Harlan is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States, about 30 miles west of Corvallis. It is located in a valley of the Central Oregon Coast Range in the Siuslaw National Forest. The community's economy was once based on logging and sawmills. Cattle ranching is another mainstay of the local economy. James R. Harlan helped establish a post office at this locale and the office was named for him. Harlan post office ran from 1890 until 1968; Harlan was the first postmaster. Harlan Cemetery was also founded in 1890.