Woodburn Oregon

Woodburn Oregon

At a foreclosure sale, Jesse Settlemeier purchased 214 acres of land in what is now Woodburn Oregon.  He platted the lots and gave a lot to anyone willing to build a house on one.  The town became known as Halsey, but the name was changed when they realized a town south of Albany already had that name. Verbal tradition states that in the 1880s a slash-burn to clear the forests got out of control and several woodlots were burned. Someone suggested (verbal history varies as to who said it) that the city be called Woodburn.

Woodburn is a very culturally diverse town. It is located almost equidistant from Portland and Salem. As such, it is a popular living area for families that have a split commute. Affordable homes are hard to find in Woodburn, and the population continues to boom here. As of the 2020 census the population was 26,013.

Woodburn hosts the annual Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, and a Mexican festival, Fiesta Mexicana. It also is home to Woodburn Outlet Mall.

The high school system there is different than other areas. Each high school has a specific focus such as the arts, or STEM and students are allowed to choose which high school they want to go to. All of the schools feed into one sports team for the city which competes, so just be aware of the different school structure for Woodburn schools.