The City of McMinnville was named and founded by William T. Newby.  Newby was a pioneer from McMinnville, Tennessee.  Coming west during the Great Migration of 1843, he arrived in Oregon on the first wagon train. In 1853, Newby erected a grist mill at the west end of Third Street, below the present city library. Construction of this mill was the primary reason for the early growth of the city.

McMinnville was a thriving agricultural center in the early days. By 1866, it was described as the "most flourishing village in the county. " It had 300 inhabitants and, according to the Register, "five stores, three blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, one photographic artist, one silversmith, one shoe shop, two doctors, two churches, one flour mill ... and no licensed beer or grog salons." In 1876, residents incorporated McMinnville as a town. Then in 1882, the citizens again incorporated McMinnville - this time as a city.

After a heavy campaign by McMinnvillites, county residents voted in 1886 to change the county seat to McMinnville from Lafayette, where it has remained ever since.
Between the years 1885 and 1912, most of the historic Third Street business structures were built. Many of the buildings from that era are still intact.

Today, McMinnville continues to expand, while remaining sensitive to its history and the buildings associated with its past. The City is proud of its many amenities and takes pride in maintaining a friendly community atmosphere. That is life - "McMinnville Style."

Water is supplied from surface water in the coast range and flows through a modern water treatment plant on its way to McMinnville. McMinnville's soft mountain water is excellent in taste and quality.

The sanitary sewer system covers about 90 percent of the city. Its 108-mile pipe system utilizes 12 pumping stations to deliver sewage to a water reclamation facility where state of the art water purification occurs. The plant is equipped to handle normal city growth through 2015.

For a list of physicians who are members of the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce, click here for the Business Directory.

There are nine retirement and nursing care facilities in McMinnville offering a full range of managed care options.

McMinnville is home to Linfield College. This independent, comprehensive, liberal arts college is nationally recognized for its strong teaching faculty, outstanding science programs and distinctive international emphasis. Linfield is one of the oldest colleges in the west and offers 41 majors for bachelor degrees. The 193-acre residential campus serves over 1,600 students.

Chemeketa Community College's McMinnville Campus offers a wide range of educational services in McMinnville and Yamhill County, including transferable college credit courses (first two years); non-credit, personal enrichment classes; advising in academic and career development financial aid information; and a Business Skills Training Program.