Veneta is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,561. Take a look below for 15 interesting and great facts about Veneta, Oregon, United States.
1. Veneta was established in 1912 by Edmund Eugene Hunter, who named the settlement after his five-year-old daughter.
2. Veneta post office was established in 1914.
3. Veneta Hunter Vincent, the city’s namesake, died in 2000 at age 91.
4. She had attended the city’s 70th anniversary party in 1982.
5. Veneta has been the site of the annual Oregon Country Fair, originally called the Renaissance Faire, since 1970.
6. On August 27, 1972, the Grateful Dead played a concert—the first “Field Trip”—at the Oregon Country Fair site.
7. The concert, a benefit for Springfield Creamery, has become legendary to Deadheads and is documented in the film Sunshine Daydream.
8. The city’s name is used on Veneta, Oregon, a 2004 release by New Riders of the Purple Sage, which is a live recording of the group’s opening performance at the 1972 Field Trip.
9. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.57 square miles (6.66 km2), all of it land.
10. The city of Veneta gets its drinking water from three deep wells located within the city limits.
11. Veneta is located adjacent to Fern Ridge Reservoir. The reservoir is popular for water sports, kayaking, sailing, fishing and swimming.
12. Surrounding the reservoir is the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, which is popular for bird watching and contains several parks with picnic areas, hiking trails, and some canoe and kayak access to the wetlands.
13. Inside the city is the outdoor, public swimming pool, which is open to swimmers during the summer months.
14. Located off Territorial Highway is Veneta’s skate park. The 7,000-square-foot (650 m2) concrete park was constructed for local skateboarding and roller skating.
15. Veneta provides outdoor sports fields at the Bolton Hill Sports Complex located off Bolton Hill Road. This is an 11-acre (4.5 ha) sports area with baseball and soccer fields. The Bolton Hill Sports Complex have been used by the Territorial Sports Program (TSP) to provide baseball and soccer activities for local youth.
