The last dry city on the West Coast until 2002, Monmouth is a college town in the heart of the Willamette Valley wine country. The grid-formatted community, settled by pioneers in the mid-1800s, sits about 15 miles southwest of the capital city of Salem. “It’s such a cute little town,” says Sandra Paoli, a Realtor and real estate broker with Windermere Real Estate and a resident of Monmouth for more than 20 years. “It’s a small community, centrally located in the valley. Commuting to work in a bigger town is easy, but it’s still a small town.”
College students can stay close to home by attending Western Oregon University in Monmouth.
The best Autumn walks at Western Oregon University in Monmouth.
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Last dry town on the West Coast
Monmouth settlers intended to build a city and a Christian college near the banks of the Willamette River. In 1856, they established Monmouth University, known today as Western Oregon University. These days, about 11,000 residents and 3,000 college students live in Monmouth, and an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants sits along Main Street and Pacific Avenue.
Alcohol sales were prohibited for more than a century until voters overturned the ban in a 2002 referendum. Staying dry until the 21st century is rare. “I moved here in 2000, and my husband wanted to get a beer. He wandered around the market for half an hour before the lady was like, ‘What are you doing?’” Paoli says. “But we’re not seeing any visible signs of being dry anymore, other than it feels like a quaint little town.”
Monmouth is a college town in the heart of the Willamette Valley wine country.
You can cool down on a hot summer day at Main Street Ice Cream Parlor in Monmouth.
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Cozy streetscapes
Rows of single-family homes, including cottages and early 20th-century Craftsman homes, line the streets removed from downtown. Midcentury ranch-style homes with grassy lawns and garages and traditional houses built in the early aughts are typical. Wide streets, sidewalks, mature trees and large lot sizes give the neighborhoods a classic suburban feel. Prices in Monmouth typically range from $300,000 for older, smaller homes to more than $400,000 for remodels and new builds.
You can find early 20th century homes in Monmouth.
Single story and two-story homes are available in Monmouth.
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Outdoor performances
Parks and walking trails sit tucked away near residential streets. Madrona Park, the city’s newest and largest park, has a grassy lawn, a picnic shelter and a playground. The community gathers for live music and theatrical performances at the Main Street Park outdoor amphitheater, which also has a splash pad fountain for kids and a gazebo for parties and picnics. People access kayaking and canoeing points on the Willamette River in the nearby town of Independence.
Main Street Park features a splash pad fountain for kids in Monmouth.
Expansive grass fields at Madrona Park are perfect for a soccer match in Monmouth.
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Two towns in one
Monmouth and Independence are one and the same, says Paoli. The communities have joint holiday celebrations, fire departments and a shared school district. “We’re really just one community, they just won’t combine the names,” she says. Students can attend Monmouth Elementary School (rated B by Niche), Talmadge Middle School (rated C-plus) and Central High School (rated C-plus). After high school, some students stay close to home by attending Western Oregon University, which boasts small class sizes, relative affordability and a large population of first-generation college students.
Students can take advantage of numerous sports opportunities at Central High School in Monmouth.
Talmadge Middle School offers exceptional educational options to Monmouth children.
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Lively downtowns
Monmouth’s laidback downtown district offers a few restaurants, cafes and shops that residents can enjoy. People start their days with coffee at Rick’s Place and eat hummus and gyros for lunch at Habebah Mediterranean Cuisine. The family-owned Main Street Ice Cream Parlor has seasonal desserts, like eggnog milkshakes during the holidays, and at night, people can kick back at Crush Wine Bar & Tasting Room. Independence also has a vibrant and historic downtown, where brick structures with turrets are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Unlike previously dry Monmouth, Independence had no problem with alcohol consumption. Hops production was its bread and butter in the late 18th- and early 19th centuries. Several downtown breweries pay homage to this history. Several wineries producing Burgundy-style red grapes sit within the Polk County countryside.
Habebah Mediterranean Cuisine serves classic gyros, hummus and stuffed grape leaves in Monmouth.
You will find a small selection of restaurants, cafes and shops in downtown Monmouth.
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Easy commute
Commuters appreciate the easy access to Salem, about 15 minutes away by car. The city is also a few minutes from Interstate 5, which runs south to San Diego, California. Neighbors commute to places like Albany, a 25-minute drive, and the coast is about an hour away. Driving to Portland takes about an hour and 30 minutes.
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