Reviews & Comments
Jefferson, OR
Take it from a local -
5/27/2009I am 21 yrs. old, and have lived in Jefferson most of my life ( about 20 yrs.)
It's a nice little town resting on the banks of the Santiam River. The town sign says "City of Jefferson "; however, if you were to see it for yourself you'd see that it's more of a small town than a city.
When my family first moved here from Salem in 1988, the population was just under 400. As you can see it has grown substantially since then. There aren't any sky scrapers, strip clubs, or any of that crap. 'Fast food' is what they serve at the bar down on Main Street, at the deli counters in the small grocery stores,the now Mexican restaurant and the tratoria on 2nd street. There are two small bars in town, and just about every denomination of church.
The Mint Festival has been moved from Main Street to the school grounds, because the planning comission didn't want people to be able to smoke, drink, or carry weapons while the festivities were going on. However, moving the Mint Fest to the school grounds has pretty mutch killed it - it's no longer what it used to be. The businesses suffer because people from out of town don't go any further than the school.
There's plenty to do in town if you know where to look. The majority of the population is friendly and the locals are easy to get along with. if you ever need driving directions you can ask Just about any one in town and they can tell you how to get from point A to point B without any fuss.