Clatsop County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,039. The county seat is Astoria. The county is named for the Clatsop tribe of Native Americans, who lived along the coast of the Pacific Ocean prior to European settlement.
Clatsop County comprises the Astoria, OR Micropolitan Statistical Area, or Sunset Empire, and is located in Northwest Oregon.
History
The Lewis and Clark Expedition stayed for the winter of 1805–6 in the area, establishing Fort Clatsop as one of the earliest American structures on the west coast of North America. Astoria, Oregon's oldest settlement, was established as a fur trading post in 1811 and named after John Jacob Astor.
Clatsop County was created from the northern and western portions of the original Twality District on June 22, 1844. Until the creation of Vancouver District five days later, Clatsop County extended north across the Columbia into present-day Washington. The Provisional and Territorial Legislatures further altered Clatsop County's boundaries in 1845 and 1853.
Before 1850 most of Clatsop County's government activity occurred in Lexington, a community located where Warrenton is now. However, commercial and social activities came to center on Astoria as that city grew, and an election in 1854 chose Astoria to be the new county seat.
Fort Stevens, located near the peninsula formed by the south shore of the Columbia river and the Pacific Ocean, became the only continental US military installation attacked in World War II, when submarine I-25 of the Imperial Japanese Navy fired 17 rounds at the base on June 21, 1942. The submarine escaped when the order was given not to return fire with the shore guns. This was ostensibly done in order to avoid disclosing the position of the fort; however this is disputed by various sources and the field report from the event has never been found. While the damage caused was slight (reportedly only a baseball backstop was damaged and a powerline severed), the presence of the enemy ship sowed panic along the Pacific coast of the United States, and other minor attacks occurred elsewhere in the region, including Vancouver Island.
In 1975, Clatsop County commissioners considered seceding from Oregon and becoming a part of Washington. The movement was based on disagreements residents of the county had with then-Governor Bob Straub. The movement was created after Alumax Corporation canceled their plans to build a plant in the county. Some residents, including two county commissioners, blamed the Oregon Governor for the relocation of the plant. The highest point is Saddle Mountain at 3,283 feet (1,001 m), part of the Northern Oregon Coast Range.
Adjacent counties
Columbia County (east)
Pacific County, Washington (north)
Wahkiakum County, Washington (north)
Tillamook County (south)
Washington County (southeast)
Major highways
U.S. Route 26
20px U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 101
National protected areas
Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (part)
Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge
Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Demographics
Economy
The principal industries of Clatsop County are manufacturing, travel (primarily tourism), and trade. Fishing and timber are still important but contribute proportionally less to the county's employment and income than they used to. The county's average nonfarm employment was 17,480 in 2007. About 30% of the lands within the county boundaries belong to the state of Oregon, as part of the state forests. The Port of Astoria was created in 1914 to support trade and commerce.
Tourism
Astoria, Oregon, the county seat, has multiple tourist attractions including the Astoria Riverfront Trolley, Fort Clatsop, the Uppertown Firefighters Museum, and Columbia River Maritime Museum. Seaside, Oregon, noted as Oregon's oldest ocean resort community,
