Clatskanie () is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It was named for the Tlatskanai Native American tribe, and the Clatskanie River which flows through the town and empties into the Columbia River about four miles to the north. As of the 2020 census, Clatskanie had a population of 1,716.
History
thumb|left|Clatskanie in 1933
The town was originally called Bryantville after the large family who were among the first filers of Donation Land Claims in the area in 1852–1853. However, the first postmaster, Enoch Conyers, who was married to one of the Bryant daughters, changed the name to Clatskanie after the Tlatskanai Native American tribe.
According to the Clatsop County pioneer Silas B. Smith, Tlatskanai was a point in the Nehalem River that was reached from the Columbia River by way of the Youngs River or by way of the Clatskanie River. The native inhabitants, who were not in the habit of naming streams, did not use the word Tlatskanai for the streams they would follow in order to get to that point, but the white men who settled here later did apply the name to the streams.
Many of Clatskanie's inhabitants are of Nordic heritage, specifically Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Clatskanie has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.
Demographics
thumb|left|Aerial view looking east
thumb|City Hall
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Clatskanie had a population of 1,716. The median age was 39.0 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.7 males age 18 and over.
0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 692 households in Clatskanie, of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.8% were married-couple households, 20.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 1,479 || 86.2%
|-
| Black or African American || 8 || 0.5%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 40 || 2.3%
|-
| Asian || 4 || 0.2%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 2 || 0.1%
|-
| Some other race || 20 || 1.2%
|-
| Two or more races || 163 || 9.5%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 84 || 4.9%
|}
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,737 people, 729 households, and 469 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 806 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.9% White, 0.4% African American, 2.0% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.7% of the population.
There were 729 households, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.7% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.91.
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! DEM
! GOP
! Others
|-
|align="center" |2020
|align="center" |39.5% 367
|align="center" |57.2% 531
|align="center" |3.3% 31
|-
|align="center" |2016
|align="center" |34.3% 265
|align="center" |52.8% 408
|align="center" |12.9% 100
|-
|align="center" |2012
|align="center" |46.3% 348
|align="center" |50.0% 376
|align="center" |3.7% 28
|-
|align="center" |2008
|align="center" |51.3% 382
|align="center" |45.1% 336
|align="center" |3.6% 27
|-
|align="center" |2004
|align="center" |48.4% 382
|align="center" |50.5% 399
|align="center" |1.1% 9
|}
Clatskanie has generally voted Republican in recent years in presidential elections, with the notable exception being Barack Obama in 2008.
Notable people
- Raymond Carver (1938–1988), short story writer and poet
- Cole Escola (1986–), comedian and actor
- Harvey Karman (1924–2008), psychologist and abortion rights activist
- Merlin F. Schneider (1901–1970), Brigadier General, USMC, recipient of the Navy Cross.
See also
- Thomas J. Flippin House
- The Chief (Oregon newspaper), a paper long based in Clatskanie, founded in 1891
References
External links
- Entry for Clatskanie in the Oregon Blue Book
- The Clatskanie Chief Newspaper
de:Clatskanie