 At a longitude of 123° 17' west, the city is the westernmost city in the contiguous 48 states with a population larger than 50,000.In October 1845, Joseph C. Avery arrived in Oregon from the east.Avery took out a land claim at the mouth of Marys River, where it flows into the Willamette River, and in June 1846 took up residence there in a log cabin hastily constructed to hold what seemed a potentially lucrative claim.