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Corvallis is a beautiful college town nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley. An hour's drive of the Pacific Coast and two hours from the Cascades and high desert, Corvallis is an ideal site to live and work. Corvallis embodies the spirit of the Northwest, with beautiful natural surroundings, friendly citizens, and an outstanding quality of life. It is one of the safest places to live—clean, friendly, and family-oriented.

Benton County is a vital regional center for higher education, industrial technology, engineering, research, commerce, and health care. And Corvallis is just 1½ hours south of the "Silicon Forest" in the Portland area.

Corvallis residents know how to enjoy spectacular beauty and open spaces. Surrounded by forests, mountains, farmland, the Willamette River, meandering streams and the city's greenbelt, recreational activities are endless. Benton County contains more than 50 parks and designated preserves, public and private recreational facilities, four golf courses, more than 60 miles of bike and running paths, and the state's largest bike lane system.

We're not the only ones who think Corvallis is a great place to live. In 2004, Corvallis was named the tenth best place to live in America by Sperling's BestPlaces. The 10 major criteria used to create a score for each city were economy and jobs, cost of living, climate, education, health and health care, crime, transportation, leisure, arts and culture and overall quality of life.

The 500-acre Oregon State University campus is the state's oldest institution of higher education and the center of much of the city's activities. Activities on the park-like campus include theater productions, concerts, films, art exhibits, and college sports. Bookstores, restaurants, and other shops line the edge of campus. And in 2004, Oregon State University was named the fifth friendliest campus in the nation by CampusDirt, a product of FinancialAid.com.

Corvallis has one of the mildest climates in the nation. Spring, fall, and summer temperatures range from the upper 50s to upper 80s, and mid-winter temperatures are typically in the 40s. OK, it rains here. But the average annual precipitation is 40 inches, lower than 32 other states. And sleet or snow of more than one inch happens an average of one day a year or less. The summers are unbeatable!