Mt. Angel is a city in
Marion CountyMarion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was originally named the Champooick District, after Champoeg, a meeting place on the Willamette River. On September 3, 1849, the territorial legislature renamed it in honor of Francis Marion, a Continental Army general of the...
,
OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is northeast of
Salem, OregonSalem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
on Oregon Route 214. The population was 3,121 at the 2000 census. Mt. Angel is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. Portland State University Population Research Center estimate from 2008 has the population at 3,758.
History
Mt. Angel was originally settled in 1850 by Benjamin Cleaver, who later planned a townsite which he named Roy. In 1881, a railroad station was established and named Fillmore after a railroad official. The following year, a post office with the name of Roy was established, but neither name was to last.
Rev. Fr. Adelheim Odermatt,
O.S.B.The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
, came to Oregon in 1881 with a contingent of Benedictine monks from
EngelbergEngelberg is a village in the canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. Engelberg has a population of 3,721, of which 21.0% are foreign nationals.It is the leading mountain resort in central Switzerland...
,
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
, in order to establish a new American daughter house. After visiting several locations, he found Lone Butte to be the ideal location for a new abbey, and shortly afterwards ministered to several local
Roman CatholicThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
parishes, about the same time large numbers of immigrants from
BavariaBavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest state of Germany by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
settled in the area. Due to his efforts, the city, post office and the nearby elevation Lone Butte came to be known as Mount Angel (an English translation of Engelberg) in 1883. He also established
Mount Angel AbbeyMount Angel Abbey and Seminary is a community of Benedictine monks near the city of Mt. Angel, Oregon, United States. It was established in 1882 from the Abbey of Engelberg, Switzerland. The abbey, located on the top of Mount Angel, a 485-foot high butte, has its own post office separate from the...
, a
BenedictineBenedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monasteryMonastery , a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer Monastery (plural: monasteries), a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios...
and school, which was moved permanently to Mt. Angel in 1884.
The city of Mt. Angel was incorporated April 3, 1893. The post office of
Saint Benedict, OregonSaint Benedict is the name of the post office at Mount Angel Abbey in Marion County, Oregon, United States.When it moved from Gervais to the town of Mt. Angel in 1884, the postal service would not allow the abbey to establish its own post office as it was less than a mile from the Mount Angel post...
was established at the Abbey.
Mount Angel Abbey is still located on Mount Angel. The original
KalapuyaThe Kalapuya are a Native American ethnic group and are members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon...
n name of the butte is Tapalamaho, which translates to "Mount of Communion." At the request of the Archbishop of Oregon City, the abbey opened Mount Angel Seminary in 1889 for the training of priests. The original wooden buildings at the foot of the butte were destroyed in a fire in the 1890s, and another disastrous fire in 1926 consumed the second monastery, an imposing five-story edifice of black basalt at the top of the butte. The current monastery building was completed in 1928, and subsequent structures followed, including a library built by Finnish architect
Alvar AaltoHugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer, sometimes called the "Father of Modernism" in the nordic countries. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware...
in 1970. A bell tower was added to the abbey church in 2007 which contains eight bells, one of which is the largest swinging bell in the Pacific Northwest.
Geography
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.5 km²), all of it land.
Mt. Angel is in the
Pudding RiverThe Pudding River is a tributary of the Molalla River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Its drainage basin covers about . Among its tributaries is the Little Pudding River. Wild trout enter the upper main stem from tributary creeks that support them.-Course:...
watershed.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 3,121 people, 1,059 households, and 661 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 3,264.3 people per square mile (1,255.2/km²). There were 1,124 housing units at an average density of 1,175.6/sq mi (452.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.65% White, 0.45% African American, 0.93% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 17.85% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.84% of the population.
There were 1,059 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.54.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,293, and the median income for a family was $45,650. Males had a median income of $33,523 versus $21,442 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $15,535. About 10.3% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 20.2% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
As of 2000, the five largest employers in Mt. Angel were
WilcoWilco is a farm supply cooperative based in the Willamette Valley of the U.S. state of Oregon. It was started in 1967 with a merger of the Mt. Angel Farmers Union Warehouse, the Santiam Farmers Cooperative, the Donald Farmers Co-op, the Valley Farmers co-op in Silverton, and the Canby Cooperative....
, Providence Benedictine Assisted Living, Mt. Angel Towers, Highland Laboratories, and the
Mt. Angel School DistrictMt. Angel School District is a public school district that serves Mt. Angel, Oregon, United States.- John F. Kennedy High School :John F. Kennedy High School is a grade 9-12 public high school.- Mount Angel Middle School :...
.
Annual cultural events
Mt. Angel is well-known locally for its annual
OktoberfestOktoberfest is a 18-day festival held each year in Munich, Germany, running from late September to early October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year, and is an important part of Bavarian culture...
. The Mt. Angel Oktoberfest is one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. The festival can attract upwards of 350,000 people and includes beer and wine gardens, softball tournaments at Ebner Ball Park, a local football game and volleyball invitational tournament, carnival rides, crafts, a wide assortment of German food, and a two-day car show.
Museums and other points of interest
Mt. Angel is also home to the historic Queen of Angels Monastery, run by the Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel, and the 1912
Saint Mary Catholic ChurchSt. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, located in the city of Mt. Angel, Oregon, United States in Marion County, is a historic church built in 1912. The building is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, a status it gained in 1976....
, both of which are listed on the
National Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(NRHP). Windischar's General Blacksmith Shop is another NRHP-listed structure in the city.
In March 2006, the city announced plans to build a 49 foot (15 m)
glockenspielA carillon is a musical instrument that is usually housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
. Completed in time for Oktoberfest 2006, the glockenspiel is the largest in the United States. Located on the corner of Charles and Garfield streets, the four-story-tall glockenspiel is part of the Edelweiss Village Building.
Education
Mt. Angel is served by the three-school
Mt. Angel School DistrictMt. Angel School District is a public school district that serves Mt. Angel, Oregon, United States.- John F. Kennedy High School :John F. Kennedy High School is a grade 9-12 public high school.- Mount Angel Middle School :...
, which includes
John F. Kennedy High SchoolJohn F. Kennedy High School is a public school located in Mt. Angel, Oregon, United States.- Student profile :As of fall 2006 there were 228 students enrolled at John F. Kennedy High School. Under the current OSAA standards, Kennedy is in the 2A classification...
.
Colegio César ChávezColegio Cesar Chavez was a U.S. college-without-walls program in Mount Angel, Oregon. The college was named after Mexican American civil rights activist César Chávez. Colegio was established in 1973 and closed its doors in 1983. Colegio was the first accredited, independent four-year Chicano...
was a college-without-walls program that existed in Mt. Angel from 1973 until 1983. At the time, Colegio was the only four-year
LatinoThe demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American or Spanish-speaking descent."* "A Latin American."...
college in the country. In the early 1980s the former Colegio grounds and building were purchased by a private buyer and donated to the Benedictine sisters. The Benedictine sisters now operate St. Joseph Shelter in the former Colegio building and dorms.
Media
Mt. Angel is served by the weekly
SilvertonSilverton is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. The population was 7,414 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
Appeal Tribune newspaper, which is published on Wednesdays by the
Statesman JournalThe Statesman Journal is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851, the Oregon Statesman later merged with the Capital Journal to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Oregon...
.
Transportation
Highway
Mt. Angel is on Oregon Route 214;
Interstate 5In the U.S. state of Oregon, Interstate 5 traverses across the state, passing through the major cities of Portland, Salem, Eugene, and Medford.-Route description:...
, 10 miles to the west, is the closest major highway.
Rail
The
Willamette Valley RailwayThe Willamette Valley Railway is a short-line railroad that operates in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. It leased a line from Woodburn to Stayton from the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in February 1993, as well as a branch from Geer west to Salem , and purchased the property in 1996...
serves Mt. Angel.
Air
The closest airport is
McNary FieldMcNary Field , also known as Salem Municipal Airport, is a public airport located two miles southeast of the central business district of Salem, a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States, also the capital of the state. The airport is named for Senator Charles L. McNary...
in Salem.
Utilities
Water and wastewater treatment are provided by the City of Mt. Angel. Natural gas is provided by
NW NaturalNW Natural is a publicly traded utility headquartered in Portland, Oregon, United States. Primarily a natural gas distributor, the company services residential, industrial, and commercial customers in Western Oregon and Southwest Washington in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1859, the company...
and electricity is provided by
Portland General ElectricPortland General Electric is an electrical utility, formerly owned by the Houston-based Enron Corporation , that distributes electricity to customers in parts of Portland, Oregon, as well as parts of Multnomah, Clackamas, Marion, Yamhill, Washington, and Polk counties - half of the inhabitants of...
.
External links