Explore Alder Falls
A river town of 28,400 people at the foot of the hills, built around a mill, a set of falls and a lot of good neighbors.
Our story
People have fished below the falls on the Kestrel for thousands of years. A sawmill went up beside them in 1888, a rail spur followed, and the town that grew around the mill pond was incorporated in 1911. The mill closed in 1979. The millrace is now a walking path, and the old boiler house is the community center.
Getting around
Downtown is small enough to walk end to end in ten minutes. The Kestrel River Greenway connects Heron Park, downtown, Millpond Park and Cedar Hollow. Valley Transit Route 12 runs every 20 minutes between Depot Plaza and the regional rail station. Free two-hour parking is on every downtown street, plus the lot behind Town Hall.
Public art
Look for the salmon run mural on the side of the hardware store, the bronze heron at Heron Park, and the sixteen painted utility boxes around downtown, each one by a local artist.