Silverton lies on either side of Silver Creek, a tributary of the Pudding River, which joins the Molalla River before emptying into the northward-flowing Willamette River.

Silverton is situated on the eastern edge of the Willamette Valley, a fertile and alluvial plain which stretches from the western foothills of the Cascade Range on the east, known as the Waldo Hills, to the eastern foothills of the Oregon Coast Range on the west. The population was 10,484 at the time of the 2020 census. Silverton is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the population core of the Silver Falls School District. Farming was Silverton's first major industry, and has been a dominant land-use activity in and around Silverton since the mid-19th century. In historical times, the region was dominated by the Kalapuya and Molala peoples, whose seasonal burns of the area made it plow-ready and attractive to early 19th century Euro-American settlers. Human habitation of the Silverton area extends back approximately 6,000 years before the present. In 1854 the town of Silverton was platted and registered with Marion County.

In about 1853 a second sawmill was built on Silver Creek near where the Silverton city hall now stands.

The community of Milford was founded in 1846 with a sawmill, store and several other buildings two miles upstream from the present location of Silverton. The city is named after Silver Creek, which flows through the town from Silver Falls into the Pudding River, and thence into the Willamette River. The city is situated along the 45th parallel about 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Salem, in the eastern margins of the broad alluvial plain of the Willamette Valley. Silverton is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States.

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