Springfield: a working town with a river through it

A working town with a river through it. Springfield started with a spring in a field on the Briggs family claim in 1848, got its mill race hand-dug in 1852, and spent the next century as a timber town. Booth-Kelly bought the sawmill in 1901, and by the 1907 city directory most of the town worked there.

Springfield's housing stock is older than the county average, with roughly six in ten homes built before 1980 and the 1970s the single biggest decade. Practically, that means solid bones and a wide range of condition. The east side toward Thurston runs newer and higher on ownership and value; the older core near downtown has the historic homes and the bigger projects. There is genuine range here, which is why first-time buyers keep finding their way in.

Springfield Public Schools serves the city, with Springfield High School and Thurston High School as the comprehensive high schools, plus the Academy of Arts and Academics downtown. Lane Community College is right here as well.

It depends entirely on what you want out of a day. Willamalane runs a parks system most towns this size do not get. Dorris Ranch, 268 acres of working filbert orchard on the National Register, sits at the south edge of downtown. Clearwater Park puts a boat ramp and a disc golf course on the Middle Fork. The Middle Fork Path runs four miles between them and links to the three-mile Mill Race Path to make an eight-mile loop through town. The Christmas parade down Mohawk has been running for seven decades. I would rather ask you a few questions than guess. Call or text 541-968-9422 and I will give you an honest read, including if the answer is that another area fits you better.