Sunset at Dexter Lake. (Oregon State Archives Scenic Images collection)
About
Established: Jan. 28, 1851
Elev. at Eugene: 422'
Area: 4,620 sq. mi.
Average Temp.: January 40° July 70°
Assessed Value: $41,526,522,081
Real Market Value: $83,877,139,765
(includes the value of non-taxed properties)
Annual Precipitation: 46"
Economy: Agriculture, higher education, high-tech manufacturing, forest products, recreation, recreational vehicle manufacturing and tourism
Related Resources
Incorporated Cities
Points of Interest
Twenty historic covered bridges, Bohemia Mines, Darlingtonia Botanical Wayside, Fern Ridge Reservoir, Heceta Head Lighthouse, Hendricks Park Rhododendron Garden, Hult Center for the Performing Arts, Lane Community College, Lane ESD Planetarium, McKenzie Pass, Mount Pisgah Arboretum, Proxy Falls, Sea Lion Caves, University of Oregon, vineyards and wineries, Waldo Lake, Carl G. Washburne State Park tide pools, Willamette Pass ski area
History and General Information
Lane County was established in 1851, and originally included all of southern Oregon east to the Cascade Mountains and south to the California border. The present boundaries were established in 1923. It was named for General Joseph Lane, Oregon’s first territorial governor.
The county’s first district court met under a large oak tree until a clerk’s office was built in 1852. A few years later, the first courthouse opened in what is now downtown Eugene. With the building of the railroads, the market for timber opened in the 1880s. Wood products are still an important part of the economy along with high- technology manufacturing and tourism. Lane County government operates under a home rule charter approved in 1962.
Although 90% of Lane County is forest land, Eugene and Springfield compose the second largest urban area in Oregon.
County Officials
Commissioners: Chair Pat Farr (2029); Ryan Ceniga (2027), Dave Loveall (2027), Heather Buch (2027), Laurie Trieger (2029); Dist. Atty. Christopher Parosa (2029); Assess. Mary Vuksich-Shafer; VACANT Clerk; Justice of the Peace Rick Brissenden (2027); Sheriff Clifton Harrold (2029); Surv. Jay Blomme; Co. Admin. Steve Mokrohisky