Clatsop County, Oregon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clatsop County
U.S. county
Clatsop County Courthouse in Astoria
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Oregon
Founded	June 22, 1844
Named for	Clatsop Tribe
Seat	Astoria
Largest city	Astoria
Area
• Total	1,084 sq mi (2,810 km2)
• Land	829 sq mi (2,150 km2)
• Water	255 sq mi (660 km2)  24%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	41,072
• Estimate  (2023)	41,102
• Density	38/sq mi (15/km2)
Congressional district	1st

Map of Clatsop County

Clatsop County (/ˈklætsəp/) is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,072. The county seat is Astoria. The county is named for the Clatsop tribe of Native Americans, who lived along the coast of the Pacific Ocean prior to European settlement. Clatsop County comprises the Astoria, OR Micropolitan Statistical Area, or Sunset Empire, and is located in Northwest Oregon.

History

The Lewis and Clark Expedition stayed for the winter of 1805–06 in the area, establishing Fort Clatsop as one of the earliest American structures on the west coast of North America. Astoria, Oregon's oldest settlement, was established as a fur trading post in 1811 and named after John Jacob Astor.

Clatsop County was created from the northern and western portions of the original Twality District on June 22, 1844. Until the creation of Vancouver District five days later, Clatsop County extended north across the Columbia into present-day Washington. The Provisional and Territorial Legislatures further altered Clatsop County's boundaries in 1845 and 1853.

Before 1850 most of Clatsop County's government activity occurred in Lexington, a community located where Warrenton is now. However, commercial and social activities came to center on Astoria as that city grew, and an election in 1854 chose Astoria to be the new county seat.

Fort Stevens, located near the peninsula formed by the south shore of the Columbia river and the Pacific Ocean, became the only continental US military installation attacked in World War II, when submarine I-25 of the Imperial Japanese Navy fired 17 rounds at the base on June 21, 1942. The submarine escaped when the order was given not to return fire with the 10-inch (250 mm) shore guns. While the damage caused was slight (reportedly only a baseball backstop was damaged and a powerline severed), the presence of the enemy ship sowed panic along the Pacific coast of the United States, and other minor attacks occurred elsewhere in the region, including Vancouver Island.

In 1975, Clatsop County commissioners considered seceding from Oregon and becoming a part of Washington. The movement was based on disagreements residents of the county had with Governor Bob Straub. The movement was created after Alumax Corporation canceled their plans to build a plant in the county. Some residents, including two county commissioners, blamed the Oregon Governor for the relocation of the plant. The State of Washington's Governor, Daniel J. Evans, said the county was not welcome in the state and Clatsop County commissioners later abandoned the idea.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,084 square miles (2,810 km²), of which 829 square miles (2,150 km²) is land and 255 square miles (660 km²) (24%) is water. The highest point is Saddle Mountain at 3,283 feet (1,001 m), part of the Northern Oregon Coast Range.

Major highways

• U.S. Route 26
• U.S. Route 30
• U.S. Route 101

National protected areas

• Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (part)
• Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge
• Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Ecology

Clatsop County is home to a number of plant species that are rare or endemic, including Agrostis swalalahos, Cardamine pattersonii, Carex macrochaeta, Castilleja chambersii, Erigeron peregrinus var. peregrinus, and Saxifraga hitchcockiana.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 37,039 people, 15,742 households, and 9,579 families living in the county. The population density was 44.7 inhabitants per square mile (17.3/km²). There were 21,546 housing units at an average density of 26.0 units per square mile (10.0 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.9% white, 1.2% Asian, 1.0% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 3.3% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.8% were German, 15.4% were English, 14.2% were Irish, 8.9% were American, and 7.5% were Norwegian.

Of the 15,742 households, 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.2% were non-families, and 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 43.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,223 and the median income for a family was $52,339. Males had a median income of $40,741 versus $28,463 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,347. About 9.6% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach is a popular tourist destination in Oregon.

The principal industries of Clatsop County are manufacturing, travel (primarily tourism), and trade. Fishing and timber are still important but contribute proportionally less to the county's employment and income than they used to. The county's average nonfarm employment was 17,480 in 2007. About 30% of the lands within the county boundaries belong to the state of Oregon, as part of the state forests. The Port of Astoria was created in 1914 to support trade and commerce.

Tourism

Astoria, Oregon, the county seat, has multiple tourist attractions including the Astoria Riverfront Trolley, Fort Clatsop, the Uppertown Firefighters Museum, and Columbia River Maritime Museum. Seaside, Oregon, noted as Oregon's oldest ocean resort community, also has multiple tourist attractions including, the Seaside Aquarium, and the Seaside Historical Society Museum. Tourism is noted as one of the major forces in Clatsop County's economy.

Communities

Cities

• Astoria (county seat)
• Cannon Beach
• Gearhart
• Seaside
• Warrenton

Census-designated places

• Jeffers Garden
• Knappa
• River Point
• Svensen
• Westport

Unincorporated communities

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Clatsop para niños