Wallace and Glenn Potter House · National Register of Historic Places
River Road’s story
River Road in pictures
The archive holds 4 maps from 1910 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →River RoadOR
A town of 8,862.
2 bordering townsMap →
Wallace and Glenn Potter House · Photo: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
8,862
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$398K
Census ACS
Household income
$82K
median
Median age
39.3
years
Jobs based here
587
A commuter town
TownGrade
C
#71 of 142 in OR
Is River Road a good place to live?
River Road grades C overall, ranked 71st of 142 in Oregon, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. River Road’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile, against 0.8 in Oregon’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. The typical home is worth about $398K, 5.6 years of the Eugene metro’s $72K median household income. Wallace and Glenn Potter House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
What makes River Road stand out
Where River Road beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave River Road for work
Where River Road’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
587jobs based in River Road
2%of working residents work in town
4 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How River Road grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far River Road is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →Cost of livingDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 11.5 of 20; 5.3% of households have no carAOpen →SchoolsBeat 74% of Oregon districts on tests and graduationB+Open →Jobs & income$82K median household income; 587 jobs based hereC+Open →HealthSacred Heart Medical Center - Riverbend 5.1 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 27 attractions →Autzen Stadium and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around River Road. Close and well known come first.
4 mi Stadium & arenaAutzen Stadium
4 mi Stadium & arenaHayward Field
4 mi Stadium & arenaMatthew Knight Arena
34 mi Stadium & arenaReser Stadium
4 mi MuseumJordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
5 mi GardenHendricks ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Autzen Stadium: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hayward Field: Jsayre64, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Matthew Knight Arena: Visitor7, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Reser Stadium: Zapper258, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art: User:Akendall, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hendricks Park: Chris Phan, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Getting set up
Moving to River Road: who provides what
River Road is unincorporated, so Lane County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerCity of Eugene14.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterEugene Water & Electric BoardNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLane CountyLane County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Oregon you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereLane County Clerk, Elections OfficeLane County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2021
ZIP code9740497404 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Oct 2, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in River Road.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Inland flooding leads a very high hazard risk in River Road
Among 142 Oregon towns, just 8 have a higher FEMA risk score than River Road.
90risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
More than half of River Road’s working residents commute to Eugene
River Road has 587 jobs for its 3,398 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave River Road for work: only 2% work in town. River Road’s average trip to work is 19 minutes, where Oregon’s towns sit at 23 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 15% of River Road residents live below the poverty line.
2%work in town
| River Road | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 14% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In River Road2%
Eugene56%
Springfield11%
Portland4%
Salem2%
4 mi
median commute distance
587
jobs based in River Road
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Mild winters and pleasant summers in River Road
River Road has mild winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 35° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
3″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter35–49°
Spring41–62°
Summer51–80°
Fall43–65°
Oct 23
typical first frost
Apr 11
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
An age mix much like Oregon’s
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Oregon average. 34% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in River Road.
39.3median age · OR 40.4
| River Road | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 27% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 21% | 22% |
River RoadOregonUnited States
Ages · share of residents
19%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma9%
High school23%
Some college24%
Associate’s10%
Bachelor’s19%
Graduate15%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.9 points. Across Oregon, 50.1% of residents are women.
| River Road | OR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.4% | 9.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.9% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 19.2% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.5% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.2% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.3% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.9% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.9% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.2% | 22.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.1% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.1% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.7% | 14.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
HealthB−
River Road ranks healthier than 51% of the country’s towns
River Road beats the Oregon average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
51%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| River Road | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 73% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
26 measures vs. Oregon
0 better24 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | River Road | OR |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 6.8% |
| More adults with arthritis | 30.6% | 27.4% |
Sacred Heart Medical Center - Riverbend
5.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
46th
percentile among OR towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1%conserved
1%
conserved · 11 of 1,143 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Emerald Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade D
A home in River Road sells for about $432K at the median
The median rent in River Road is $1,633 a month.
$432Kmedian sale price
| River Road | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,633 a month | $1,413 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 65% | 73% |
Market temperature
5
days on market
100.7%
sale-to-list price
9
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about River Road
17pages on River Road
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of River Road
Bushnell UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Eugene3.6 mi$35,800 tuitionNew Hope Christian College-EugeneUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Eugene3.7 mi$17,620 tuitionUniversity of OregonUniversity or college · Public · Eugene3.9 mi$16,137 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 River Road residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
About River Road
Census-designated place in Oregon, United States
River Road is a census-designated place (CDP) and neighborhood in Eugene. Located in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. As of the 2020 census, River Road had a population of 8,732. The CDP is in north-central Lane County, on the northwest side of Eugene. It extends from the junction of River Road and the Northwest Expressway in the south to Oregon Route 569, the Randy Papé Beltline, in the north. River Road and the Northwest Expressway form the eastern and western boundaries of the CDP, respectively. Numerous outlying areas belonging to the city of Eugene are scattered throughout the CDP, which is otherwise unincorporated.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 397 ft
River Road’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with River Road.
EugeneSanta ClaraRiver Road
How the neighbors grade
| Town | OR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Road | #71 | C | D | — | B+ | B− |
| Eugene | #89 | C− | D− | D | B+ | B+ |
| Santa Clara | #35 | B | D | — | B+ | B+ |
River Road and Santa Clara report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare River Road with a neighbor →
Questions about River Road
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is River Road, OR a good place to live?
River Road grades C overall, better than 31% of U.S. towns and #71 of 142 in Oregon. It grades B− for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is River Road, OR expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $398,000, 19% below the Oregon typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.