There are only a few places in the world where the character of the land is inseparable from the character of its people. Tillamook, OR, is one of them. From early pioneers like Joe Champion, who settled here in a hollow spruce tree in 1851, to the area’s fifth-generation family dairy farmers, Tillamook has long been home to iconoclasts with a passion for doing things right. Come meet the region’s remarkable residents and see its story unfold through their portraits.

“From the time of Joe Champion, Tillamook County has grown up by itself…driven by the necessity of location to paddle its own canoe in industrial and economic matters….As a result, Tillamook has evolved a strikingly individual, self-contained, self-reliant, homogenous and vigorous culture that is all its own and that is as peculiarly American in its flavor as one will be able to find anywhere in these United States.”

–from The Story of Tillamook by Dean Collins, published in 1933

Tillamook, OR, is the birthplace of the Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA), a cooperative of nearly 100 farms who supply milk to the century-old maker of legendary cheese and ice cream. As the area’s largest employer—nearly one in 10 residents work there—the company is deeply woven into the community’s fabric. Tillamook High School’s mascot is the Cheesemaker (the girls’ soccer team is named the Lady Cheesemakers). Front-page news includes stories like “Unnamed Suspects in Tillamook Loaf Love Tour Thefts Remain at Large”: a thoroughly engaging account of the dastardly disappearance—and thankful recovery—of three Tillamook VW cheese-sampling buses.

Soggy Roots Run Deep

Picturesquely beautiful (though really rainy), Tillamook has been named one of America’s best places to live, according to a NerdWallet quality-of-life analysis. It’s also one of Oregon’s top 10 counties for job seekers. Regardless of whether they’re born here or come specifically for work, once people get to Tillamook, they stay. Many TCCA farmers are second, third and even fifth generation. Third-generation Tim Jenck, for example, milks 150 Holstein cows and owns two farms on 115 acres. His grandparents, Peter and Mary Jenck, homesteaded the land that now houses the Cloverdale grade school.

While other rural regions may have difficulty retaining their young people against the allure of urban life, an unusually high percentage of Tillamook’s youth follow in their parents’ and grandparents’ footsteps—choosing to make a living from making the food they grew up on.  Why? It could be that the supportive relationship between Tillamook County Creamery Association and the community’s young people inspires a mutual life-long loyalty. In addition to awarding scholarships to promising college-bound students, Tillamook supports youth development through partnerships with local schools, the 4-H Leaders Association and the Tillamook County Fair.

On the flip side, Tillamook’s young people vie for the opportunity to spend their summers scooping ice cream or flipping grilled cheese at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. It’s often the first job for many employees who end up working for TCCA long into their careers. Millennial community members seem committed to preserving the region’s dairy farming heritage for years to come: Tillamook High School graduate Charish Ingram, for example, served as the Tillamook County Dairy Princess-Ambassador in 2014, dedicating her time to enlightening her community about life on a dairy farm at local schools, fairs and events.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Given the tight bonds between Tillamook County and Tillamook Cheese, it’s nearly impossible to tease out whether the work ethic and strong values of the area’s residents have informed the company’s vision, or the other way around. Says TCCA’s CEO, Patrick Criteser, “As I got to know the people behind the brand, I was really enthusiastic about joining this team, understanding where we could takes this company, where we could go with it...What you find here is this idea, this Tillamook way of doing things right.”

From the farmers who work 24/7/365 to the truck drivers charged with delivering the freshest possible milk to the factory to the locals who line up alongside the tourists for a scoop of Marionberry Pie Ice Cream, there’s an unmistakable aura of tranquility among the people of Tillamook. Even the cows are happy. According to one TCCA farmer, cows only “moo” as a warning or when they are discontented. Visit the dairy pastures of Tillamook any day of the year and what you’ll mostly hear is the joyful sound of silence.