Chodźko was educated at the University of Vilnius, where he was a member of the Philomaths, a secret organization established in 1816 by Vilnius University students including Adam Mickiewicz, Tomasz Zan and Józef Jeżowski.
Philomath is mentioned in the 1985 R.E.M song "Cant Get There from Here", with singer Michael Stipe singing the lines "If you're needing inspiration, Philomath is where I go by dawn" and "Philomath they know the low-down." The liner notes for the band's Eponymous compilation album identify Philomath as "located between Lexington and Crawfordville and used to have its own post office."
The film Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon documents the clash of cultures in Philomath between the old-time timber industry and the professionals and techies of the information age.
The 25-student Blodgett Elementary School serves kindergarten through fourth grade; older students attend Philomath Middle School and Philomath High School in nearby Philomath.
The largest employers are no longer the lumber mills but Oregon State University in Corvallis, which is about six miles from Philomath, and a Hewlett-Packard center involved in engineering ink-jet components.
Gene Tools, LLC is a limited liability company located in Philomath, Oregon, United States that manufactures Morpholino antisense oligos and delivery reagents.
Shakespeare Behind Bars, a documentary by Philomath Films based on Kentucky Shakespeare’s program at Luther Luckett Correctional Complex, was selected for its world premiere at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
The Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire, originally located in nearby Philomath, now takes place in Kings Valley every September.
School clubs include How and Why Club - HWC (Science), Englicom Society (English), Philomath Society (Mathematics), Samahang Pilipino ang Titik - PILANTIK (Filipino), Sports and Cultural Club - SCC (MAPEH), Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP), Boy Scouts of the Philippines(BSP) and the Supreme Student Government.
Adam Mickiewicz, one of the Three Polish Bards, convicted of being a Philomath member and exiled into Russia, later described his experiences in that period in the third part of a major work, Dziady (Forefathers' Eve).