Sustainable City Year: Silverton, OR

Located in Marion County, Silverton, Oregon, is in the Willamette Valley northeast of the state capital of Salem, Silverton, Oregon.  Silverton was incorporated in 1854 as Silver Creek, originally named after the Silver Creek, that runs through the center of downtown Silverton.  The city was renamed in 1855.    

Although its incorporated history begins in the middle of the 19th century, the area has been populated for approximately 6,000 years by indigenous communities from the Kalapuya and the Molala language groups.  These communities were significantly impacted by European encroachments starting in the 18th-century, beginning with the introduction of European diseases, the destruction of indigenous subsistence flora and fauna, and the violent confiscation of land.

Administratively, Silverton is a portion of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. And, at the time of the 2010 Census, the Silverton had a population of 9,222. The American Community Survey estimates that the 2018 population at 10,643. 

Known as "The Garden City," Silverton is home to The Oregon Garden, an 80-acre botanical garden illustrating the "diverse botanical beauty of the Willamette Valley and the Pacific Northwest. In addition to The Oregon Garden, "the 'crown jewel' of the Oregon State Parks system," Silver Fall State Park, has been providing a variety of scenic views and outdoor activities since its opening in 1933.

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