Albany

Half a mile from the Monteith Historic District, roads weave between suburban neighborhoods and city streetscapes in Broadway-Albany, a diverse neighborhood less than a mile from downtown. "Downtown Albany is pretty awesome. There are great restaurants and shops," says Jessica Pankratz, Broker Owner of Connected Real Estate Group with over 18 years of experience. "The historic building overlay applies here, so it's still rather quaint and unique." In the 1800s, pioneers settled in Albany and erected more than 700 historic buildings centered around the downtown. Today, the history and culture of the early settlers extend into the well-landscaped subdivisions of Broadway-Albany. Stone walkways lead to the raised doorstep of colorful cottages in Broadway-Albany. Grass and gravel islands separate wide streets from the neighborhood's narrow sidewalks. Broadway-Albany includes housing styles like American Foursquares, Craftsman cottages and Victorian bungalows. Home prices range from $300,000 to $700,000. A three-bedroom cottage can cost between $300,000 and $500,000, while a four-bedroom bungalow can be listed from $400,000 to $700,000. Homes in this neighborhood typically sell after only 31 days compared to the national average of 43 days. Much of Broadway-Albany is less than a mile from downtown Albany's oddity museums, community theaters and specialized boutiques. The Historic Carousel & Museum has hand-sculpted animals that float around a nostalgic carousel maintained by community members. Old Italianate buildings are home to trendy breweries and cafés. The Pix Theatre is a renowned movie theater with a single screen, creating a distinctive local atmosphere for the film. Loafers Station is an extravagant pub and café serving sandwiches and lunch items in a dark sports bar atmosphere. Sybaris Bistro provides a fine dining experience in an upscale steakhouse with a vast wine selection. For supermarket needs, North Albany IGA is across the bridge 2 miles north on Hickory Street, and there is a Safeway 2 miles east in the Heritage Mall area on 14th Avenue. The community gathers at Monteith Riverpark to hear Summer Sounds and River Rhythms, two recurring summer concerts in July and August. Dozens of hot air balloons float through the sky as artists sell their work below at the Northwest Art and Air Festival in Timber-Linn Park. During Heritage Day, horse-drawn carriages ride around the grounds while bluegrass bands play, and vendors sell old-fashioned crafts in an open-air market in June. Yarn, wool products, and livestock are up for sale at the Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival in the Linn County Expo Center, one of Albany's most significant event venues. The Greater Albany Public School District has over 9,000 students and is among the Top 40 best school districts in Oregon, according to Niche. Takena Elementary School serves students in Grades K—2 and earns a B-minus grade from Niche, while students in Grades 3-5 attend Central Elementary School, which has an overall grade of B. Memorial Middle School maintains a C and offers extracurricular clubs like robotics and gardening. With an A-minus grade, West Albany High School has an average student SAT score of 1220. Next to Takena Elementary School, Takena Park, is Broadway-Albany's central green space, with towering evergreens providing shade, where families can get together for a cookout in the park with covered picnic tables and barbecue grills, and kids can use the two playgrounds or climb the massive faux boulder. About a mile north, Bryant Park has a popular disc golf course with 18 pins, a baseball field and fishing holes on the Willamette River. The Calapooia River separates Bryant Park and Monteith Riverpark, which features an amphitheater and the Dave Clark Trail, a 1.5-mile paved path by the water. There are two Albany Transit System (ATS) bus stops on Elm Street and one on Queen Avenue. The Albany Amtrak station is less than a mile southeast on 10th Avenue for those looking to reach other West Coast destinations. Interstate 5 connects major cities on the West Coast. Salem is 26 miles north, as are Portland, which is 70 miles away and the Portland International Airport is about 80 miles out. Located at the corner of 7th Avenue and Elm Street, the Samaritan Albany General Hospital can provide quick medical attention to neighborhood residents.

Central Albany blends a classic American downtown with eclectic architecture and pioneer history from Manifest Destiny and the Gilded Age of Oregon. Walking into the Historic Carousel & Museum feels like entering an enchanted fairytale, with colorful hand-carved animal sculptures gliding around a carousel from a different time. “It’s gorgeous. Kids get to see the newest animals being designed right there in the museum,” says Pat and Christie Pendley, lifelong residents of Albany and Brokers at the Pendley Group with RE/MAX Integrity. “They were working on those sculptures before the carousel was even built. They would store the animals in the storefronts of local businesses so you could walk downtown and see them in the windows. Residents have seen those pieces for many years, and now they’re in the carousel.” The Albany Regional Museum reveals artifacts and exhibits showcasing the city’s history. Previously a Presbyterian Church, Whitespires is a gothic building with stained glass windows, detailed arches and spires pointed toward the heavens. At the Monteith House, built in 1850, tour guides in 19th-century attire tell ghost stories and share details about the construction of one of Albany's ancient houses. In Monteith Riverpark, the Dave Clark Trail stretches into a 1.5-mile paved greenway along the Willamette River. The amphitheater sets the stage for concerts in Monteith Park during the summer, and it’s a short walk to the music from downtown. Wooden posts line the trails at Bryant Park, which offers an 18-hole disc golf course, two baseball diamonds and fishing holes along the river. Swanson Park boasts a playground and recreational fields next to an Amtrak railway. The COOL! Pool is more like a small waterpark with a lazy river and waterslides at Swanson Park. Henderson Park has a tennis court with a small jungle gym for toddlers in a central community space with historic homes. Impressive houses and buildings with stunning architecture line the streets of Central Albany. With historic homes and the more modern builds away from downtown, Central Albany includes styles like American foursquares, bungalows, Colonial Revivals and late Victorian-era Queen Annes. Most homes were built around the 1920s and sit on small lots with flower gardens and fenced-in backyards. Narrow sidewalks border Douglas Firs and live oak trees on gridded city streets. Home prices in Central Albany range from $200,000 to $700,000. A historic five-bedroom Italian Renaissance Revival may fall just short of $900,000. A three-bedroom Victorian home can sell for between $350,000 and $650,000, while a four-bedroom Colonial Revival falls between $450,000 and $700,000. Downtown Albany is a sightseeing adventure for residents and tourists alike. Skateboard shops, antique stores and handmade jewelry boutiques lend to a new local vibe to an old city streetscape. Theaters and museums bring life to postured brick Italianate buildings. The Pix Theatre is a single-screen cinema serving pizza and wine to moviegoing guests. The Albany Civic Theater (ACT) puts on drama productions and plays starring regional talent. Breweries and coffee shops lend a social atmosphere to 1st Avenue, bordered by classy bars and highly rated restaurants. Sybaris Bistro is an upscale steakhouse in a cozy dining room with tall ceilings. Homegrown Oregon is a gluten-free brunch spot with vegan items inspired by Mexican and Asian cuisines. For groceries, residents can drive 1 mile north across the river to North Albany IGA, a convenient local market for things like hardware, meats and produce. Fred Meyer is a regional chain that also sells jewelry and apparel alongside groceries on Highway 20. River Rhythms is a free rock and roll concert series where the community gathers to enjoy the music on the lawn of Monteith Riverpark. Movies at Monteith is another event where outdoor movies go well with popcorn and ice cream catered by local Boy Scout troops. Summer Sounds brings a different vibe to Monteith Park, with orchestras and jazz bands playing on Monday nights. Central Albany is a walker’s paradise with well-connected sidewalks. Cyclists can easily get around using the bike lanes that connect all sides of Albany. The Albany Transit System (ATS) takes passengers all over town from bus stops along Washington Street. Locals can take the Amtrak to Portland or Seattle from the Albany Train Station on 10th Avenue. Lyon Street connects to North Albany and U.S. Highway 20, which runs southwest toward Corvallis, a nearby town home to Oregon State University. Residents can reach the Oregon coast in 60 miles by heading east on Hwy 20. Interstate 5 is just over 2 miles west, taking traffic north 27 miles to Salem, 69 miles to Portland or 243 miles to Seattle. The Portland International Airport is 82 miles north. Schools are part of the Greater Albany Public School District, which serves over 9,000 students and ranks in the Top 50 of the best and most diverse school districts in the state, according to Niche. Built in 1915, Central Elementary School has a long history, serving Central Albany for several generations and earning a B overall Niche grade. Memorial Middle School maintains a C and offers engaging extracurricular programs like robotics, gardening and Oregon Battle of the Books, a trivia competition between schools based on an assigned reading list. Students can earn college credit through Linn-Benton Community College at West Albany High School, which has a grade of A-minus.

East Albany, also known as the Timber Ridge District, is home to some of the city’s most exciting annual events, favorable community parks and prestigious public schools by Timber Linn Park. By the end of summer, the fairgrounds of the Linn County Expo Center and Timber-Linn Memorial Park are bursting with obscure conventions and city-wide happenings. With vibrant communities of two-story homes by central thoroughfares, East Albany is a well-placed suburban neighborhood with an easy commute 3 miles east of Downtown. "East Albany was previously a lovely rural area where people had a self-sustaining lifestyle with horses in their backyards," says Jill Schuster, who has lived in the area for nearly 20 years as principal broker at Triple Oaks Realty-Corvallis. "Now, it’s a place with homes that people are looking for with higher executive-type rentals. East Albany has good investment properties and nice places to rent." Timber Linn Memorial Park features a war memorial with a nonfunctional military cannon. It also offers baseball fields, a disc golf course and an 11-acre lake to fish for rainbow trout. “Timber Linn Park used to be horseshoes and nothing else. Now it’s a pretty significant place to gather,” Capaci says. The Albany Dog Park is one of Timber Linn’s most recognizable attributes, with a wood-chip play area and a splash pool. Waverly Park is a modest green space with walking paths and picnic tables, and Waverly Lake offers paddle boats and kayak rentals. Talking Water Gardens is a wildlife habitat in a former wastewater treatment area with herons, mink and 100 species of birds. The gardens also feature wetland trails with white oak forests and waterfalls. Lexington Park is a community space with open fields, a basketball court and two playgrounds for various ages. East Albany’s streets break off into communities of stylish two-story Craftsman and New Traditional homes. Despite their 21st-century construction, some homes have occasional Victorian features, complementing historic districts closer to the city center. This is especially true of subdivisions like Bridle Springs, which includes colorful and well-maintained homes on small lots with garages and backyards often bordered by wooden fences. East Albany becomes more suburban further south as single-story homes take root in neighborhoods below the Santiam Highway. On 18th Avenue, midcentury modern style homes sit on well-landscaped lawns. Home prices in East Albany range from $300,000 to $600,000. There are several RV parks throughout East Albany with mobile homes. With communities of manufactured homes like Three Lakes Estates, manufactured homes can cost up to $400,000. East Albany is near a variety of shopping and dining establishments. To the west, the Heritage Mall features 62 retailers like Old Navy, Famous Footwear and Hobby Lobby. Pacific Boulevard has a selection of supermarkets and department stores like Costco and Kohl’s. The Oregon Barbecue Company is a food stand and drive-thru restaurant with brisket dishes and picnic tables. Cascade Grill serves steak and seafood in a classy dining room with a bar. Walmart Supercenter is on Goldfish Farm Road. WinCo Foods is another supermarket on Pacific Boulevard, open 24 hours a day. The Greater Albany Public School District serves over 9,000 students and is ranked by Niche in the Top 40 best school districts in Oregon. Meadow Ridge Elementary School is attended by kids in Kindergarten through third grade, and it offers early career and technical education with a B-minus grade from Niche. Fourth through eighth-grade students attend Timber Ridge School, which maintains a C-plus and has homecoming festivities like dress-up days for Spirit Week. South Albany High School earns a B-minus, with AP and dual enrollment courses through which students can earn college credit before graduation. East Albany is a car-dependent neighborhood with access to the highways and Interstate 5, which borders the neighborhood and connects to cities all along the West Coast. East Albany also has bike lanes and public transportation through the Albany Transit System (ATS). The Santiam Highway, or Highway 20, divides East Albany and routes west to Pacific Boulevard and Downtown. Corvallis is a nearby town and employment hub about 17 miles west of East Albany. Eugene is 45 miles south on I-5 from the city center, while Salem is 27 miles north. Portland is about 70 miles north with an international airport. Private planes and smaller aircraft take off from the Albany Municipal Airport, a runway central to East Albany offering flight lessons for future pilots. Many of Albany’s most prominent events are hosted by the Linn County Expo Center and Timber Linn Memorial Park, landmarks in East Albany. At Timber Linn Park, the Northwest Art & Air Festival features art vendors, food trucks and hot air balloons flown into the clouds above the city one weekend in August. “For the first time ever, the Bassett Hound Nationals are being held here the first week of September. It’s a pretty big event because they’re basically the best dog breed in the world,” says Capaci. The Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival includes wool spinning, livestock vendors and fiber-made crafts in September. The Linn County Fair is a three-day event with animal exhibits and carnival games in July. The Christmas Bazaar has over 200 artists in December with handmade toys and treats for the holiday season.

Next to an outlet center encased by a retail district, Jackson Hill is a rustic bike-friendly neighborhood a mile south of downtown Albany. The Albany-Lebanon Railroad ran lumber from San Francisco to Portland in the 1800s. While Albany is no longer a capital for the timber industry, locomotives still trundle through Jackson Hill to this day. On the edge of Jackson Hill, stonemasons built historic Albany Station as the country’s westernmost Amtrak depot. “Albany was built around the railroad,” says Stephanie Spann, a real estate broker with Cadwell Realty Group-Corvallis. “There’s still a historic station with an Amtrak that goes through it.” Albany is a hub for transportation as a smaller city on Interstate 5, a highway that stretches the entire length of the West Coast. The Albany Transit System (ATS) Makes three stops on Jackson and Marion Street. Albany’s neighboring city, Corvallis, is the home of Oregon State University, a prestigious institution for engineering and agriculture, 11 miles west on Highway 20. Eugene is 45 miles south, and Salem is 25 miles north on I-5. The Portland International Airport is about 80 miles north. Jackson Hill has a commerce area on 9th Avenue, including the Heritage Mall, within walking distance of Geary Street and less than a mile from Kinder Park. The Heritage Mall features name-brand stores and boutiques like Famous Footwear, Old Navy and Target. The mall area encompasses local attractions like Regal Albany, a movie theater with checkered floors and stadium seating. Restaurants and supermarkets also surround this section of 14th Avenue. The Depot serves fried fish and seafood in a nautical-themed log cabin with stained-glass windows and model airplanes hanging from the ceiling. La Roca is a Mexican restaurant serving tableside guacamole in a colorful seating area with natural light. For groceries, Safeway and Fred Meyer are about a mile east. Ranch-style homes are tightly packed on small lots in Jackson Hill. Occasional contemporary and Craftsman houses dot the gridded streets, while manufactured homes are grouped in 55-plus communities near Geary Street, like Periwinkle Mobile Park. Single-family homes range from $250,000 to $550,000. Manufactured home prices fall between $30,000 and $300,000, while a three-bedroom ranch-style home can be listed from $300,000 to $500,000. The Boys & Girls Club of Albany is a community staple with various indoor sports facilities with courts for sports like volleyball, basketball and pickleball. From this building, the Periwinkle Creek Bike Path stretches south for 2 miles on a paved trail through town, connecting several community green spaces. Kinder Park is one of Jackson Hill’s most significant landmarks, with a colorful playground and a baseball field on Oak Street. Just north of Pacific Boulevard, the COOL! Pool has a small waterpark with a splash pad playground, a lazy river and a spiral staircase up to a winding waterslide. The Greater Albany Public School District serves over 9,000 students and is ranked in the Top 40 best school districts in Oregon, according to Niche. Sunrise Elementary School receives a C overall grade from Niche. Built in 1949, the school has a Focus Room Program, which provides a space for students to study with trained coaches and tutors. North Albany Middle School earns a B-minus and has electives like career exploration, culinary science or marine studies. South Albany High School also earns a B-minus and offers students extracurricular courses like auto mechanic training, industrial education or greenhouse agriculture. The Albany Farmers Market is the oldest open-air market in Oregon, with fresh produce on Saturday mornings at the Linn County Courthouse. Kids explore STEM subjects with hands-on activities at the summer getaway, Camp Albany. Hot air balloons and art vendors soar at the Northwest Art and Air Festival at Timber Linn Park in August.

Living in Periwinkle has its perks. The Periwinkle Creek Bike Path takes cyclists along a 2-mile scenic route through two city parks to the Heritage Mall and the Monteith Historic District. From there, residents revisit the 19th-century architecture as they head toward the trendy shops of downtown Albany. At the Northwest Art & Air Festival, over 40,000 people gather at Timber Linn Memorial Park to watch dozens of hot air balloons float through the sky, drifting peacefully above Periwinkle. “I always get really excited when I see them in the air,” says Amy Bennett, Aquatics Coordinator at the Albany Community Pool. “I look forward to that weekend because you can see them flying on Interstate 5 heading toward the fairground. It’s a pretty cool sight to see.” Pine needles dust the sidewalks and streets in Periwinkle. Low yards and bushes gardens in red mulch are confined by miniature stone walls, giving homes an inviting exterior. Backyards remain private by the cover of cedar wooden fences. New traditional-style homes, modern Prairie homes and one-story Craftsman dwellings sit on small lots, some of which are within walking distance of major retail centers and recreational spaces. Manufactured homes on well-landscaped lots are available in Shorewood Estates, Columbus Greens or Edgewood Mobile Estates. "Most are single-family, entry-level homes," says Kyler Gulaskey, who has over 15 years of experience as a Realtor and Broker at eXp Realty in Salem. "They're good first homes for people, and they’re affordable." Home prices range from $350,000 to $750,000. A three-bedroom Craftsman can sell for between $350,000 and $500,000, while a two-story home with four bedrooms can be listed for around $400,000 to $650,000. Occasional newer builds with six bedrooms or duplex buildings with multiple units can fall around $900,000. The Greater Albany Public School District is ranked in Niche’s Top 40 best school districts in Oregon, serving over 10,000 students. Kids can attend Periwinkle Elementary School with an active parent-teacher association and a C overall Niche grade. Calapooia Middle School also has a C and offers a Bilingual Education Program shared across the school district. South Albany High School maintains a B-minus, and offers college counseling with a well-rounded industrial arts program in subjects like masonry or construction. "South Albany offers an automotive program. I think it's great to get kids geared up for trade school," says Bennett. Although Periwinkle is a car-dependent neighborhood, some sections are walkable, and bike lanes share the main roads. Albany trains make the trip up and down the West Coast from the Amtrak Station adjacent to downtown. With eight stops on Waverly Drive, the Albany Transit System (ATS) shuttles passengers around town. Interstate 5 takes traffic north 25 miles to Salem or 70 miles to Portland. Eugene is 43 miles south on I-5. Residents who want to watch some college sports can visit a Beavers game at Oregon State University in Corvallis, only 15 miles southeast. Portland International Airport is about 80 miles north of Periwinkle, and private planes land at the Albany Municipal Airport. This neighborhood features four community parks and an aquatics center. Grand Prairie Park is a 10-acre space with a duck pond bordered by flower gardens and a paved walking path surrounded by towering pine trees. Lexington Park offers a basketball court and two playgrounds. Deerfield Park invites athletes with two baseball fields and a popular disc golf course. The Albany Community Pool offers aerobics classes and lap swimming at an Olympic-sized space with two diving boards and occasional movie nights. Freeway Lakes provides a quiet place to kayak and fish for bluegill or largemouth bass, 2 miles south. Heritage Mall, Albany’s commercial center, has 47 retailers with stores like Old Navy, Bath & Body Works and Famous Footwear less than a mile north. Regal Albany shows new movies on the big screen with plush seating. Shopping centers surround the mall with salons, department stores and local eateries. PizzAmoré is a New York-style pizzeria with a sleek dining room in a cozy hometown atmosphere. At La Roca, customers walk under blue archways into a golden interior adorned by flowery artwork, and the guacamole is made tableside. Those needing groceries can head to Safeway on 14th Avenue. Fred Meyer is a superstore with groceries, a garden section and a pharmacy on Highway 20. During the Northwest Art & Air Festival in August, residents browse art vendors, listen to live music or take to the skies in hot air balloons. Concerts ring out during River Rhythms and Summer Sounds in Monteith Riverpark. On Saturday mornings, the Albany Farmers Market is a community staple with food trucks and vendors selling farm-fresh meats, locally grown cherries and strawberries. The Big Pickup incentivizes a clean community with cash in exchange for trash in May.