Port Orford (
Tolowa: tr’ee-ghi~’- ’an’ ) is a
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
in
Curry County on the southern coast of
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, United States. The population was 1,133 at the
2010 census.
The city takes its name from
George Vancouver's original name for nearby
Cape Blanco, which he named for
George, Earl of Orford, "a much-respected friend."
Port Orford is the westernmost settlement in the state of Oregon, and the westernmost incorporated place in the 48 contiguous states.
History
Before the arrival of European settlers, the Port Orford area was inhabited by the indigenous
Tututni peoples. The Tututni languages were a part of the
Pacific Coast Athabaskan language family.
Spanish explorer Bartoleme Ferrelo mapped Cape Blanco in 1543. It remained the farthest north point on the coastal map until 1778, when British explorer Captain Cook found land farther west. Captain George Vancouver sighted land and named it Port Orford in 1792. In June 1851, Captain William Tichenor, in command of the U.S.S. ''Seagull'', pulled into Port Orford, leaving behind nine men. Fort Orford, a U.S. Army fort, was established 14 Sep 1851 near the town and lasted until 22 Aug 1856.
In October 1941, then-mayor Gilbert Gable, frustrated with the poor condition of the state roads around Port Orford, which hampered both travel and economic development, suggested that a number of counties along the Oregon and
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
state border should secede and create the
State of Jefferson. This movement came to an end with U.S. involvement in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Geography
Port Orford is located on
U.S. Route 101 between the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
and the
Siskiyou National Forest, north of
Gold Beach and south of
Bandon. At 124 degrees, 29 minutes, 53 seconds west longitude, it is the westernmost city in the
contiguous United States, though in
Clallam County, Washington, there are three
unincorporated communities that are farther west than Port Orford:
Neah Bay,
La Push, and
Ozette. According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Climate
Port Orford has an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(''
Csb'' according to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system) with cool, very wet winters and mild, dry summers. The average annual
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
is .
It is at the northern end of Oregon's "
banana belt", a region with relatively warm weather caused by the
Brookings effect. Its
hardiness zone is 9b.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 1,133 people, 603 households, and 285 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...
was . There were 767 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.3%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.6%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 1.4%
Native American, 0.5%
Asian, 0.9% from
other races, and 3.3% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 4.3% of the population.
There were 603 households, of which 11.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were
married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.7% were non-families. 43.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.86 and the average family size was 2.47.
The median age in the city was 54.7 years. 11.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.3% were from 25 to 44; 36.7% were from 45 to 64; and 28.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,153 people, 571 households, and 311 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 662 housing units at an average density of . 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
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 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
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $16,442. About 16.1% of families and 17.8% 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 ...
, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The city is served by the
Port Orford-Langlois School District, which includes Driftwood Elementary School, and
Pacific High School.
Media
*
KDPO-FM 91.9 Radio, repeater station to
KDOV-FM of
Medford, Oregon
Notable people
*
Hanneke Cassel (1978–), folk violinist
*
Eli Clare (1963–), writer
*
Samuel Colver (1817–1891), settler
*
Richard T. Drinnon (1925–2012), historian
*
Gilbert Gable (1886–1941), politician
*
Nick Reynolds (1933–2008), musician
*
David Brock Smith, politician
See also
*
Orford Reef
*
Port Orford meteorite hoax
References
External links
Official siteEntry for Port Orfordin the ''
Oregon Blue Book''
*
*
wikisource:en:Oregon Historical Quarterly/Volume 25/Address by Binger Hermann
{{authority control
Cities in Oregon
Populated coastal places in Oregon
Cities in Curry County, Oregon
Port cities in Oregon
1856 establishments in Oregon Territory
Populated places established in 1856
Tututni