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2023 Map of Salem West

Name: 2023 Topographic Map of Salem West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2023
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2023

About this map

The Willamette River acts as the primary geographic divider between the western hills and the state capital’s central core, where the Marion County Courthouse and Supreme Court of the State of Oregon anchor the civic district. This landscape reveals the complex hydrology of the valley, featuring numerous river bars like Beardsley Bar and Gray Eagle Bar, alongside islands such as Minto Island and Hayden Island. The terrain rises sharply to the west into the Eola Hills and Salem Hills, where residential growth at Brush College and West Salem overlooks the river plain.

Institutional history is deeply rooted here, evidenced by the presence of Willamette University and several historic burial grounds, including Pioneer Cem and Lee Mission Cem. Modern infrastructure is represented by the Union Pacific railroad and McNary Field in the southeast. Water management is visible through engineered features like Shelton Ditch and Mission Ditch, which redirect flow through the urban grid toward the river.