Life in Cottage Grove

South Lane School District serves nearly 2600 students across ten schools. The district operates two high schools, both of which have received a number of statewide honors. Cottage Grove High School has been the highest graduation rate of any comprehensive high school in Lane County three out of the last four years. The district also has one middle school, three K-5 elementary schools, two K-8 schools and two district sponsored charter schools.  In the fall of 2018 SLSD opened the new Harrison Elementary on Taylor which replaced the aging school

A modernization project  of the Warren H. Daugherty Aquatic Center includes a new 25-yard pool, renovation of the interior/exterior of the facility, and the addition of a Warm Water Recreation and Therapy Pool.

Peggy’s Primary Connection and the South Lane School District’s Family Resource Center moved into the remodel Early Learning Center adjacent to the new Harrison Elementary. Both programs offer supports and services to parents, families and young children in our community. The District operates two pre-school classrooms funded by the Oregon Pre-School Promise grant and an English Language Program for children age’s three to five. The Cottage Grove area offers an array of pre-school opportunities including Head Start, Family Relief Nursery and Early Childhood Cares (Special Education) serving eligible pre-school children and families.

Lane Community College (LCC) has a Cottage Grove Center that offers an array of educational courses to help students transform their lives through learning. The Cottage Grove Center is a resource for community members working on a degree, completing a certificate, enhancing jobs skills or seeking personal enrichment.  The campus is an official testing site for the National Career Readiness Certificate. The campus also hosts South Lane School District’s Children’s Dental Clinic. LCC’s main campus is located 20 miles north of Cottage Grove and offers two-year degree programs and university transfer programs.

The University of Oregon is also located 20 miles north of Cottage Grove and, as a major research university, offers numerous academic programs of study. Oregon State University is in Corvallis, 60 miles north of Cottage Grove. Each university has about 20,000 students.

Cottage Grove has the council-manager form of government. The city council has a record of innovation and of demanding cost-efficient government. The quality of the City staff is remarkable. Opportunities to participate in local government take the form of citizen advisory committees that study local issues and provide recommendations to the staff and city council. This includes the monumental 30-year community planning effort known as Vision 2037. More information can be found on the city’s website at www.cottagegrove.org.

Housing for every lifestyle is available in the Cottage Grove area. There are modern homes being built in standard subdivisions and on scenic hillside lots, as well as historic and older homes, many of which have been restored. Outside of town, vacant and built-upon lots range in size from half an acre to more than 50 acres, with views of hills, trees and rivers.

Cottage Grove has its own weekly newspaper, since 1889, and a radio station. The weekly Cottage Grove Sentinel has won numerous awards in state and national newspaper competitions. KNND 1400AM, offers diverse and eclectic programming. The primary format is country, but KNND also features Cottage Grove High School and OSU Beavers sports, and Oregon’s longest running talk show, the ever popular Swap ‘n’ Shop. Also very popular are specialty programs of Classic Country, Polka, ’50s and ’60s rock ‘n’ roll obscurities, listener requests and Sunday morning spiritual programming. KNND also streams their programming 24/7. For more visit the KNND web site at www.knnd.com. As these two media serve their readers and listeners, they help bind the South Lane and North Douglas area into one community. Daily newspapers from Eugene and Portland are available as is a full range of radio and television programming from Eugene. South Lane Television provides over-the-air channel rebroadcasting at no direct cost to local residences.

PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center is one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States, according to the National Rural Health Association. It is a 14-bed, 40,000-square foot Critical Access Hospital located in an area of south Lane County, Oregon, that is known for its historic covered bridges and forested natural beauty. Major medical services include 24-hour, 7-days a week emergency department with bedside ultrasound diagnostics and pediatric crash cart, Walk-in Clinic Monday through Saturday, all-digital imaging/radiology department, including digital mammography and a 64-slice CT scanner, physical therapy services, electronic medical record and medical social work department. PeaceHealth Cottage Grove has been providing expanded access and more affordable care to the communities of Creswell, Dexter, Cottage Grove and North Douglas County since 1998. We promote an environment of healing for the mind, body and spirit through a comprehensive spectrum of care.

PeaceHealth Medical Group has seventeen physicians and providers from three clinics and four specialties with more than 200 medical staff. Providers care for more than 400 patients annually and treat more than 11,000 patients every year in its 24-hour emergency department.

Nova Health Primary Care is a multi-specialty health clinic located in Cottage Grove. The clinic provides easily accessible medical care to the community and surrounding areas. They provide medical care six days a week.  Walk-ins are welcome. Primary care is provided by Family & Internal Medicine, Women’s Care, Work-comp and Occupational Medicine. They offer lab (Quest Diagnostic) and x-ray.   By working together, PeaceHealth, Nova Health Primary Care and Cottage Grove citizens are ensuring the future of a strong healthcare system for South Lane County.

Complimenting and rounding out the community’s providers are chiropractors, acupuncturists and one naturopath. A nice assortment of dentists, optometrists and ophthalmologists also practice in Cottage Grove.  Emergency Medical Service is operated by South Lane County Fire and Rescue. They have three new ambulances, are staffed by full-time paid paramedics, and are equipped with advanced life support systems.