Community
Explore these links to learn more about our community!
Schools
- Salem-Keizer School District
- North Santiam School District (Stayton, Sublimity)
- Central School District (Independence, Monmouth)
- Cascade School District (Turner, Aumsville)
- Dallas School District (Dallas, Rickreall)
- Woodburn School District
- Gervais School District
- Mt. Angel School District
- Silver Falls School District (Silverton)
- Jefferson School District
Universities
The first university established in Oregon, Willamette University is a Division III school with 2,500 students. WU is right across the street from the Oregon State Capitol, creating internship opportunities for politically-minded students. Ten of its faculty members have been named Oregon Professor of the Year in the last 20 years, and the university’s challenging academics and beautiful campus frequently rank highly on national lists.
Corban University is a private Christian university with approximates 925 students. Students complete 50 hours of community service and study liberal arts from a Biblical perspective. Corban has ranked in US News & World Report‘s Top Ten in the West for the last nine years; it’s the only Christian school with that distinction.
Chemeketa Community College’s main campus is in Salem, with five satellite campuses around the Willamette Valley. Chemeketa offers courses in over 40 professional-technical programs, along with programs in the arts, communications, and education, and its viticulture program was the first of its kind in the state.
Western Oregon University is a public, Division II liberal arts college with around 6,200 students. WOU is known for its award-winning Teacher Education Program and its high-quality American Sign Language program. WOU is one of the most diverse universities in Oregon, and it’s the only university in the western USA that guarantees that undergraduate students will have the same tuition rate for all four academic years.
Chambers of Commerce
Salem Neighborhoods
- Central Area
- Croisan-Illahe
- East Lancaster
- Faye Wright
- Grant
- Highland
- Lansing
- Morningside
- Northeast Neighbors (NEN)
- Northeast Salem (NESCA)
- Northgate
- North Lancaster
- South Central
- Southeast Mill Creek
- South East Salem
- South Gateway
- South Salem
- Sunnyslope
- West Salem
Salem Festivals
This annual festival, put on by the Salem Art Association, features the work of over 200 artists from across the country. The festival also includes live performances, children’s activities, Northwest wines and microbrews, and more, all in Salem’s scenic Bush Park.
Sponsored by the Salem Multicultural Institute, this two-day festival features performances, crafts, food, folklore, gifts, and more from around the world. You can even form a team to compete in the Dragon Boat Races!
Oregon Wine, Food & Brew Festival
This two-day event showcases the best of Oregon wine, beer, and food, plus music, art, and gifts. Enjoy local entertainment and demonstrations by professional chefs.
This is the ultimate Oregon summer attraction! Two full weeks of fair food, carnival rides, big-name performances, livestock displays, arts & crafts competitions, and so much more!
This enormous market features handmade crafts, art, food, decorations, gifts, and more. Listen to local holiday performances and see Santa! All with free admission!
Every Saturday, April through October, you can choose from the best in local and organic produce at this farmers’ market held within view of the Capitol. Local vendors also produce crafts and gifts. Dogs welcome!
Every season brings new treats to this local market: fresh flowers in spring, berries and vegetables in summer (plus shortcake!), and pears throughout fall and winter. Their farms grow seven varieties of peaches, six varieties of pears, and 75 varieties of lavender, plus multiple varieties of herbs. Each October they hold HarvestFest, inviting families to reconnect with the land by exploring a corn maze, picking through the pumpkin patch, and taking educational hay rides.
Sample food from local restaurants, taste local wines and beers, and enjoy live entertainment and a carnival, all for the benefit of local organizations like the Boys & Girls Club, Salem-Keizer schools, and more.
Festival of Lights Holiday Parade
One of the biggest holiday parades in the West! Enter your own creation in the parade and participate in a Salem tradition.
Other Festivals:
Irises are the main event, but this festival in May has much more to offer! Visit Keizer’s renowned iris gardens, see iris-related art, and participate in a variety of charity events. You can also enjoy multiple parades, enter the golf tournament, and more!
This parade and festival celebrates the “Mint Capital of the World!”
Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest (Woodburn)
Explore over 40 acres of stunning tulips and bring some home for your own garden!
Historical & Cultural Attractions
This 87-foot sternwheeler is a Salem icon. Take a scenic tour over Sunday brunch, or charter the ship for a party or wedding.
The seven buildings that comprise the Mission Mill Museum represent one of Oregon’s earliest and strongest industries: wool. The museum also covers the Methodist missionaries who helped shape Salem; the past, present, and future of water power; and local Native American tribes.
Bush House was built by Asahel Bush II, a prominent figure in Salem and Oregonian history who founded the Statesman Journal, raised prizewinning cattle, and was, at the time of his death, the richest man in the state. Many of the family’s original decorations and belongings have been incorporated into the house, making a tour of this beautiful house feel like a trip back in time.
Visit this collection of 20 specialty gardens featuring rare and unique plants, located in Silverton. Its 80 acres also contain an amphitheater and Gordon House, the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oregon.
Tour this beautifully-preserved Victorian home and its formal English gardens, located near downtown Salem. Come again for afternoon tea and special exhibits about Victorian fashion, flower arranging, historic preservation, and more.
Salem’s beautiful theatre was built in 1926 in the stunning Tudor Gothic style. After years of decline, the Elsinore was doomed to be demolished in the 1980s, only to be saved by a local campaign and the support of stars like James Earl Jones and Gregory Peck. The theatre was completely restored in the early 2000s and reopened to the public in 2004. Today patrons can enjoy plays and musical performances, plus a weekly classic movie series and special events.
Pentacle Theatre was founded in 1954 in a barn on Highway 22. Thanks to its dedicated community base, the theatre has prospered and today puts on eight plays a year, with the majority of the work done by volunteers. Want to act, sell tickets, build a set, or just watch the show? There’s a role for you at Pentacle Theatre!
When a local artist and builder wanted some family fun near Salem, he built it himself. Enchanted Forest transports visitors to the Old Europe, the Wild West, and fairy tales, combining fantasy with high-tech ride technology for all-ages fun.
A. C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village
Recently voted Salem’s “Best Place to Take the Kids,” this hands-on museum encourages learning through playing. Children can explore a giant model of a cell, an archaeological dig, a giant Erector Set with slides, and a global village featuring homes from around the world – and that’s just the outside! Inside, learn about the regions of Oregon, different cultures, undersea creatures, and lots more!
Catch a second-run movie and enjoy dinner at this Salem establishment. Movie tickets cost only three bucks!
This museum, located on the Willamette University campus, is the second-largest art museum in Oregon. See art and cultural artifacts from around the world, plus annual exhibits by WU’s senior art majors.
Keizer Heritage Community Center & Museum
The Keizer Heritage Foundation is located in the Old Keizer School, the only historic public building in the town. The museum houses artifacts related to the school and the wagon trains that brought settlers to the area.
This museum offers exhibits on the history of farming in the Independence/Monmouth area, especially hops. It also covers the history of Hispanic farmers in the area and the Oregon Trail wagon trains.