Scio, Oregon

Scio (/ˈsaɪoʊ/ SY-oh) is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. Located east of Jefferson and south of Stayton, it sits along Oregon Route 226 near the confluence of the north and south forks of the Santiam River. Incorporated in 1866, the population was 956 at the 2020 census.

Oregon Geographic Names suggests that Scio was named by one of the original residents, William McKinney, who, with Henry L. Turner, set up a flour mill at the new town. Turner suggested McKinney come up with a name for the place, and McKinney used the name of his former home, Scio, Ohio. The Ohio village is, in turn, named for a Greek island called Chios; the Italian version of the name is Scio.

Thomas Creek, which flows through the city, was named for Frederick Thomas, who obtained a Donation Land Claim and settled on the banks of the creek in 1846. Scio post office, headed by postmaster Euphronius Wheeler, was established on October 3, 1860. The community was incorporated as a city on October 24, 1866.

Resident Lawrence William Moore shot 20 people, killing 5, at the Oregon Museum Tavern in nearby Salem on May 7, 1981. Moore was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of four counts of murder. In September 2008, the Animal Liberation Front released 215 minks from the S&N Fur Farm, with 177 later captured by the ranch. A flood in January 2012 caused significant property damage in Scio and the surrounding area.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.38 square miles (0.98 km²), all land. Scio lies at en elevation of 317 feet above sea level. It is located in the Albany–Corvallis–Lebanon combined statistical area, though its area code is 503 & 971, unlike most of the rest of Linn County.

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F (22.0 °C). According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Scio has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

As of the census of 2010, there were 838 people, 306 households, and 225 families living in the city. The population density was 2,205.3 inhabitants per square mile (851.5/km²). There were 324 housing units at an average density of 852.6 per square mile (329.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.4% White, 0.4% African American, 1.8% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.0% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population.

There were 306 households, of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.5% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.18.