Gervais, Oregon

Gervais is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,464 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.HistoryThe city is named for pioneer Joseph Gervais who was one of the first settlers on French Prairie.On October 6, 1902, the business district of the city burned and losses were estimated at $100,000. The local fire department's power was insufficient to handle the fire so Portland and Salem were called upon to help. Unfortunately they were unable to respond in time to help. In little over an hour all but two of the businesses in the town had burned to the ground.In the late 1960s, Russian Old Believers established a small colony between Gervais and Mt. Angel. As of 2002, Oregon had the highest population of Old Believers in the United States.GeographyAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.39sqmi, all of it land.Demographics2010 censusAs of the census of 2010, there were 2,464 people, 579 households, and 506 families residing in the city. The population density was 6317.9PD/sqmi. There were 628 housing units at an average density of 1610.3/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 52.4% White, 0.6% African American, 3.7% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 38.0% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 67.1% of the population.