Corvallis, city, seat of Benton County, western Oregon, on the Willamette River; incorporated 1857. Manufactures include business machines, forest products, and processed food. Corvallis is the seat of Oregon State University (1868); wood-products research centers are located here, as well as the headquarters of Siuslaw National Forest. The name of the community, which was briefly (1855) the capital of the Oregon Territory, is derived from a Latin word meaning “heart of the valley.” Population 40,960 (1980); 44,757 (1990); 49,322 (2000).
