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Detroit, Oregon
Looking North along Detroit Avenue in 2009
Looking North along Detroit Avenue in 2009
Location in Oregon
Location in Oregon
Country United States
State Oregon
County Marion
Incorporated 1952
Area
 • Total 0.95 sq mi (2.47 km2)
 • Land 0.59 sq mi (1.52 km2)
 • Water 0.37 sq mi (0.95 km2)
Elevation
1,604 ft (489 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 203
 • Density 346.42/sq mi (133.71/km2)
Time zone UTC-8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-7 (Pacific)
ZIP code
97342
Area code(s) 503 and 971
FIPS code 41-19100
GNIS feature ID 2410330

Detroit is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It was named for Detroit, Michigan, in the 1890s because of the large number of people from Michigan in the community. The population was 203 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Railroad Turntable just above Detroit, OR. circa 1900 (8113443604)
Railroad Turntable just above Detroit, circa 1900

The original townsite of Detroit was inundated in the summer of 1952 when the Corps of Engineers finished Detroit Dam on the Santiam River. The community was relocated about 12 mile (0.80 km) northwest of the original site, on Route 22, and was incorporated as a city the same year.

Construction on the concrete Detroit Dam began on April 1, 1949 as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Willamette Valley Project. The completed dam was dedicated by former Oregon Governor Douglas McKay and the U. S. Secretary of the Interior on June 10, 1953. In addition to flood control, the dam benefited navigation, irrigation, electric power production, stream purification and recreation.

Located near Detroit Lake and Detroit Lake State Park, Detroit's economy is dependent on tourism. The community suffered from a drought in 2001, when Detroit Lake was little more than the Santiam River through the summer.

In 2010, by a vote of 47–37, citizens in Detroit voted down a ballot measure that would have changed the city's name to Detroit Lake, the name of the neighboring reservoir and one of the most visited summer sites in Oregon. The proposal was put forth by Doug DeGeorge, a builder and motel owner who resides in Arizona and wanted to disassociate the town from Detroit, Michigan, and its close ties to "crime, corruption, failing schools, and a shaky auto industry". DeGeorge was not present on the day of the city council vote, but repercussions from his comments had phone lines flooded with angry calls from Michigan residents. Voters chose to keep the original name of the city, though most residents and tourists still call it Detroit Lake. Gary Brown, a city councilman in Detroit, Michigan, disagreed with the proposal, saying local residents would have made a big mistake because "the Motor City will one day return to its previous glory".

On September 9, 2020, the entire city of Detroit was mostly burned to the ground during the Santiam Fire. Dozens of people were trapped, but managed to escape on a forest road through the active fire. A few months later, during the February 2021 winter and ice storm, the city received 26 in (66 cm) of snow—the most of any place affected by the storm.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Detroit has a total area of 0.96 square miles (2.49 km2), of which 0.59 square miles (1.53 km2) is land and 0.37 square miles (0.96 km2) is water.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F (22.0 °C). According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Detroit has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Climate data for 1948-1972 Detroit, Oregon.
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 40.7
(4.8)
46.9
(8.3)
50.3
(10.2)
58.1
(14.5)
65.8
(18.8)
72.4
(22.4)
81.7
(27.6)
81.2
(27.3)
75.2
(24.0)
62.5
(16.9)
50.5
(10.3)
42.8
(6.0)
60.7
(15.9)
Average low °F (°C) 26.9
(−2.8)
29.7
(−1.3)
30.5
(−0.8)
33.9
(1.1)
40.0
(4.4)
45.6
(7.6)
47.9
(8.8)
47.6
(8.7)
42.9
(6.1)
37.8
(3.2)
32.8
(0.4)
29.7
(−1.3)
37.1
(2.8)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 14.23
(361)
9.95
(253)
9.07
(230)
5.05
(128)
3.71
(94)
2.35
(60)
0.52
(13)
1.19
(30)
2.99
(76)
7.60
(193)
11.86
(301)
13.99
(355)
82.51
(2,096)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 31.4
(80)
13.8
(35)
14.8
(38)
1.9
(4.8)
0.1
(0.25)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.1
(0.25)
2.6
(6.6)
17.2
(44)
82.1
(209)
Source: The Western Regional Climate Center

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1960 206
1970 328 59.2%
1980 367 11.9%
1990 331 −9.8%
2000 262 −20.8%
2010 202 −22.9%
2020 203 0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 202 people, 96 households, and 59 families living in the city. The population density was 342.4 inhabitants per square mile (132.2/km2). There were 368 housing units at an average density of 623.7 per square mile (240.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.5% White, 1.5% Native American, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population.

There were 96 households, of which 19.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.5% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.64.

The median age in the city was 51.4 years. 18.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 13.9% were from 25 to 44; 48.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

Education

Detroit is served by the Santiam Canyon School District, whose schools are located in nearby Mill City, Oregon.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Detroit (Oregón) para niños

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