Mount Baldy (Polk County, Oregon)

Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge is in northwestern Oregon, 10 miles (16 km) west of Salem in Polk County. The Refuge consists of 1,173 acres (4.75 km²) of cropland, which provide forage for wintering geese, 300 acres (1.2 km²) of forests, 550 acres (2.2 km²) of grasslands, and 500 acres (2.0 km²) of shallow water seasonal wetlands and 35 acres (0.14 km²) of permanent open water. In 1965, Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge was created to help ensure some of the original habitat remained for species preservation. The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Situated in open farmland near the eastern foothills of the Oregon Coast Range with the broad Willamette Valley and the Cascade Range to the east, elevations range from 185 to 414 feet (56 to 126 m) MSL. The Willamette Valley, with its mild, rainy winter climate, is an ideal environment for wintering waterfowl. The valley was once a rich mix of wildlife habitats with extensive wetlands, meandering stream channels and vast seasonal marshes. The valley is now a mix of farmland and growing cities, with few areas remaining for wildlife.

The Van Duzer Corridor AVA, a sub-appellation of the Willamette Valley AVA located within Polk County, Oregon, in the United States, is an American Viticultural Area approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau on December 13, 2018 and effective January 14, 2019.The Van Duzer Corridor AVA lies entirely within the established Willamette Valley AVA and covers approximately 59,871 acres (24,229 ha). When the petition was submitted there were 17 (now 18) commercially-producing vineyards covering a total of approximately 1,000 acres (400 ha), as well as six wineries (now 9), within the AVA.The distinguishing features of the Van Duzer Corridor AVA are its topography, climate, and soils.

Rickreall ( RIK-ree-awl) is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Oregon, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Rickreall as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name. The population of the CDP was 76 at the 2020 census. Rickreall is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. Rickreall Creek runs along the community's southern edge.

Crowley is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Oregon, United States. It is located east of Oregon Route 99W, about four miles north of Rickreall.Crowley was a station on the Southern Pacific Railroad between Derry and McCoy, established in 1892 as "Crowleys" and named for Solomon Kimsey Crowley. Crowley, who was born in Missouri in 1833, came west in 1852 and settled in the Oak Grove area of Polk County in 1855. The "s" was dropped from the name of the station in 1898. The rail line is now owned by the Portland and Western Railroad, but Crowley is no longer a station. The Crowley post office operated intermittently from 1881 to 1904. There was later a Crowley post office established in Malheur County.

Derry is an unincorporated locale in Polk County, Oregon, United States. It is located about 10 miles west of Salem and one mile east of Rickreall.Derry was originally a station on the Southern Pacific line (now the Portland and Western). Local resident James Nesmith named it for Derry, New Hampshire, where his family once lived. In 1912, The Oregonian reported on an unsuccessful effort to change the name of the station to Loganberry. Just southeast of Derry there was a station on the Salem, Falls City and Western Railway named Derry Orchard.

Dallas High School is a public high school in Dallas, Oregon, United States.

West Valley Hospital (WVH) is a 6-bed medical facility in Dallas, Oregon. Opened in 1907 as Dallas Hospital, it is operated by Salem Health, which also operates Salem Hospital. WVH is the only hospital in Polk County.

Dallas is a city and the county seat of Polk County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,854 at the 2020 census.Dallas is along Rickreall Creek, about 15 miles (24 km) west of Salem, at an elevation of 325 feet (99 m) above sea level. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Dallas School District (Dallas SD 2) is a public school district in Dallas, Oregon. The district consists of eight schools that serve Dallas and surrounding areas.

McCoy is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Oregon, United States. It was named after the landowner Isaac McCoy. Its post office was established in 1879 with James A. Sears as the postmaster, and closed in 1968.

Salt Creek is an unincorporated historic community in Polk County, Oregon, United States on Oregon Route 22 about six miles northwest of Dallas. As an early European American settlement of the Oregon Country, the cemetery at Salt Creek has graves dating back to 1847. Salt Creek, a tributary of the South Yamhill River, was named by early settlers for the salt licks found on its banks. The Salt Creek post office, named after the creek, was established in 1852 and closed in 1903. James B. Riggs, who arrived in Oregon via the Oregon Trail and the Meek Cutoff in 1845, was the first postmaster. Riggs previously been the first postmaster of Yoncalla, followed by Jesse Applegate.Salt Creek is where Jesse, Lindsay, and Charles Applegate first settled after arriving in Oregon. James B. Riggs was their neighbor.

Ellendale is a ghost town in Polk County, Oregon, United States, about two and a half miles west of Dallas. It was the first settlement in present-day Polk County by non-Kalapuyans. The community's name changed over the years, with the first post office in Polk County being opened in this locality as "O'Neils Mills" in 1850. The post office was renamed "Nesmiths" (Or "Nesmiths Mills") in 1850 and discontinued in 1852. The community was eventually renamed Ellendale.