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is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the Nehalem River, in a valley on the western side of the Northern Oregon Coast Range. It is located the heart of the most important timber-producing areas of the state, and logging has played an important role in the history of the town. The population was 2,228 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the estimated population is 2,340.
The community was first settled in 1874 by the Parker and Van Blaricom families. Cousins Judson Weed and Ozias Cherrington, both of Ohio arrived in 1876. Sometime afterwards, the question of a name for the community came up, and Cherrington suggested the name of his daughter (Vernona) in Ohio, which was adopted. Due to a clerical error during the incorporation process, an "i" was inserted in the name. Cherrington died of a farming accident in 1894, having never seen his daughter since his departure from Ohio.
Vernonia started to become more than an isolated farming community on July 10, 1924 when the Oregon-American Lumber company opened a state-of-the-art lumber mill, which was supported by a railroad line connecting Vernonia to the rest of the country. Oregon-American merged with Long-Bell in May, 1953, which itself merged with International Paper in November, 1957. International Paper judged the mill antiquated, and closed it on December 20, 1957.
The town was severely impacted by flooding in the December 2007 Pacific Northwest storms, as well as during the Willamette Valley Flood of 1996. At this time FEMA has set up trailers for the displaced residents