Seaside is a city located in Clatsop County, Oregon. The name Seaside came
from a summer resort built by the railroad magnate, Ben Holladay in the
1870s, Seaside House, located a mile south of the business center. As of the
2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,900.
Geography
Seaside is located at 45°59'34" North, 123°55'20" West (45.992850,
-123.922108).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
10.4 km˛ (4.0 mi˛). 10.0 km˛ (3.9 mi˛) of it is land and 0.4 km˛ (0.2 mi˛)
of it is water. The total area is 3.99% water.
Seaside lies on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, at the southern end of the
Clatsop Plains, about 29 km (18 mi) south of where the Columbia River
empties into the Pacific. The Necanicum River bisects the town and flows out
to the ocean at the northern edge of town. Tillamook Head towers over the
south edge of town.
Transportation
Seaside has one major highway U.S. Highway 101 (cosigned with U.S. Highway
26).
Seaside is served by an intercity bus system.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 5,900 people, 2,656 households, and
1,511 families residing in the city. The population density is 590.2/km˛
(1,529.4/mi˛). There are 4,078 housing units at an average density of 407.9/km˛
(1,057.1/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 93.08% White, 0.34% African
American, 0.98% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.29% Pacific Islander, 2.17%
from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. 6.46% of the population
are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,656 households out of which 25.1% have children under the age of
18 living with them, 39.6% are married couples living together, 12.8% have a
female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% are non-families.
35.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.8% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.17 and the average family size is 2.76.
In the city the population is spread out with 21.4% under the age of 18,
8.4% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100
females there are 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 86.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $31,074, and the median
income for a family is $40,957. Males have a median income of $29,400 versus
$21,913 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,893. 15.6% of
the population and 11.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 25.2% are under the age of 18 and 11.4% are
65 or older.
History
About January 1, 1806 a group of men from the Lewis and Clark Expedition
built a salt-making cairn at the present site of Seaside. The Native
American name for the Clatsop village near the cairn was Ne-co-tat. The town
was incorporated in 1899.
Every spring, Seaside hosts the Dorchester Conference, a convention of the
Oregon Republican Party. This convention was founded in 1964, by then-state
representative Bob Packwood as a forum for liberal Republicans, but within
the next few years attracted interest from other Republicans, and in the
1990s was dominated by members of the conservative branch of the party. The
conference has over the years attracted visits from presidential candidates,
debates between Republican primary candidates, and discussions of wider
politcal and social issues.
