Monmouth, OR

2 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 10 T he State of Oregon is an adventurer’s dream, boasting some of the world’s most unique landscapes and wilderness waiting to be discovered, enjoyed, and shared. The City of Monmouth is one of Oregon’s favorite educational locales, with a long history of catering to student populations – welcoming them and ensuring the municipality can offer great living, dining, transit and event opportunities. Monmouth Mayor Cecelia Koontz describes her community as “a charming small town with a lot of heart.” She adds, “It has been our main identity throughout our history. We’ve been tied to what is now known as Western Oregon University – the first public university in Oregon – and it remains a vital part of Oregon’s higher education landscape.” Monmouth is located in Polk County in the mid- Willamette Valley, just 12 miles west of Salem on Oregon Route 99W and about an hour from Portland, which allows residents to tap into the amenities that larger cities have to offer. The town was settled in 1853 with the purpose of setting up an institute of higher learning. Town founders allocated 640 acres to build a city and a college with Christian values. The sale of the city land was used to fund Monmouth University, now known as the Western Oregon University. These settlers with their Christian principles brought prohibition with them. That law saw to it that the sale of alcoholic beverages was banned in supermarkets, restaurants, and bars. Prohibition persisted until 2002, making Monmouth the community with the state’s longest standing prohibition law. Today, the city’s population is growing and changing. In 2020 the population was around 10,000 and now it’s risen quickly to more than 11,500. According to Koontz, “The council is working toward including all members of the growing population because everyone contributes to the success and bright future Monmouth, O