Several years later, in 1811, Astor's Pacific Fur Company founded Fort
Astoria as its primary fur-trading post in the Northwest, and in fact the
first permanent U.S. settlement on the Pacific coast. It was an extremely
important post for American exploration of the continent and was influential
in helping establish American claims to the land. The fort and fur trade was
sold to the British in 1813, and while the fort was restored to the U.S. in
1818, control of the fur trade would remain under the British until American
pioneers following the Oregon Trail began filtering into the port town in
the mid-1840's. The first U.S. Post Office west of the Rocky Mountains was
also established in Astoria in 1847.
As the Oregon Territory grew and became increasingly more settled, Astoria
likewise grew as an ocean/river port city. In 1876 the community was legally
incorporated. It attracted a host of Scandinavian settlers, and the area
still boasts a high concentration of descendants of these original settlers.
In 1883, and again in 1922, downtown Astoria was devastated by fire, but the
city economy was strong enough in both cases to rebuild and thrive. Astoria
has served as a port of entry for over a century and remains the trading
center for the lower Columbia basin.
In addition to Fort Clatsop, another popular point of interest includes the
Astoria Column, a tower 38 m high built atop the hill above the town, with
an inner circular staircase allowing visitors to climb to see a breathtaking
view of the town, the surrounding lands, and the mighty Columbia flowing
into the Pacific. The column was built in 1926 to commemorate the region's
early history by the Astor family.
Eclipsed by Portland and other ports further inland along the Columbia,
Astoria's economy centered around fishing, fish processing, and lumber. In
1945, about 30 canneries could be found along the Columbia; however, in 1974
Bumblebee Seafood moved its headquarters out of Astoria, and gradually
reduced its presence until 1980 when the company closed its last cannery.
The timber industry likewise declined, with Astoria Plywood Mill, the city's
largest employer, closing in 1989, and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Railway announcing in 1996 that they were discontinuing service.
Today, tourism and light manufacturing are the main economic activities of
the city. It is a port of call for cruise ships, with eight docking in 2004
and 14 scheduled in 2005.
Astoria was the location for the filming of the hit 1985 movie The Goonies.
Other movies filmed here include Short Circuit, Kindergarten Cop, and Free
Willy. As of May 2004, filming is taking place for the movie The Ring 2.
Geography
Astoria is located at 46°11'20" North, 123°49'16" West (46.188825,
-123.821007).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
27.5 km˛ (10.6 mi˛). 15.9 km˛ (6.1 mi˛) of it is land and 11.6 km˛ (4.5 mi˛)
of it is water. The total area is 42.18% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 9,813 people, 4,235 households, and
2,469 families residing in the city. The population density is 617.1/km˛
(1,597.6/mi˛). There are 4,858 housing units at an average density of 305.5/km˛
(790.9/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 91.08% White, 0.52% African
American, 1.14% Native American, 1.94% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 2.67%
from other races, and 2.46% from two or more races. 5.98% of the population
are Hispanic American or Latino of any race.
There are 4,235 households out of which 28.8% have children under the age of
18 living with them, 43.5% are married couples living together, 11.2% have a
female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% are non-families.
35.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.6% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.26 and the average family size is 2.93.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18,
9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100
females there are 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $33,011, and the median
income for a family is $41,446. Males have a median income of $29,813 versus
$22,121 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,759. 15.9% of
the population and 11.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 22.0% are under the age of 18 and 9.6% are
65 or older.
Tourist Attractions
Fort Clatsop National Memorial (http://www.nps.gov/focl/)
Astoria Column (http://www.oregoncoast.com/Astorcol/Astorcol.htm)
Columbia River Maritime Museum (http://www.crmm.org/)
Colleges and Universities
Clatsop Community College
