McMinnville & the Pacific Northwest
McMinnville is the quintessential small college town and centrally located to take advantage of all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
Incorporated in 1876 and named after founder William T. Newby’s hometown of McMinnville, Tennessee, “Mac,” as the locals call it, is home to nearly 33,000 people, the thriving Willamette Valley wine industry, Evergreen Aviation and the second largest UFO festival in the country.
When students get restless on campus, downtown McMinnville is just a short 15-minute walk north of campus and features shopping, movies, and restaurants serving nearly all world cuisines. Favorites include pizza at 3rd Street Pizza, sushi at Kame, brunch at Crescent Café (serving local and sustainable food) or the flavors of southeast Asia at Thai Country Kitchen.
Other entertainment in McMinnville includes:
- Three theatres – the first-run multiplex, a second-run theater and the larger than life IMAX
- Nearly 250 acres of city parks, including a skate park at Joe Dancer Park
- Bowling at Walnut City Lanes
- Learning the history of flight and space exploration at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum
- An indoor water park, featuring 10 slides, four of which start in a Boeing 747 airplane (opening summer 2011)
- Miles of road and path for bike rides and casual runs
When they want to hit the road and head outside of Mac, students can easily explore the following destinations:
Oregon Coast: 45 minutes west
Portland: 1 hour north
Mount Hood: 3 hours east
Bend: 4 hours southeast
Seattle: 4 hours north
Vancouver, B.C.: 7 hours north
San Francisco: 10 hours south