Eugene, 1945-2000 : Decisions That Made a Community

Eugene, Oregon, little sister to the bigger, brighter, Northwest stars of Portland and Seattle, has its own story to tell. This town, which grew in population from 36,000 in 1950 to almost 140,000 in 2000, is a strange, quirky, lovely little place, with a strange, quirky, lovely little history. It is a town of independent leaders: the housewife who became an influential planner, the local businessman who led a fight to keep a cross on the city's landmark butte, the odd little man whose eccentric bike rides and tricks around town earned him a bridge named in his honor.