Holley, OR

Holley is a tiny, quiet rural community tucked along Highway 228, just four miles southwest of Sweet Home. It sits right where the open fields of the Willamette Valley give way to the forested Cascade foothills along the Calapooia River. With around 400 residents, it has a relaxed, spread-out feel, though rockhounds across the Northwest know it best as the namesake of the rare Holley Blue agate found in the nearby hills.

ATTRJames St. John / CC BY 2.0

Living in Holley means having nature right outside your front door. Just down the road, McClun Wayside is a favorite local spot for summer swims, picnics, and casting a line for stocked trout in the Calapooia. It is the kind of place where neighbors value privacy and open space, heading into Sweet Home or Lebanon for groceries, schools, and daily essentials.