Creswell, The Friendly City, lies 18 miles south of Eugene-Springfield, north of Cottage Grove, along Highway 99 and Interstate 5 (I-5). Over the years, Creswell has grown from a farming community into a small city with close ties to the metropolitan area. Creswell was first settled in 1872 by Alvin Hughes and James Robinett, each with five-acre land donations, located just south of where the railroad traveled from Eugene. In 1873, the Creswell Post Office opened and Ben Holladay of the Oregon-California Railroad Company named the city after John Creswell, who was then the U.S. Postmaster General.