Gold Beach (

Tolowa The Tolowa people or Taa-laa-wa Dee-ni’ are a Native American people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethno-linguistic group. Two rancherias (Smith River and Elk Valley) still reside in their traditional territory in northwestern California. Tho ...

: yan-shu’-chit, yan-shuu-chit’-dvn) is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Curry County,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States, on the

Oregon Coast The Oregon Coast is a coastal region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Oregon Coast Range to the east, and stretches approximately from the California state border in the south to the Columbia ...

. The population was 2,241 at the 2020 census.

History

The community was originally named Ellensburg in the 1850s, but later took the name Gold Beach after a beach near the mouth of the Rogue River where hundreds of

placer mine Placer mining () is the mining of stream bed (alluvial) deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit (also called open-cast mining) or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment. Placer mining is frequently used for p ...

s extracted

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

. An Ellensburg post office was established in 1853, changed to Ellensburg in 1877, and changed to Gold Beach in 1890. Mailboats based in Gold Beach have been delivering mail upstream to Agness since 1895, one of only two rural mailboat routes remaining in the U.S. Although Gold Beach had been a community since the middle of the 19th century, and the county seat since 1859, its current incorporation charter only dates to 1945.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Gold Beach is bordered to the north by the Rogue River and

Barley Beach Barley Beach is the official GNIS name given to an undeveloped sandy beach on the Oregon Coast immediately north of Gold Beach in Curry County, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United Stat ...

, also known as Bailey Beach.

Climate

Gold Beach has cool, very wet winters and mild, relatively dry summers. The location is heavily influenced by the moderating waters of the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

and the cool offshore currents. As a result, the temperature swings are very narrow for a climate of its latitude. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Gold Beach has a warm-summer

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(''Csb''). Between 1948 and 2014, the average maximum temperature in January was about , and the average minimum was about . The corresponding averages for July were and . Annually, there are high temperatures of on an average of only 0.1 days and there are low temperatures of or lower on an average of 9.2 days. The record high temperature was on September 10, 1973. The record low temperature was on January 21, 1962. The average annual precipitation between 1948 and 2014 was about , mostly falling between October and April. Measurable precipitation occurs on an average of 132 days. The wettest "rain year" was from July 1973 to June 1974 with and the driest from July 1976 to June 1977 with . The most precipitation in one month was in November 1973. The most precipitation in 24 hours was on December 3, 1987. Snow is very rare in Gold Beach, averaging only annually. The most snow in one year was in 1972, including in January and in December. According to the

Trewartha climate classification The Trewartha climate classification (TCC) or the Köppen–Trewartha climate classification (KTC) is a climate classification system first published by American geographer Glenn Thomas Trewartha in 1966. It is a modified version of the Köppen ...

, it has a subtropical climate and is one of the northernmost North American locations to have one.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 2,253 people, 1,070 households, and 614 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 1,322 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 2.0% Native American, 0.8%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.6% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 4.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 4.9% of the population. There were 1,070 households, of which 19.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.6% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.60. The median age in the city was 50.6 years. 16.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.4% were from 25 to 44; 36.5% were from 45 to 64; and 22.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,897 people, 829 households, and 509 families residing in the city. The population density was 813.7 people per square mile (314.4/km²). There were 987 housing units at an average density of 423.4 per square mile (163.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.09% White, 0.26% African American, 2.21% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 1.16% from other races, and 2.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.69% of the population. There were 829 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.75. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.0% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,243, and the median income for a family was $37,634. Males had a median income of $31,083 versus $23,512 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $16,717. About 8.8% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Gold Beach is served by the Central Curry School District. The schools, Riley Creek School and

Gold Beach High School Gold Beach High School is a public high school in Gold Beach, Oregon, United States. It is a part of the Central Curry School District. In addition to Gold Beach, the district's boundary includes Nesika Beach, Pistol River The Pistol River is ...

, are located in Gold Beach. The entire county is in the Southwestern Oregon Community College district.

Notable people

Gregory Harrison Gregory Neale Harrison (born May 31, 1950) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Chandler in the 1987 film ''North Shore (1987 film), North Shore'', as Dr. George Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates, the young surgeon assistant of Dr. Trapper John ...

— actor; was a resident of Gold Beach for 15 years. *

Travis Rush Travis Benjamin Rush is a country music singer from Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington ...

— country singer; grew up in Gold Beach. *

Bridgette Wilson Bridgette Leann Wilson Sampras (born September 25, 1973) is a former American actress, singer, model, and Miss Teen USA award winner. Wilson began her career as an actress after being crowned Miss Teen USA in 1990, playing the character of L ...

— actress, Miss Oregon Teen USA 1990,

Miss Teen USA 1990 Miss Teen USA 1990, the 8th Miss Teen USA pageant, was televised live from Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi, on July 16, 1990. At the conclusion of the final competition, Bridgette Wilson of Oregon was crowned by outgoing ti ...

, wife of tennis champion

Pete Sampras Petros "Pete" Sampras ( el, Πέτρος Σάμπρας; born August 12, 1971) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. His professional career began in 1988 and ended at the 2002 US Open, which he won, defeating longtime rival Andre ...

; was born and raised in Gold Beach.

Transportation

Gold Beach Municipal Airport Gold Beach Municipal Airport is a public use airport located in Gold Beach, Oregon, Gold Beach, a city in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It is owned by the Port of Gold Beach. This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airp ...

Media

Newspapers

The Curry County Reporter is the region's newspaper, established in 1914.

Radio

* KGBR 92.7 FM - Top 40

References

External links

City of Gold Beach Official Site

Entry for Gold Beach
in the ''

Oregon Blue Book The ''Oregon Blue Book'' is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon prepared by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. The ''Blue Book'' comes in both print and on ...

''
Gold Beach Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Curry County, Oregon County seats in Oregon Populated coastal places in Oregon Port cities in Oregon Oregon Coast Rogue River (Oregon) 1863 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1863 Cities in Oregon Curry County, Oregon