Port Orford, Oregon

Port Orford () is a city in Curry County on the southern coast of Oregon, United States. The population was 1,146 at the 2020 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

thumb|left|Circa 1920–30

Before the arrival of European settlers, the Port Orford area was inhabited by the indigenous Tututni people. The Tututni languages were a part of the Pacific Coast Athabaskan language family.

thumb|[[Battle Rock as depicted in the 19th century]]

thumb|Battle Rock

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 state border should secede and create the State of Jefferson. This movement came to an end with U.S. involvement in World War II.

Geography

Port Orford is located on U.S. Route 101 between the Pacific Ocean 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 city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

There is a low promontory called Battle Rock on the southern coast of Port Orford. The average annual precipitation 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.

</div>

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Port Orford had a population of 1,146. The median age was 60.8 years. 11.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 41.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.5 males age 18 and over.

0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 605 households in Port Orford, of which 14.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.7% were married-couple households, 24.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 42.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 26.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 1,011 || 88.2%

| Black or African American || 5 || 0.4%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 21 || 1.8%

| Asian || 8 || 0.7%

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

| Some other race || 12 || 1.0%

| Two or more races || 85 || 7.4%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 48 || 4.2%

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,133 people, 603 households, and 285 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 767 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.3% White, 0.6% African American, 1.4% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.3% of the population.

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
Rick Harrison (1965-), TV star
William Tichenor (1813-1887), settler and politician

References

External links

Official site
Entry for Port Orford in the Oregon Blue Book
wikisource:en:Oregon Historical Quarterly/Volume 25/Address by Binger Hermann