Creswell

Creswell Hotels & Lodging

Creswell is the ideal basecamp for outdoor adventures across the Willamette Valley. The area hotels accommodate golf groups, wedding parties and aviation enthusiasts utilizing the local golf course and event center, and the Hobby Field Airport. This quiet town is close to waterfall hikes, covered bridges, alpaca farms, ranches and two wineries, Abbelone Vineyard and Saginaw Vineyard. And just down the road, a little further south, is Cottage Grove — another small town for exploring.

Creswell is the most convenient place to stay when Eugene - Springfield is bustling with activity. Just fifteen minutes south on Interstate 5, the local hotels offer clean, comfortable rooms with easy, quick access to most metro destinations. 

Creswell Food & Drink

This community is home to the popular destination bakery, Creswell Bakery, that features baked goods, pastries, soups and sandwiches made with fresh local ingredients. 

Creswell is also a convenient stop to pack a picnic basket (shop at Farmlands Market) and pair it with a bottle of wine from nearby Saginaw Vineyard or Abbelone Vineyard. Golfers may want to lunch at the Emerald Valley Golf & Resort Front Nine Restaurant & Back Nine Bar.

Events & Festivals

Residents and visitors gather for "family-style" dinners, wood fired pizza and farm-to-fork feasts. Live music is featured weekly at nearby Saginaw Vineyard (advance reservations are recommended during the winter season). Cyclists pedal the back country roads on bicycle tours, aviation enthusiasts plan "fly-ins" and the Emerald Valley Golf & Resort hosts golf tournaments and other events.

In summer, Creswell's annual Fourth of July Celebration is a blast! Creswell celebrates in classic small town style, drawing hundreds of patriots from across the region. In the winter, Creswell presents a Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration.

About Creswell, OR

Tucked conveniently between Eugene and Cottage Grove along the Interstate 5 corridor, and home to one of the finest municipal airports in the Northwest, Creswell offers a quiet retreat in the South Willamette Valley with easy access to the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Creswell itself comprises a small downtown district, a few big box stores and shopping strips, and several residential neighborhoods abutting farmlands and crowned by Creswell Butte.

CRESWELL HISTORY

The area around Creswell, Oregon supported the Kalapuyas people prior to the region's settlement by pioneers and the decimating diseases the Europeans introduced. The Kalapuyas made flour from camas lily bulbs and gathered berries, acorns and roots while moving across the verdant Willamette Valley in the spring and summer. They fished and hunted too, and had more permanent villages to which they returned to in winter.

THE APPLEGATE TRAIL & TRAVEL ROUTES

The famous 1846 Applegate Trail rolled through Creswell roughly along the same route of the current Highway 99 and I5 (built in 1966). It was touted as a less treacherous journey to Oregon, but was not without it's own challenges. Several of the town's present day residents are descendants of the Applegate family, trail-blazer Levi Scott, and other pioneers from the original migrations. A monument to the Applegate Trail can be found at Garden Lake Park.

In 1872, Alvin Hughes and James Robinett established homesteads here, and the Creswell Post Office opened a year later with John Creswell as the U.S. Postmaster General. Rail lines connected the community to towns from Oregon to California. The railroad was significant in the community's economic viability and later the highway and interstate would play that same important role. Airfields for small planes were commonly situated along the Highway 99 corridor which helped pilots sight the runaways. Today, Creswell's airport remains a vibrant focus for the community.

FARMING 

Early on agriculture was the primary industry with wheat, orchards, cattle and pig farms. By the 1900s, in addition to a grist mill, Creswell had a cannery, packing plant, fruit dryer and professional services all along Oregon Avenue. Regional mining and timber also influenced the town's commerce.

In 1972, the Creswell Area Historical Society was founded to preserve the region's heritage. The organization operates the Creswell Historical Museum which is open for limited hours seasonally.

Creswell continues to be a farming community but has expanded its repertoire to numerous outdoor recreational pursuits. The town is surrounded by hiking trails, mountain biking trails, equestrian-friendly trails, birding areas, fishing spots and various river adventures. In-town highlights include two beautiful community parks, several outdoor murals and a championship golf course. 

POPULATION

Creswell - 5,684

Source: 2021 Population Research Center, Portland State University