Lifestyle – Living in Cottage Grove

Cottage Grove, A Great Place to Play!

Recreation | Theater | Celebrations | Bridges | Speedway | Golf | Weather

The first thing most newcomers to Cottage Grove notice is that people they don’t yet know will look them in the eye and speak with them on the street. The second thing is the quality and diversity of the people here. Because the area is so attractive, individuals and families from all over the country have been drawn to the community.

So why do individuals, families, and businesses relocate to Cottage Grove and why do people stay in Cottage Grove? It’s a mix of progressive and traditional values that attract new people and businesses to the city. With the new Cottage Grove Community Hospital and Clinics, the new high school, the Row River trail paved bicycle path, the Cottage Theater, the two golf courses, lakes, rivers, wineries and a historic downtown. Cottage Grove meets the prerequisites of families, businesses, and retirees alike. With its mix of affordable and affluent housing, the summer Concert in the Park series, a local Growers Market, art galleries, restaurants, neighborhood parks, and festivals, Cottage Grove provides a high quality of life that is essential to relax in today’s fast paced environment. Cottage Grove is the only city in Lane County to be awarded the status of All America City twice. The Cottage Theatre’s annual repertoire includes everything from drama to musicals to children’s plays and classes.

As the Covered Bridge Capital of Lane County, Cottage Grove is home to 6 covered bridges and a State of Oregon Covered Bridge Scenic Byway. The covered bridges can be toured easily and are less than 10 minutes from the Historic Downtown area. The City of Cottage Grove is also very fortunate to have more than 20 beautiful murals to add to its repertoire of sites to see.

Annual community events include Bohemia Mining Days, The Gathering of Gardeners, Fall Harvest Festival and Main Street Chili Cook-Off, The Cottage Grove Rodeo, Cottage Grove Home Show, south Lane Cruisers Show & Shine, and the Cottage Grove Family Fair & Oregon Covered Bridge Festival.

Within a 10 minute drive you can be in a forest, in 30 minutes you can be in wilderness. Heading East to the Bohemia Mining District offers a look at the area’s historic mining culture. Opportunities for cycling, fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, horseback riding, skiing, snowmobiling, four wheeling, and wilderness exploring are plentiful.

Recreation

A variety of indoor and outdoor, year-round, organized recreation activities are offered for the youth in South Lane County through South Valley Athletics (SVA) and South Lane School District. Seasonal activities include soccer, baseball, T-ball, pee-wee baseball, girls’ softball, volleyball, flag football and basketball. South Lane School District also provides year-round recreation swimming for all ages at the Warren Daugherty Pool. Adult programs are offered on a limited basis.

Outdoor recreation opportunities abound in the Cottage Grove area. There are two lakes located just 10 minutes from town. Dorena Lake and Cottage Grove Lake offer fishing, swimming, boating, water skiing and camping. Three public golf courses are in the Cottage Grove area. Public tennis courts, maintained by the Cottage Grove Tennis Association, are available to community residents. Cottage Grove is located at the southern tip of the Willamette Valley, where the Cascade Mountains touch Oregon’s coastal mountain range. In 10 minutes you can be in the forest. In 30 minutes you can be in wilderness. The Bohemia Mining District offers visitors a look at the area’s historic mining culture.

Opportunities for cycling, fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, horseback riding, skiing, snowmobiling, four wheeling and wilderness exploring are plentiful, and are irresistible to outdoor enthusiasts. The Row River Trail is a 16 mile, paved multi-use pathway that begins inside the city limits and follows an old

railroad bed past Dorena Lake into the Cascades. The recent paving of forest service roads extends road cycling to Oakridge and to Blue River on the McKenzie by way of the Aufterhiede.

As the Covered Bridge Capital of Oregon, Cottage Grove is home to 6 covered bridges and is a State of Oregon Covered Bridge Scenic Byway. The covered bridges can be toured easily and are less than 10 minutes from the Historic Downtown area. Even if you aren’t the physically active type, just basking in the area’s natural beauty is refreshing recreation. The unspoiled Oregon Coast is only 90 miles away, featuring sand dunes, beaches, and rocky shorelines. (Back to top)

Our Theatre

Cottage Grove residents and visitors alike enjoy performances at the Cottage Theatre, a community

theatre that produces a year-round season of plays and musicals. The Cottage Theatre’s annual repertoire includes everything from drama to musicals to children’s plays. The theatre was founded in 1982, and its first production took place under a parachute on the lawn of the Village Green Resort. Thanks to strong community support, performances now are held in a state-of-the-art facility that was built in 1998 and expanded in 2006. The theatre’s intimate house seats 150, so the audience is never far from the action on stage. Cottage Theatre entertains more than 10,000 people each year (half of whom come from outside Cottage Grove) and more than 50% of 2009 performances were sold out. To view the theatre’s current schedule, visit www.cottagetheatre.org.  (Back to top )

Our Celebrations

Annual community events include Bohemia Mining Days, The Gathering of Gardeners, Fall Harvest Festival and Main Street Chili Cook-Off, the Cottage Grove Rodeo, Cottage Grove Home Show, South Lane Cruisers Show & Shine, and the Cottage Grove Family Fair & Timber Show and The Oregon Covered Bridge Festival.

Cottage Grove State Airport or Jim Wright Field (FAA LID: 61S), is a public airport located one mile (1.6 km) east of the city of Cottage Grove. On December 17, 2003 the airfield was named after Jim Wright, a

local aviator and business man who painstakingly built a reproduction Hughes H-1 Racer. Jim was lost in a tragic accident in the aircraft on August 4, 2003. For aviation enthusiasts contact the OREGON AVIATON HISTORICAL SOCIETY www.oregonaviation.org for more information about the airport.

The Oregon Aviation Historical Society (OAHS) is a non-profit organization located on Jim Wright Field at the Cottage Grove Airport. OAHS is the only organization in the state of Oregon with a mission to collect, preserve, restore and exhibit artifacts that tell the story of Oregon’s aviation history, a story with national significance. Displayed at the History Center are artifacts and collections that date back to 1919. OAHS established and maintains the official Oregon Aviation Hall of Fame which includes persons who have made significant contributions to Oregon and the nation’s aviation history. The History Center houses The Hedberg Aviation Research Library which provides research material for persons seeking authentic information about Oregon aviation history.

OAHS annually hosts several events, free to the public, that draw display aircraft. The Jim Wright Memorial Stearman Fly-In is held each August and draws aircraft from the Northwest, California and Nevada. The public is invited to the events to see the aircraft, talk to the pilots, and visit the History Center. (Back to top)

Our Bridges

Cottage Grove is home to 7 historic bridges, 6 of which are Covered Bridges making Cottage Grove the “Covered Bridge Capital of Oregon.” These scenic landmarks are a draw to tourists from across the nation. Visiting the bridges takes a person back in time when life was a little slower than it is today. The bridges and the setting that you will find them in are absolutely breathtaking and they are conveniently located on a 28 mile loop. Stop by our local area Chamber of Commerce at 700 E. Gibbs, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 and pick up a copy of our Covered Bridge tour map or visit the Chamber’s website at www.cgchamber.com so you can download the map. (Back to top)

Cottage Grove Speedway

For those who are racing enthusiasts you will have to stop at the Cottage Grove Speedway (aka “The Grove”). The Cottage Grove Speedway is a 1/4 mile dirt oval track with a smaller oval track for karts. You’ll experience a rush at the Sprint car races and be hugely entertained by the Monster Truck experience at our local Speedway. For more information about the upcoming racing season visit www.cottagegrovespeedway.com. (Back to top)

Middlefield Golf Course

Try your swing at beautiful Middlefield Golf Course! At Middlefield you will experience a challenging 18 -hole executive course surrounded by mature landscaping. The course is a 5002 yard par 67 course purchased and maintained by the City of Cottage Grove. Consider a “stay and play” package and enjoy Cottage Grove’s friendly atmosphere while staying at one of our local hotels. For more information visit their website www.middlefieldgolfcourse.com. (Back to top)

Our Weather

Cottage Grove’s climate is largely controlled by maritime air from the Pacific Ocean and periods of extremely hot or cold weather are usually short lived. The average high temperature in July and August is 77 degrees. Average low temperatures on summer nights are in the 50’s.

The coldest month is January, with an average low of 34 degrees and highs in the 40’s. Cottage Grove’s elevation of 641 feet and our mild weather give us an average of 268 frost-free days each year and an average of 269 sunny days. Annual precipitation is 46 inches of rain.

Oregon has a reputation for heavy rain, but Cottage Grove’s annual rainfall is actually the same as in the Great Lakes, northeastern and New England States, and less than is typically found in the southeastern states.

There are almost no thunderstorms, and rain tends to be gentle enough not to disrupt most outdoor activities. In winter, days are mostly cloudy. Early morning fog and overcast skies are common. Summers are sunny and dry, with rain on only three or four days in July and August. Snow is rare in Cottage Grove, but the nearby mountains accumulate a snowpack that enhances the view from the city and provides winter recreation areas close at hand.

Temperature:

Monthly Ave. Low: 32°F Coldest Month January

Hottest Month August Monthly Ave. High: 82°F

Driest Month July Wettest Month November

Average annual precipitation: 45.540″

Humidity (Hour 10, local time):

Average July afternoon humidity: 47%

Average January afternoon humidity: 88%

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1. 

   kelly scott says:

   July 25, 2010 at 9:19 am

   I got my radio career started in Cottage Grove
   at radio station KNND 1400 AM
2. 

   Sara Wright says:

   February 8, 2011 at 11:22 pm

   I have lived in Cottage Grove since the day that I was born, only straying off a couple of times but always returning. I will raise my kids here ~ I will live here and die here. There is nothing better then these people and these surroundings. Cottage Grove is a comforting and safe home.