Independence, Oregon
Location in Oregon
Coordinates: 44°51′11″N 123°11′29″W / 44.85306, -123.19139
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Polk
Incorporated	1874
Government
- Mayor	John McArdle
Area
- Total	2.4 sq mi (6.3 km²)
- Land	2.3 sq mi (6.0 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
Elevation	168 ft (51.2 m)
Population (2006)
- Total	7,715
- Density	2,585.8/sq mi (1,000.1/km²)
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	Pacific (UTC-7)
ZIP code	97351
Area code(s)	503
FIPS code	41-36150[1]
GNIS feature ID	1163064[2]
Website: www.ci.independence.or.us

Independence is a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States, on the west bank of the Willamette River. The population was 6,035 at the 2000 census. The current estimate is 7,715 residents as of 2006.^[3]

History

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Independence was founded by pioneers who migrated from Independence, Missouri. It was named by Mrs. Thomas Burbank, wife of one of the earliest pioneers, who settled two miles (3 km) south of the city.

Elvin A. Thorp arrived in the Independence area in 1845 and staked a claim north of Ash Creek in June of that year. He platted a small townsite that later became known as "Thorp's Town of Independence" or the "Original Town of Independence", now known as "Old Town".

In 1847, Henry Hill came across the plains looking for a level piece of ground on which to raise stock. On November 14, 1847, he found his location on the west bank of the Willamette River (south of Ash Street) and marked off his donation land claim, which was one mile (1.6 km) square.

Downtown circa 1920

In 1867, after returning from the California gold mines, Hill platted 40 acres for a townsite, thereafter to be referred to as Henry Hill's Town of Independence. The city charter bill of February 26, 1885, incorporated E.A. Thorp's Independence and Henry Hill's Independence. Henry Hill Elementary School was named in honor of the latter.

Geography

Independence is located at 44°51′11″N, 123°11′29″W (44.853101, -123.191388)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.3 km²), of which, 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (3.72%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 6,035 people, 1,994 households, and 1,425 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,585.8 people per square mile (1,000.1/km²). There were 2,131 housing units at an average density of 913.1/sq mi (353.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.69% White, 0.41% African American, 1.49% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.36% Pacific Islander, 19.64% from other races, and 3.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30.12% of the population.

There were 1,994 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.41.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.5% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,790, and the median income for a family was $40,466. Males had a median income of $30,253 versus $22,527 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,933. About 14.6% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

• Independence State Airport

References

External links

• City of Independence (official website)
• Oregon Blue Book entry for Independence
• Independence Heritage Museum

• Independence, Oregon is at coordinates 44°51′11″N 123°11′29″W / 44.853101, -123.191388 (Independence, Oregon)Coordinates: 44°51′11″N 123°11′29″W / 44.853101, -123.191388 (Independence, Oregon)

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