REGIONAL CONTEXT: NATURAL HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHICAL REGION
Eugene is situated in the southern Willamette Valley, carved out of the area between the Coast Range to the west and the Cascades to the east. The Valley’s northern edge is marked by the Columbia River, and extends as far south as the California border. Dozens of millennia ago, massive floods shaped the topography of the region into its present form: a mostly flat, fertile valley broken up by numerous lakes, marshes, and buttes (1).
The Willamette Valley ecoregion is diverse, containing prairie and savanna; coniferous and deciduous riparian forests; and a multitude of wetlands (2). The climate and soil composition make the Willamette Valley an important area for agricultural production. Most of the Valley’s 48 inches of average annual rainfall occurs during the winter, while summers are warm and dry (3). Soil in the valley is rich due to concentrations of volcanic basalts. Lower elevations have many riparian flood plains, and high-water tables exist throughout the Valley (4).
The River Road neighborhood is in northern Eugene. It lies between the Northwest Expressway and Highway 99 to the west, and the Willamette River to the east. River Road’s southern boundary is marked by the Chambers Connector/Viaduct, which connects the neighborhood and the River Road Corridor to the rest of Eugene. The northern edge of the neighborhood is marked by the Beltline Road, where it meets the Santa Clara neighborhood (5).
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Before settlement of the area by European-Americans, the Kalapuya Native Americans had existed throughout the Willamette Valley since time immemorial. The Kalapuya were not a singular group, but a collection of various tribes inhabiting the Willamette Valley, numbering as few as 15,000 (6) and as many as 25,000 (7). Kalapuyan tribes practiced hunting and gathering, harvesting local fauna, and fishing from river weirs. Though they were not agrarian societies, hunting and fishing harvests were supplemented with cultivation of salal, camas, and other food crops. “Pyroculture” was practiced by female members of the tribes, a practice of burning sections of the valley floor to clear the flora and create a temporarily nutrient-rich area that allowed for the rapid cultivation of native plants (8).
SETTLER AND AGRICULTURAL HISTORY
European trappers periodically visited the area, but they did not leave an imprint like their agrarian successors. Settlers arriving in the 1840s were attracted to this fertile region, and an agricultural community existed in the River Road area when Eugene was founded in 1853 (9). After the 1855 Treaty with the Kalapuya, the Willamette Valley was officially ceded to the United States (10). The Oregon Donation Land Act legitimized settler’s claims to land. Scattered subsistence farms were the dominant land use around River Road for the rest of the 19th century and evidence of these 320- and 640-acre lot divisions can still be seen today (11). The California (O&C) Railroad was built through the area in 1871, encouraging the expansion and intensification of agriculture (12). This trend towards large-scale farming continued until the turn of the century, when the original lots were subdivided for smaller farms and residential construction. The checkerboard layout remained, but the agricultural area became increasingly suburban.
Source: Eugene Historic Review Board
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INDUSTRIALIZATION AND POST-WAR DEVELOPMENT
Numerous developments in the early-20th century accelerated River Road’s shift from an agrarian community to the predominantly residential area it is today. In 1923, River Road was designated the “Pacific Highway,” making it the primary connection between Oregon and California (13). Paving this road allowed motor vehicle traffic that was previously frustrated by routine flooding and muddy conditions. Subsequent development of feeder roads to the Pacific Highway increased the number of connections between River Road and its neighbors. In 1925, the Southern Pacific Railroad was given a 205- acre plot to build the Roosevelt Railroad yard (14).
The railyard’s employees and the new traffic brought a demand for housing and services, and River Road was further subdivided and developed over the subsequent decades. After World War II, River Road experienced the boom in suburban growth that impacted many parts of the country - GIs returned and housing demand resurged. Between 1940 and 1950, the number of residents in the River Road/ Santa Clara neighborhood increased by 72% (15). 45% of the residences in River Road were constructed between 1940 and 1959 (16).
1960S TO PRESENT
Despite these changes, the area remained agricultural in character until the 1960s and 70s. Construction of the Beltline and Delta Highways in the early to mid-1960s accelerated modernization of the River Road community. These new highways connected River Road to Interstate 5 and 105, bringing new traffic through the neighborhood. Changes to land use and commercial services catered to these new travelers. By the end of the decade, the last working farm in River Road had ceased operations – in 1986, a filbert orchard was replaced by a Bi-Mart and Safeway stores (17). Urbanization continued through the 1970s and 80s, bringing about the contemporary pattern of land use and urban form that
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unincorporated parts of River Road/Santa Clara were complicated by the 1980-82 Metro Plan for Eugene and Springfield, which required incorporation in exchange for provision of city utilities for both old and new developments (18). This resulted in political backlash from the community, leaving the pock-marked pattern of annexation that exists today.
PRESENT DAY CONTEXT AND KEY TRENDS
Census Designations and City/County Jurisdiction
The River Road neighborhood is comprised of three Census Tracts: 27, 28, and 41 (19). The River Road/Park Avenue stop is located in Census Tract 41, or the “Lower River Road Neighborhood.” River Road lies within the urban growth boundary (UGB), but is not entirely annexed by the city of Eugene. Because of this, the provision of services is split between Eugene and Lane County. The provider and attendant costs associated with the service provided depends on whether a resident of River Road lives on land that has been annexed by the City. Some services are universal: emergency services are provided by the City of Eugene to all residents in the UGB regardless of annexation status. In other instances, services are provided by different government entities and the costs are assessed at different rates (20).
Demographics
Between 2010 and 2017, the Lower River Road neighborhood (Census Tract 41) grew substantially. The 13.3% growth is more than twice the rate of the rest of Eugene and Lane County. As of 2017, the three largest age groups are 20-29, 30-39, and 50-59. With most people between ages 20 and 59, there is a large labor pool. Unlike the rest of the city, Census Tract 41 became less diverse: the non- white population decreased from 13% in 2010 to 5.8% in 2017 (21). A demonstrated increase in the number of 20-39 year-olds may indicate that young families are moving to the area. Young families with higher incomes will create demand for housing and services that are currently lacking or not present in Census Tract 41.
Source: City of Eugene
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Income
As of 2017, households in the Lower River Road are were generally wealthier than the rest of the City. Median household in Tract 41 was $54,042 compared to $47,489 in the rest of Eugene. Almost 30% of the population of Tract 41 earns between $75,000 and $124,999.
Almost 30% of the population of Tract 41 earns between $75,000 and $124,999, as shown in Figure 6. The high salaries may represent dual-family incomes or renters with individual salaries. Higher salaries may lead to reduced transit ridership due to increased access to personal vehicles. Tract 41 also has the highest percentage of families below the poverty level, seen in Figure 7. The wealth gap in Tract 41 may cause the needs of low-income families to be subordinated by the more prominent and privileged voices in the neighborhood.
Figure 7. Percentage of Families Below the Poverty Level
Source:FactFinder 2013-2017 ACS Education
Figure 8 shows that 40% of Census Tract 41 has attended some college but not received a degree while 20% have a Bachelor’s degree. People with different education levels may have different commute routes based on their industry. The lower education levels combined with a high median income in Tract 41 may indicate a high number of specialized tradespeople. Eugene has a higher proportion of residents with Bachelor’s, Graduate, or Professional degrees which is probably reflective of University faculty and staff.
Figure 8. Educational Attainment: 25 and Older
Source: FactFinder 2013-2017 ACS 0.00% 2.00% 4.00% 6.00% 8.00% 10.00% 12.00% 14.00% Census Tract
41 Eugene Lane County Oregon
0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00% 40.00% 45.00% Less th an 9t h grad e 9th-12 th gra de, n o GED High s choo l grad uate Some colleg e, no degre e Associa te's d egree Bach elor's degre e Grad uate/pro fessio nal…
Census Tract 41 Eugene Lane County Oregon Figure 1. Percentage of Families Below the Poverty Level
Source: 2013-2017 ACS
Poverty
Compared to Eugene, Lane County, and Oregon, Tract 41 also has the highest percentage (12.6%) of families below the poverty level (Figure 1). The wealth gap in Tract 41 may cause the needs of low-income families to be subordinated by the more prominent and privileged voices in the neighborhood. The wealth gap may also contribute to the prominence of single-family homes and lack of “missing middle” housing options (22).
Employment
The 2016 North American Industry Classification System assessment does not give data for Census Tract 41 specifically. Trends in Lane County’s employment illustrate the larger economic forces that affect River Road. Based on employment, Lane County’s largest private industries in 2016 were health care and social assistance, retail trade, and accommodation/food services (Figure 2). The industries with the greatest degree of growth between 2001 and 2016 were educational services, management of companies and enterprises, and health care/social assistance. The industries with the most decline were manufacturing, information, and forestry, fishing, and related activities (23).
Figure 2. Lane County Economic Strengths, 2001 and 2016
Sector Employment (#) Employment (%) LQ P-E Ratio Employment (#) Employment (%) LQ P-E Ratio Number Percent Total employment (number of jobs) 185,118 100% 1.0000 1.7605 204,742 100% 1.00 1.79 19,624 11% Retail trade 22,160 12% 1.0852 14.7067 24,428 12% 1.19 14.98 2,268 10% Educational services 2,334 1% 0.6930 139.6315 4,222 2% 0.85 86.67 1,888 81% Health care and social assistance 20,353 11% 1.1931 16.0124 28,469 14% 1.23 12.85 8,116 40% Local government 14,982 8% 1.0057 21.7528 20,381 10% 1.36 17.95 5,399 36%
LANE COUNTY - ECONOMIC STRENGTHS 2001 2016 Change 2001-2016