Woodburn residents and community leaders are celebrating this week. Their city was honored with a national award from the National Civic League as one of 10 All-American Cities.

Mayor Frank Lonergan said Woodburn’s cultural diversity and large Latino population are big reasons the town is thriving.

“We’re a community of good people that live here,” he said. “Good people that want to improve their life. They also are willing to help others in that process. And that’s happening.”

According to the city, 58% of residents speak a language other than English at home. In addition, 95% of businesses in the downtown core are Latino-owned, and students in the Woodburn School District speak more than 30 languages.

Lonergan says one of the city’s challenges recently has been the way agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement have targeted Woodburn residents.

“They will arbitrarily stop vehicles that might look like they have Latinos in them,” he said. “They have certainly set up a fear in our community where kids are scared to go to school, scared that their parents might be picked up while they’re gone. It’s affected businesses downtown.”

Other challenges include those that all growing cities face, such as housing and transportation infrastructure. But Lonergan says he’s confident residents are ready to meet those challenges.

“I’ve never been more proud of our community,” he said. “It is a good time for Woodburn. It shows who we are and what we expect to be in the future.”

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/02/woodburn-oregon-all-american-city-national-award/