworth Veterans' Home (2017) opened. Linn-Benton Community College's HealthCare Occupations Center also opened in 2017. These new additions helped the city grow. Weyerhaeuser also opened a new sawmill in 2008. Old buildings on Main Street are being fixed up. New businesses like brewpubs and bakeries are now doing well.

Arts and Culture

Annual Events

Lebanon is famous for its annual Strawberry Festival. This event started in 1909. It features the "World's Largest Strawberry Shortcake." The festival also includes a Junior Parade, a Grand Parade with the Strawberry Royalty Court, and a carnival. It takes place on the first weekend of June each year.

Recreation and Parks

Lebanon has 15 developed parks. These parks cover about 71.5 acres (29 hectares). They offer baseball, softball, and soccer fields. You can also find playgrounds, basketball courts, and tennis courts. Gills Landing has a boat ramp and dock, plus an RV park and camping area. Ralston Park is where the town's Christmas tree is located, and it hosts a yearly lighting celebration.

Walking and Biking Trails

A local group called Build Lebanon Trails is working with the city. Their goal is to build more than 50 miles (80 km) of walking and biking trails in Lebanon.

Notable People

Many interesting people have connections to Lebanon, Oregon:

• David W. Ballard (1824–1875), a governor of Idaho territory.
• Carson "Skeeter" Bigbee (1895–1964), a professional baseball outfielder.
• Eric Castle (1970–), a former NFL safety for the San Diego Chargers.
• Warren C. Gill (1912–1987), a Coast Guard veteran and Oregon State politician.
• Howard Hesseman (1940–2022), an actor.
• Ben Howland (1957–), a college basketball coach.
• Pat McQuistan (1983–), an offensive lineman for the Arizona Cardinals.
• Paul McQuistan (1983–), an offensive lineman for the Seattle Seahawks.
• Tom Medley (1920–2014), a cartoonist and magazine editor.
• Michael Merzenich (1942–), a famous neuroscientist.
• Doug Riesenberg (1965–), a former NFL offensive tackle.
• Dave Roberts (1951–), an MLB third baseman.
• Mike Royer (1941–), a comic book artist for Marvel and DC Comics.
• Dick Smith (1939–2012), an MLB outfielder and first baseman.

Images for kids

• 

  Lebanon City Hall

• 

  The Elkins Flour Mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• 

  Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital

• 

  The main building for the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Northwest.