Cannon Beach is a city in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Cannon Beach had a population of 1,489. It is a popular coastal Oregon tourist destination, famous for Haystack Rock, a sea stack that juts out along the coast. In 2013, National Geographic listed it as "one of the world's 100 most beautiful places." From a spot near the western cliffs of the headland he saw "...the grandest and most pleasing prospects which my eyes ever surveyed, in front of a boundless Ocean..." That viewpoint, later dubbed "Clark's Point of View," can be accessed by a hiking trail from Indian Beach in Ecola State Park.
Clark and several of his companions, including Sacagawea, completed a three-day journey on January 10, 1806, to the site of the beached whale. They encountered a group of Tillamook who were boiling blubber for storage.
Clark and his party met with them and successfully bartered for of blubber and some whale oil before returning to Fort Clatsop. There is a whale sculpture commemorating the encounter between Clark's group and the Tillamooks in a small park at the northern end of Hemlock Street.
Clark applied the name Ekoli to what is now Ecola Creek. Ehkoli is a Chinook word for "whale".
thumb|left|Looking northwest up the beach
In 1846, a carronade, a short naval cannon, from the US Navy schooner Shark, which had sunk earlier that year, washed ashore just north of Arch Cape, a few miles south of the community. The schooner hit land while attempting to cross the Columbia Bar, also known as the "Graveyard of the Pacific." The cannon, rediscovered in 1898, eventually inspired a name change for the growing community. In 1922, Elk Creek was renamed Cannon Beach (reflecting the beach that extends south of Ecola Creek to Arch Cape) at the insistence of the Post Office Department because the name was frequently confused with Eola. Elk Creek itself was renamed Ecola Creek to honor William Clark's original name. Two more cannons, also believed to have been from the Shark, were discovered on Arch Cape over the weekend of February 16, 2008.
U.S. Highway 101 formerly ran through Cannon Beach. In 1964, a tsunami generated by the Good Friday earthquake came ashore along the coast of the Pacific Northwest. The subsequent flooding inundated parts of Cannon Beach and washed away the highway bridge located on the north side of city. The city, now isolated from the highway, decided to attract visitors by holding a sand castle contest, an event that still continues annually every June.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The Tolovana Park neighborhood is south of the downtown core, adjacent to Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site.
Climate
This region experiences mild, dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Cannon Beach has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Cannon Beach had a population of 1,489. The median age was 53.2 years. 12.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 32.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 83.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.0 males age 18 and over.
0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 705 households in Cannon Beach, of which 17.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.7% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 1,224 || 82.2%
|-
| Black or African American || 3 || 0.2%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 16 || 1.1%
|-
| Asian || 16 || 1.1%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 2 || 0.1%
|-
| Some other race || 81 || 5.4%
|-
| Two or more races || 147 || 9.9%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 185 || 12.4%
|}
2010 census
As of the census particularly popular as a weekend getaway with residents from Portland, Oregon.
Chain stores such as Safeway and McDonald's have been discouraged from building in Cannon Beach in order to preserve the local economy and small-town feel.
The city also hosts an annual Fourth of July parade. Parades in recent years have featured a military flyover and a "Lawn Chair Brigade".
"Spring Unveiling" is an annual arts festival, held on the first Sunday in May, hosted by the city's galleries.
There is an annual late-fall festival called the Stormy Weather Arts Festival, held in November, where artists from across the Pacific Northwest showcase their artwork in the local galleries. Artwork is available for purchase in an auction held at the end of the event.
Several galleries in town feature the works of local and Northwest artists.
Parks and recreation
thumb|[[Haystack Rock during low tide]]
Cannon Beach is recognized by the well-known landmark Haystack Rock, located southwest of downtown Cannon Beach. This sea stack has an elevation of and is often accessible at low tide, especially in the summertime. There is a small cave system that penetrates its igneous rock that can be seen from the coastline. The rock is also protected as part of Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and events are not allowed within of either side of the rock. Near Haystack Rock are the Needles, two tall rocks rising straight out of the water.
Four parks can be found within city limits: Haystack Hill State Park, Les Shirley Park, John Yeon State Natural Site (closed to visitors), and Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site.
Education
It is in the Seaside School District 10. The comprehensive high school of that district is Seaside High School.
Clatsop County is in the boundary of Clatsop Community College.
Media and film
thumb|alt=View of Cannon Beach from Ecola State Park that was also featured in The Goonies.|View of Cannon Beach from [[Ecola State Park that was also featured in The Goonies]]
The Cannon Beach Gazette, a monthly newspaper that covers area politics, news, sports and community events. The paper is owned and operated by Country Media Inc.
Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park have appeared in several films, including The Goonies (1985), Free Willy (1993), Twilight (2008), Hysterical (1983), and Point Break (1991).
Filmography
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Scene
|-
|1985
|The Goonies
|The Fratellis sneak into a race on the beach to evade the authorities during a police chase in the opening credits. Ecola State Park was also the location for the Lighthouse Lounge.
|-
| 1990
| Kindergarten Cop
|Several characters attend a carnival in a scene that was filmed in Ecola State Park.
|-
|1991
|Point Break
|Indian Beach was the stand-in for Bells Beach, Victoria, when Johnny confronts Bodhi, who attempts to go surfing during a storm in the film's time-jumping final act.
|-
|2021
|Far from the Tree
|Although not named, Cannon Beach was the model for the beach in this animated short. Haystack Rock is visible in the background.
|}
Transportation
The main road through Cannon Beach is Hemlock Street, which runs from the north end of the city to the south, through Tolovana Park. Both ends of the street connect to U.S. Highway 101.
Sunset Empire Transportation District operates Route 20 and the Pacific Connector, both of which provide hourly bus service to Cannon Beach, connecting it with other surrounding communities
Tillamook County Transportation District provides hourly service between Cannon Beach and Tillamook
The NorthWest POINT runs between Cannon Beach and Union Station in Portland; tickets can be booked through Amtrak.
References
External links
- Entry for Cannon Beach in the Oregon Blue Book
- City of Cannon Beach official website
- Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce