What is the Willamette River?
Q: What is the Willamette River?
A: The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow.
Q: Where is the Willamette River located?
A: The Willamette River is located entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States.
Q: How long is the main stem of the Willamette River?
A: The main stem of the Willamette River is 187 miles (301 km) long.
Q: What is the Willamette Valley?
A: The Willamette Valley is a basin that contains two-thirds of Oregon's population, including the state capital, Salem, and the state's largest city, Portland, which surrounds the Willamette's mouth at the Columbia.
Q: How was the river's drainage basin modified?
A: The river's drainage basin was significantly modified by the Missoula Floods at the end of the most recent ice age.
Q: How long have humans been living in the Willamette River watershed?
A: Humans have been living in the watershed over 10,000 years ago.
Q: Were there once many tribal villages along the lower river?
A: Yes, there were once many tribal villages along the lower river and in the area around its mouth on the Columbia. Indigenous peoples lived throughout the upper reaches of the basin as well.
