Yamhill Valley Visitors Association for Oregon Wine Country - Community Information for Yamhill Valley, Amity, Carlton, Dayton, Dundee, Grand Ronde, Lafayette, McMinnville, Newberg, Sheridan, Willamina, Yamhill, state, parks, state parks

YAMHILL COUNTY
Location: Yamhill County lies in the northern end of the Willamette Valley. Its 718 square miles contain lush farmland, fine wineries, the world famous "Spruce Goose", and a historical heritage unsurpassed in Oregon.
Established: July 5, 1843, as one of four original Oregon Counties
Population: 87,500 from data provided by the year 2000 Census.
Annual Precipitation: 43.62 inches
Average Temperature: January, 39.1, July 65.4
Principal Industries: Agriculture, Lumber, Education, International Aviation, Dental Equipment, Manufactured homes, Pulp & Paper, Steel.

Agriculture is the principal industry in Yamhill County, with a proportion of employment in agriculture being twice that of the average in the state. The county ranks seventh out of the 36 counties in annual market value of agricultural production.

In all, 19 wineries lie scattered about the eastern half of the county, which is the largest concentration in any county, and produce the greatest number of award-winning wines in the state. Manufacturing jobs comprise about 18% of the labor force, and services make up the largest labor share at 28.3%.

AMITY
Location: 6 miles south of McMinnville on Highway 99W
FYI: Ahio Watt founded the city, named for an amicable solution to its conflicts.
Population: About 1,500
Established: 1880
Attractions: Wineries and vineyards, Amity City Park, Brigittine Monastery, historic church and houses, antiques, nurseries, near Wheatland Ferry.
Visitor information: 503-835-3711.

CARLTON
Location: Highway 47, 4.5 miles from Highway 99W north of McMinnville.
FYI: Named for founder Wilson Carl
Population: 1,555
Established: 1899
Attractions: Wineries and winetasting rooms, Wennerberg Park and pool, Pioneer Memorial Cemetery, extraordinary views of the Coast Range, historic and quaint downtown with recent renovations, Zimmerman Century Farm, country gifts at restored railroad depot, gateway to Siuslaw National Forest and Nestucca River Recreation Area.
Visitor information: 503-852-7575

DAYTON
house

Location: Highways 221 and 223. Turn south from Highway 18. Approximately three miles east of McMinnville.
FYI: Andrew Smith, ferryman, named Dayton for his hometown in Ohio.
Population: About 2,000
Established: 1880
Attractions: South Yamhill River, historic buildings including 1856 Ft. Yamhill Blockhouse (pictured here) in city park, historic churches, 1852 Joel Palmer House restaurant, Yamhill Locks Park, Red Hills Park, walking tour, wineries, Wheatland Ferry on the Willamette River and nearby Maude Williamson State Park.
Visitor information: 503-864-2221

DUNDEE
Location: Highway 99W, approximately 2 miles south of Newberg.
FYI: Founded by a group of pioneer families, it was named for the home of William Reid from Dundee, Scotland. Although it is now famous for its wineries in the surrounding Red Hills, it is still home to 700,000 filbert (hazelnut) trees.
Population: About 3,000
Established: 1895
Attractions: More than a dozen wineries and winetasting rooms, filbert orchards and processing plant, golf course, fine dining restaurants, Dundee Billick and Chehalem parks.
Visitor information: 503-538-3922

GRAND RONDE / VALLEY JUNCTION / FORT HILL
Location: 20 miles west of McMinnville on Highway 18, known locally as the Salmon River Highway.
FYI: The Indian reservation was established in 1856 from 40 Northwestern tribes and now known as the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde. The tribes, on more than 10,000 acres surrounding Grand Ronde, employ more than 1,500 people at tribal forestry, business and casino operations.
Population: Unincorporated area has approx. 1,500 residents
Attractions: Spirit Mountain Casino, Spirit Mountain Lodge, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde pow-wow grounds, hiking, fishing and hunting, swimming, county and tribal parks, RV parks, Native American crafts and culture center, fruit stands; tribal, national and state forests, access to the Salmon, Rogue, Nestucca and South Yamhill rivers and their tributaries.
Visitor information: Casino, call 800-760-7977, or tribal information, 1-800-242-8196

LAFAYETTE
Location: Highway 99W, approximately 3 miles northeast of McMinnville
FYI: Founded by Joel Perkins and named after his hometown in Indiana. Yamhill County's first county seat and incorporated city.
Population: 2,240
Established: 1847
Attractions: Lafayette Antique Schoolhouse stores, Yamhill County Historical Museum, Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey, 1860s homes, home of historic suffragette Abigail Scott Duniway; Lafayette Locks, Joel Perkins, Common's and Terry parks.
Visitor information: 503-864-2451.

McMINNVILLE
Location: Approximately 11 miles southwest of Newberg on Highway 99W
FYI: Founded by William T. Newby. County seat and largest city.
Population: About 28,000
Established: 1882
Attractions: Air museum including the Spruce Goose, Linfield College, walking tours of historic houses, commercial buildings and downtown area, city parks, pool, golf, fairgrounds, antiques, wineries and brew pubs, theater, community center, McMenamins Hotel Oregon, county seat.
Visitor information: 503-472-6196, www.mcminnville.org

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NEWBERG
Location: Highway 99-W, 14 miles south of Tigard.
FYI: Founded by Ewing Young, a longhorn cattle herder; Quaker settlement
Population: 18,765
Established: 1889
Attractions: Willamette and Yamhill rivers, Chehalem mountains and valley, boating, wineries, art galleries, Minthorn House (Herbert Hoover's boyhood home); George Fox College, 1892 Friends Church, walking tour of downtown historic buildings.
Visitor information: 538-2014, www.chehalemvalley.org

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SHERIDAN
Location: 9 miles southwest of McMinnville on Highway 18.
FYI: Founded by A.B. Faulconer and named for Phil Sheridan, a Union commander in the Civil War who had started his career at Fort Grand Ronde, home of a Sheridan Federal Correctional Institute (prison).
Population: 5,260, including prisoners
Established: 1866
Attractions: Glacial Erratic Rock, wineries and vineyards, Lawrence Gallery, city parks, nearby swimming and county recreation areas, South Yamhill River, restaurants, historic downtown shops, antiques.
Visitor information: 503-843-4964

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WILLAMINA
Location: Two miles north of highways 22/18 junction, three miles west of Sheridan.
FYI: Although there is some disagreement, the town may have been named for Willamina Maley, an early visitor with her husband in 1845.
Population: About 2,000
Established: 1903
Attractions: Five city parks including a stocked fishing pond, nearby hunting, fishing, camping and swimming along Willamina, Mill and other coastal hills creeks and the South Yamhill River, art tour studios, historic downtown restaurants, shops, art studios, museum.
Visitor information: 503-876-5777.

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YAMHILL
Location: On Highway 47 approximately 7 miles north of McMinnville. Turn north from Highway 99W.
FYI: Name comes from an Indian word
Population: About 1,000
Established: 1891
Attractions: North Yamhill River, close access to Coast Range camping at Menephee and Bald Peak parks, Flying M Ranch, antique and gift stores, Beulah City Park, wineries and winetasting rooms, Lee Laughlin historic home.
Visitor information: Call City Hall, 503-662-3511