About Philomath
Philomath is a city in Benton County, Oregon, United States. It was named for Philomath (Greek, “love of learning”) College. The population was 4,584 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Corvallis, Oregon, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Philomath was named after the Philomath College that was founded in 1867 by the United Brethren Church. The name of the college and city was derived from two Greek words meaning “lover of learning”. The city was incorporated on October 20, 1882. The college closed in 1929 due to a dramatic decline in enrollment.
Philomath is 5 miles (8 km) west of Corvallis on U.S. Route 20.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.05 square miles (5.31 km2), of which, 1.86 square miles (4.82 km2) is land and 0.19 square miles (0.49 km2) is water.
Philomath is served by the Philomath School District,[9] which includes the following schools:
- Philomath Elementary School
- Clemens Primary School
- Philomath Middle School
- Philomath High School
