What is the oldest city in Oregon?

When learning about the history and culture of Oregon, there’s one area that continues to come up in the conversation. Located in northwestern Clatsop County, the oldest city in Oregon has likely been featured in more famous movies than any other city in the state. This small city is also not far from the oldest golf course in Oregon and west of the Mississippi; interestingly, this city is also the oldest settlement west of the Rocky Mountains too. Have you guessed it yet?

The oldest city in Oregon is none other than Astoria, located near the mouth of the Columbia River with close ties to the historical Lewis & Clark Trail, it was first settled by fur trappers in 1811. Although incorporated later in 1856, it was first settled by John Jacob Astor and his American Fur Company which built Fort Astoria. This important fort and the deepwater Port of Astoria were integral to making this area a hub for settlers for many decades to come.

Astoria is also only 15 miles from Gearhart Golf Links, which is the oldest golf course in Oregon and west of the Mississippi, founded in 1892.

Astoria is also known for having famous movies filmed in the area such as “Kindergarten Cop,” “Short Circuit,” “Goonies,” and “Black Beauty.”

Looking at the population census, Astoria has the same population now as it did in 1930, with just over 10k residents. The biggest it ever got was in the 1920s with over 14k residents. In 1860 it had a population of only 252 residents.

Astoria was mainly the fur trading center of the American Northwest until it started growing with settlers from the Oregon Trail in the 1840s and immigrants in the late 1800s, including Nordic, Swedes, Finns, and Chinese. It became a large fishing, canning, brewing, and logging hub as it grew into the 1900s. Now, Astoria is more of a tourist destination with a flourishing art scene, the restored 1920s Liberty Theater, the Astoria Riverfront Trolly (the featured picture), the Astoria Column, museums, microbreweries, an important fishing and travel port, and a rich history for travelers to enjoy.

Originally published at NewsBreak

Comments

Writing organization and the long road home

Writing about writing is like a maze within the Squidoo. Once upon a time... Way back in the winter of 2013, I started the journey of writing online; this seems like yesterday, yet that was 13 years ago nearly. Interestingly, I started out as a citizen journalist on an up and coming revenue sharing platform called All Voices. That included me of course, yet there wasn’t much revenue sharing coming my way. Maybe, I earned around .50 cents, never reaching the payment threshold. I soon realized after many afternoons of mowing lawns for my small lawn care business, that my hopes and dreams probably wouldn’t be realized through this particular platform. I didn’t stop there though. Proceeding on, in an online world without the Z Generation magnification that came later around 2020, I found Squidoo and HubPages. I proceeded to write heartfelt pieces that helped me realize my writing acumen was lacking something fierce (even worse than now). Still, I carried on. The next stage of development I...

Al-Anon and twelve step programs are a lifeline

The self-help arena is massive and usually new age in nature, yet the path to truth starts with a desire for the truth about ourselves. What makes us who we are? Growing up, I was introduced to Jesus and the Holy Bible, it was a part of my life in some measure, and I’m very grateful for this. I’m not sure how much of my personality and values come from those early introductions to the Christian faith, yet I believe it helped me grow a conscience. Besides a testimony about myself, I want to write about how group counseling can help a person grow, and how the literature of Al-Anon, AA, and other twelve step programs can help us gain insight into why we feel the way we do, why we behave or think the way we do. I don’t think we understand how much alcoholism and drugs affect our lives, how deeply it shapes our perception about ourselves and others. Much of how we interact and deal with others is based on what was lacking in our families and growing up. Many times, we are stunted and unable...

The Online World is Not Reality

Reality is outside of the online world. This may seem like an obvious statement once it is said, yet most of our modern problems are being caused by people not understanding this truth, that the online world is not reality, that reality is outside of the online world. Just estimating the percentage of generations when it comes to online technology, I would say it goes something like this: Boomers: 70% reality 30% online X: 60% reality 40% online Millennials: 50% reality 50% online Z: 30% reality 70% online Alpha: 10% reality 90% online Beta: project this generation to be 99% online 1% reality Essentially, we are moving towards a time when almost all people will think the online world is reality, and those who know reality is outside of the online world will be very few and far between. Social engineering is guiding the mainstream culture and most subcultures, including the false religious systems, in order to create this outcome, where nearly everyone is deceived into thinking the onli...

An Ode to Grandpa Lee

An old-time pioneer amid modern vanity and "progress." The man stood tall in the wind with the sun beating down on his flat-brim cowboy hat. He was a working man, focused on his pioneer family in the western country they called home. Building and designing structures high and wide, the man skipped across wooden beams high in the air, under shadows cast only by moving clouds; wide open spaces watched the scene as death-defying feats were carried out in relative obscurity, as just another day of work. The man was an old-timer with relatively few years to boast, a before his time pioneer with an adventurous and loving wife plotting business in sagebrush lands far beyond the hyped city life bustling with seemingly meaningless activities. His skin was as leather, scorched in the sun and beaten with high winds containing drifting sand mixed with alkaline dirt. The dry mountain air in the high desert cleansed his heart with comfortable respite from the high temps and harsh weather e...

Business and Society Articles

Search This Blog