Alvadore is an unincorporated

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 community in Lane County

Lane County, Oregon

-National protected areas:*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siuslaw National Forest *Umpqua National Forest *Willamette National Forest -Government:...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, located nine miles northwest of downtown Eugene

Eugene, Oregon

Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...

 and one mile northeast of Fern Ridge Reservoir

Fern Ridge Reservoir

Fern Ridge Reservoir is a reservoir on the Long Tom River in the U.S. state of Oregon. The reservoir is located approximately west of Eugene on Oregon Route 126. The reservoir is a U.S...

.

History

Alvadore was named for Alvadore Welch of Portland

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, who built the Portland, Eugene and Eastern Railway through the community. The railway

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

 was later acquired by the Southern Pacific Railroad

Southern Pacific Railroad

The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....

, but in 1936 the track was torn up. Alvadore post office was established in 1914.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey's database of geographic names, Alvadore is the only locality so named in the United States.

Local businesses

Alvadore experienced its heyday during the early 1900s, serving as a railroad stop on the important route between Eugene and Portland. At this time the town was home to a hotel, several shops and a schoolhouse that was demolished in 2006. When the railroad bypassed the town in subsequent years, growth subsided.

Today Alvadore is home to a general store and gas station that contains a post office

Post office

A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

 (ZIP Code 97409), a large regional nursery—Decker Nursery—known for its Christmas tree

Christmas tree

The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...

s, a volunteer fire department

Volunteer fire department

See also the Firefighter article and its respective sections regarding VFDs in other countries.A volunteer fire department is a fire department composed of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction.The first organized force of...

, the Alvadore Christian Church, a nut-drying plant affiliated with Blue Diamond Growers

Blue Diamond Growers

Blue Diamond Growers is a Californian agricultural cooperative and marketing organization that specializes in almonds. Founded in 1910 as the California Almond Grower’s Exchange, the organization claims to be the world's largest "tree nut processing and marketing company"...

, and a variety of other agricultural businesses including an organic

Organic farming

Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...

strawberry farm (Berg's Berries and Organic Produce).

At one time Alvadore had a school; located near Decker Nursery, the building was later abandoned and it has since been demolished.

External links

• History of Alvadore from the Lane County Historical Society