Depoe Bay is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States, located on U.S. Route 101 on the Pacific Ocean. As of the 2020 census, Depoe Bay had a population of 1,515. The bay of the same name is a harbor that the city promotes as the world's smallest navigable harbor.

History

Depoe Bay was named for Siletz Indian Charles "Charley" Depoe (born Ki-sa Che-wes-cla) who was originally allotted the land in 1894 as part of the Dawes Act of 1887. One says he was given the name "Depot Charley" for working at the military depot near Toledo, Oregon. The family was later known as "DePoe" after his son, Robert DePoe attended the Carlisle Indian School. His original tribal affiliation was Josua/Tututni.

On March 11, 2011, Depoe Bay's port was damaged by a tsunami caused by the Tōhoku earthquake off the coast of Japan.

On August 21, 2017, Depoe Bay became one of the first places in the United States to witness totality of the North American solar eclipse of that year.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Depoe Bay had a population of 1,515. The median age was 60.1 years. 10.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 39.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.8 males age 18 and over.

There were 740 households in Depoe Bay, of which 13.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.5% were married-couple households, 15.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 1,343 || 88.6%

|-

| Black or African American || 9 || 0.6%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 21 || 1.4%

|-

| Asian || 18 || 1.2%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 4 || 0.3%

|-

| Some other race || 22 || 1.5%

|-

| Two or more races || 98 || 6.5%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 77 || 5.1%

|}

2010 census

thumb|The city entrance sign over the harbor

thumb|Depoe Bay

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,398 people, 714 households, and 411 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,158 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.9% White, 1.5% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 1.5% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.8% of the population.

There were 714 households, of which 10.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.4% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.96 and the average family size was 2.39. Owned by Agpal Broadcasting, the station specializes in classic hits.

In 1975, the fishing trip sequence in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was filmed in Depoe Bay.

In 1983, the harbor sequence in Hysterical was filmed in Depoe Bay, with the Depoe Bay Bridge prominent in the background.

In 2008, restaurant scenes from The Burning Plain were filmed in Depoe Bay, at the Tidal Raves restaurant.

See also

  • Gracie's Sea Hag, seafood restaurant
  • Whale Cove

Notes

References

  • Official site for City of Depoe Bay
  • Entry for Depoe Bay in the Oregon Blue Book