Cottage Grove Oregon

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. From laborers to professionals, many of these individuals boast accomplished careers and represent the diversity of the United States in microcosm. In Cottage Grove there are people compatible with you, your business and your family.

All of the major service clubs, fraternal organizations and veterans groups are active in Cottage Grove. There are more than 30 churches, representing a broad range of denominations.

A variety of indoor and outdoor, year-round, organized recreation activities are offered for the youth in South Lane County through Cottage Grove Recreation Association (CGRA). Seasonal activities include soccer, baseball, T-ball, pee wee baseball, girls softball, volleyball, flag football and basketball. CGRA 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 nestles at the southern tip of the Willamette Valley, where the Cascade Mountains touch Oregon’s coastal mountain range.  In a ten-minute drive you can be in the forest.  In 30 minutes you can be in wilderness. Heading East to the Bohemia Mining District offers a look at the historic mining culture. Opportunities for cycling, fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, horseback riding, skiing, snowmobiling, fourwheeling and wilderness exploring are plentiful, and may prove irresistible to outdoor enthusiasts. The new Row River Trail is a 15.6-mile, paved multi-use trail that begins inside the city limits and follows an old railroad bed past Dorena Lake into the Cascades.

As the Covered Bridge Capitol of Lane County, Cottage Grove is home to six covered bridges. The covered bridges can be toured in a few hours and are less than ten minutes from the Historic Downtown area. Even if you aren’t the active type, just looking at the areas natural beauty is refreshing recreation. The unspoiled Oregon Coast is only 90 miles away, featuring sand dunes, beaches, and rocky shorelines. There are many good restaurants in the Cottage Grove area, some offering live entertainment. The Cottage Theaters annual repertoire includes everything from drama to musicals to childrens plays. Local music productions cover a full range of listener tastes. The theater celebrated the opening of their brand new facility in the fall of 1998. Annual community events include Bohemia Mining Days, Main Street Chili Cook-Off, the Cottage Grove Rodeo, Cottage Grove Home Show, South Lane Cruisers Show & Shine, and the Western Oregon Exposition.