Western Oregon University

Monmouth () is a city in Polk County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was named for Monmouth, Illinois, the origin of its earliest settlers. The population is 11,110 at the 2020 Census and it is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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

Mid-Valley Christian Academy was a private Christian school in Monmouth, Oregon, United States. It was located at the Ash Creek Bible Church.

Independence State Airport (FAA LID: 7S5) is a public-use airport located one mile (1.6 km) northwest of the central business district of Independence, a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States. It is owned by the Oregon Department of Aviation.Serving as a general aviation airport, Independence also hosts a large residential airpark. This facility is Oregon's only public-use airport hosting an airpark.

Independence is a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States, on the west bank of the Willamette River along Oregon Route 51, and east of nearby Monmouth. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thirty square blocks of the oldest part of Independence form the National Register of Historic Places-listed Independence Historic District. The population was 9,828 at the 2020 census.

Central School District (Central SD 13J) is a public school district located in Independence, Oregon. The district consists of Ash Creek Elementary School, Independence Elementary School, Monmouth Elementary School, Talmadge Middle School, and Central High School.

Independence Historic District in Independence, Oregon, United States is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1989. The roughly 30-block district preserves approximately 250 homes and businesses of a prosperous riverside town of the 1880s.

Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Church (also known as Methodist Episcopal Church, South) is a historic church building at 330 Monmouth Street in Independence, Oregon. It was built in 1874 and added to the National Register in 1987.

Ash Creek is a short stream in Polk County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formed by the merger of its north and middle forks near Monmouth, it flows generally east to meet the Willamette River at Independence. The creek passes under Oregon Route 51 just before entering the river. The creek's mouth is about 95 miles (153 km) upstream of the Willamette's confluence with the Columbia River.North Fork Ash Creek begins at the eastern edge of the Central Oregon Coast Range near Dallas at 44°54′35″N 123°21′44″W and flows generally southeast to meet the Middle Fork. Middle Fork Ash Creek begins at 44°53′26″N 123°17′37″W near Mount Pisgah and flows generally east. Both forks pass under Oregon Route 99W shortly before they merge to form the main stem.Ash Creek is joined by a third fork, South Fork Ash Creek, in Independence. The South Fork begins at 44°52′36″N 123°18′28″W slightly south of the Middle Fork and flows generally east to meet the main stem at 44°51′13″N 123°11′36″W The South Fork passes under Route 99W south of Monmouth and under Route 51 in Independence.None of the three forks has a named tributary. Before alterations by settlers in the 19th century, the basin was a "boggy, 'braided' marsh with many small creeks spilling into Ash Creek" and the river. European-Americans drained and leveled wetlands and riparian zones for farming, logging, housing, and urban development.

The Willamette Valley ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. Slightly larger than the Willamette Valley for which it is named, the ecoregion contains fluvial terraces and floodplains of the Willamette River system, scattered hills, buttes, and adjacent foothills. It is distinguished from the neighboring Coast Range, Cascades, and Klamath Mountains ecoregions by lower precipitation, lower elevation, less relief, and a different mosaic of vegetation. Mean annual rainfall is 37 to 60 inches (96 to 152 cm), and summers are generally dry. Historically, the region was covered by rolling prairies, oak savanna, coniferous forests, extensive wetlands, and deciduous riparian forests. Today, it contains the bulk of Oregon's population, industry, commerce, and agriculture. Productive soils and a temperate climate make it one of the most important agricultural areas in Oregon.

Sarah Helmick State Recreation Site, also known as Helmick Park, is a state park located south of Monmouth, in Polk County, Oregon, United States. It is located on the floodplain of the Luckiamute River and is forested by Bigleaf Maple, Douglas-fir, and Black Cottonwood trees, among other varieties. The park is named for Sarah Helmick, a pioneer to Oregon in 1845 who donated the original land. Sarah Helmick State Recreation Site is the first state park established in Oregon. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.

The Little Luckiamute River is a stream in Polk County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It rises in the Central Oregon Coast Range near Fanno Peak and joins the Luckiamute River about 4 miles (6 km) upstream of the Sarah Helmick State Recreation Site southwest of Monmouth.Flowing generally east from its source near Fanno Peak, the river parallels Fanno Ridge, which is to the right. Lost Creek enters from the left at a rapids, and Camp Creek enters from the left 20.6 miles (33.2 km) from the mouth. About 0.5 miles (0.80 km) further on, the river passes over a waterfall. Approaching the unincorporated community of Black Rock, Little Luckiamute River receives Black Rock Creek from the left at river mile (RM) 17 or river kilometer (RK) 27. For several miles starting at Black Rock, the George T. Gerlinger Experimental Forest is on the river's left. Sam's Creek enters from the left about 1 mile (1.6 km) downstream of Black Rock.Gerlinger County Park is on the right at RM 15 (RK 24). Dutch Creek enters from the left and Berry Creek from the right before the river reaches Falls City Falls and Falls City about 13 miles (21 km) from the mouth. At the falls, the river plunges 25 to 35 feet (7.6 to 10.7 m) into a gorge within a city park. Turning southeast, the river receives Waymire Creek from the left, then Teal Creek from the right, then passes under Oregon Route 223 at about RM 8 (RK 13). Fern Creek enters from the left just beyond Route 223, and Cooper Creek enters from the left about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the mouth. The Little Luckiamute River meets the Luckiamute River about 18 miles (29 km) from the larger river's confluence with the Willamette River.The upper river supports catch-and-release fishing for wild coastal cutthroat trout ranging in size from 6 to 13 inches (15 to 33 cm).