Peoria, Oregon


Peoria is an unincorporated community in Linn County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is on the :wikt:right bank|right bank of the Willamette River at river mile 141 between Eugene and Corvallis. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Peoria as a census-designated place. The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name. Lacking stores and services, it is a cluster of houses plus a county park along Peoria Road, about south of Oregon Route 34. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 94.

History

Peoria, named for Peoria, Illinois, was first settled in 1851 by H. A. McCartney. By 1875, the community was prosperous enough to have four grain warehouses and a school with 60 pupils. However, after the Oregon and California Railroad established a line through Shedd and Halsey further east, business in Peoria declined.
A post office in this vicinity opened in 1855 under the name Burlington. The name was changed to Peoria in 1857, and the office closed in 1900. Through the early decades of the 20th century, a river ferry operated out of Peoria.