Port Orford, Oregon

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Coordinates: 42°44′59″N, 124°29′53″W
Port Orford, Oregon
1990 Aerial view of Port Orford
Location in Oregon
County	Curry County
Incorporated	1935
Government
- Mayor	Gary Doran
Area
- City	4.2 km² (1.6 sq mi)
- Land	4.1 km² (1.6 sq mi)
- Water	0.1 km² (0.04 sq mi)
Elevation	18.0 m (59 ft)
Population (2000)
- City	1,153
- Density	278.2/km² (719.1/sq mi)
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	Pacific (UTC-7)
Website: http://www.portorford.org

Port in Port Orford

Aerial view of Port Orford. View is to the southeast.

Port Orford is a city in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It is located on the southern Oregon Coast, at the northern end of what coastal Oregonians call the Banana Belt, due to the fact that the weather from Port Orford south is warmer and noticeably different than the weather north of Cape Blanco. The population was 1,153 at the 2000 census.

The town takes its name from George Vancouver's original name for Cape Blanco, which he named for George, Earl of Orford, "a much respected friend."

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] History

Native Americans originally lived in the area.

Captain William Tichenor was the first to settle in the area of the town, which was an important early center for shipping Port Orford Cedar. It was the county seat for Curry between 1855 and 1859; while it was not formally incorporated until 1935, it was the first town to do so in the county.

In October of 1941, then mayor Gilbert Gable, frustrated with the condition of the state roads around Port Orford, whose poor condition hampered economic development, suggested that a number of counties along the Oregon and California state border should secede and create the State of Jefferson. This movement came to an end with US involvement in World War II.

The Port boasts the only dry dock port on the west coast where the fishing boats are lifted in and out of the water by operated cranes.

[edit] Geography

Port Orford is located at 42°44′59″N, 124°29′53″W (42.749713, -124.497952)^GR1. It is 28 miles north of Gold Beach on U.S. Route 101.

The Port Orford Heads State Park is located in Port Orford on a scenic headland and historic Coast Guard station. The city is adjacent to Cape Blanco, considered by many to be the westernmost point in the lower 48 states, and located just north of Humbug Mountain, which is considered the tallest mountain in the lower 48 to descend directly into an ocean.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 km² (1.6 mi²). 4.1 km² (1.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (2.44%) is water. A lake or natural lagoon exists within city boundaries as well as a large amount of wetlands.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,153 people, 571 households, and 311 families residing in the city. The population density was 278.2/km² (719.1/mi²). There were 662 housing units at an average density of 159.7/km² (412.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.40% White, 0.09% African American, 1.39% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.60% of the population.

There were 571 households out of which 19.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45% were non-families. 39% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2 people and the average family size was 2.66.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.8% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 27.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,289, and the median income for a family was $29,653. Males had a median income of $35,221 versus $15,179 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,442. About 16.1% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.