| St. Helens, Oregon | |||
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| — City — | |||
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| Location in Oregon | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Oregon | ||
| County | Columbia | ||
| Incorporated | 1889 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Randy Peterson | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 5.3 sq mi (13.8 km2) | ||
| • Land | 4.3 sq mi (11.3 km2) | ||
| • Water | 1.0 sq mi (2.5 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 39 ft (11.9 m) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| • Total | 10,019 | ||
| • Density | 2,305.6/sq mi (889.3/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Pacific (UTC-7) | ||
| FIPS code | 41-64600[1] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 1126468[2] | ||
| Website | www.ci.st-helens.or.us | ||
St. Helens is the county seat of Columbia County, Oregon. It was founded by Captain H. M. Knighton, a native of New England, in 1845 as "Plymouth". The name was changed to St. Helens in the latter part of 1850 for its view of Mount St. Helens some 39 miles (63 km) away in Washington. The population was 10,019 at the 2000 census.
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St. Helens was established as a river port on the Columbia River in the 1840s. In 1853, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company tried to make the city their only stop on the Columbia River.[3] Portland's merchants boycotted this effort, and the San Francisco steamship Peytona helped break the impasse.[3]
St. Helens was incorporated as a city in 1889.
U.S. Route 30 passes through the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.3 square miles (14 km2), of which 4.3 square miles (11 km2) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (18.27%) is water.
Columbia Heights is a formerly separate populated place that is within the city limits of St. Helens.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 10,019 people, 3,722 households, and 2,579 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,305.6 people per square mile (889.3/km²). There were 4,032 housing units at an average density of 927.8 per square mile (357.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.74% White, 0.34% African American, 1.68% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 1.35% from other races, and 3.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.05% of the population. 21.5% were of German, 10.9% English, 9.5% Irish and 9.3% American ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 3,722 households out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,648, and the median income for a family was $45,548. Males had a median income of $39,375 versus $26,725 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,237. About 8.7% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.
The town is home to sets of many films. These include Halloweentown, and Stephanie Meyer's novel Twilight.[4]
Public schools in St. Helens are served by the St. Helens School District.
The Chronicle is St. Helens' weekly newspaper, published since 1881.[5]
St. Helens has one sister city:
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