Florence, Oregon
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This article is about a city in the US state of Oregon. For the city in Italy, see Florence. For other uses, see Florence (disambiguation).
| Florence, Oregon |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| County | Lane County |
| Incorporated | 1893 |
| Mayor | Phil Brubaker |
| Area | |
| - City | 14.3 km² (5.5 sq mi) |
| - Water | 1.5 km² (0.6 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 4.27 m (14 ft) |
| Population | |
| - City (2000) | 7,263 |
| - Density | 507.9/km² |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | Pacific (UTC-7) |
| Website: www.ci.florence.or.us | |
Florence is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. One tradition states the city was named for state senator A.B. Florence, who represented Lane County from 1858-1860; another is that Florence was named for a French vessel that was wrecked at the mouth of the Siuslaw River February 17, 1875. The population was 7,263 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] History
Following the 1987 United States Supreme Court ruling in California v. Cabazon band of Mission Indians, which opened the door for Native American-owned casinos, the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians sought to build one to improve their economic resources, and in 1998 purchased a 98 acre (397,000 m²) lot next to the Coastal Highland neighborhood at the eastern city limits of Florence as the site of their casino complex, with plans to build a 100+ room hotel, and other 'destination' amenities. At first the U.S. Department of the Interior ruled that this land was not tribal property, which would prohibit the construction of the casino, but political pressure and a subsequent court ruling overturned that decision. Then for a number of years, the state of Oregon fought the construction of a casino, until Ted Kulongoski was elected. Once in office, Governor Kulongoski dropped the lawsuit that would have prevented a casino from locating in this small coastal town. A local group, People Against a Casino Town (PACT) http://www.pactoregon.org, filed a lawsuit against the Governor on September 15, 2003 to block his approval of the casino. That lawsuit continues as of October 2006. PACT draws its support from the retirees who have settled in Florence over the last two decades.
Despite this opposition, the casino opened on June 19, 2004. Due to lack of local support, the casino has had to build its own sewer and water system, and provide its own police protection. While most Oregon cities that have worked with Native American groups in the planning and construction of their casinos (e.g. Lincoln City, Oregon (http://www.pactoregon.org/facts-siletzagrmt.html) and North Bend, Oregon (http://www.pactoregon.org/facts-coquilleagrmt.html) have shared in the revenues, no such agreement currently exists between the Confederated Tribes and Florence. The Governor has also allowed the casinos in Oregon to purchase liquor from the state for about one-half the price that non-casino businesses must pay. (http://www.pactoregon.org/research-pact-olcc.html)
Many of the ideas in Frank Herbert's Dune series came to him during a trip to Florence to write a magazine article about a US Department of Agriculture project there.
Florence is also known as the site of the exploding whale, an incident when the Oregon State Highway Division tried to remove a beached whale by dynamite - with unintended results.
[edit] Geography
Florence is located at (43.984298, -124.102962)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.3 km² (5.5 mi²). 12.7 km² (4.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 10.71 % water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 7,263 people, 3,564 households, and 2,145 families residing in the city. The population density was 570.0/km² (1,476.3/mi²). There were 4,174 housing units at an average density of 327.6/km² (848.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.88 % White, 0.28% African American, 0.92% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 0.56 % from other races, and 1.67 % from two or more races. 2.37 % of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,564 households out of which 16.9 % have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6 % were married couples living together, 9.3 % had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 34.4 % of all households were made up of individuals and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.52.
In the city the population was spread out with 16.8 % under the age of 18, 5.0 % from 18 to 24, 16.0 % from 25 to 44, 23.9 % from 45 to 64, and 38.2 % who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,505, and the median income for a family was $ 36,784. Males had a median income of $ 30,962 versus $ 23,878 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 18,008. 14.4% of the population and 10.0 % of families were below the poverty line. 25.9 % of those under the age of 18 and 8.3 % of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
[edit] Points of interest
- Heceta Head Lighthouse
- Muriel O. Ponsler Memorial State Scenic Viewpoint [1]
- Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park
- Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park [2]
- Darlingtonia State Natural Site
- Sea Lion Caves
- Port of Siuslaw
- Old Town Florence
[edit] Sister City
Florence has one sister city:
Ijira, Japan
A complete history of the relationship may be found here on the City of Florence's website
[edit] External links
- City of Florence, Oregon
- Florence, Oregon Chamber of Commerce Web Page
- Oregon Blue Book entry for Florence
- Siuslaw School District, Florence, Oregon
- Virtual Tours of Florence Attractions
- Florence Municipal Airport
- Harbor Vista Park Webcam
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
