Official Name: | Alsea, Oregon |
Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community & census-designated place |
Named For: | Alsea River |
Pushpin Map: | USA Oregon#USA |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of Oregon |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | United States |
Subdivision Type1: | State |
Subdivision Name1: | Oregon |
Subdivision Type2: | County |
Subdivision Name2: | Benton |
Area Total Sq Mi: | 0.16 |
Area Total Km2: | 0.40 |
Area Land Sq Mi: | 0.16 |
Area Land Km2: | 0.40 |
Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
Population As Of: | 2020 |
Population Total: | 165 |
Population Density Km2: | 407.95 |
Population Density Sq Mi: | 1057.69 |
Coordinates: | 44.3814°N -123.5964°W |
Timezone: | PST |
Utc Offset: | -8 |
Timezone Dst: | PDT |
Utc Offset Dst: | -7 |
Elevation Ft: | 295 |
Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
Postal Code: | 97324 |
Area Code: | 541 |
Blank Name: | FIPS code |
Blank Info: | 41-01800 |
Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Blank1 Info: | 1137169 |
Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Area Footnotes: | [1] |
Alsea is an unincorporated community in Benton County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is on Oregon Route 34 and the Alsea River. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Alsea as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to the local understanding of the area with the same name. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 165.[2]
Alsea was named for the Alsea River, whose name was a corruption of "Alsi" (also spelled "Ulseah" and "Alsiias") the name of a Native American tribe, now known as the Alsea, that lived at the mouth of the river. The Alsea area was settled by Europeans early as 1855, when the name "Alseya Settlement" appeared on the Surveyor general's map. Alsea post office was established in 1871.[3]
In the early 1850s settlers moved from the Willamette Valley into the Alsea area to take up donation land claims.[4] While logging was once the primary industry in Alsea, it is now known as a place for fishing on the Alsea River, particularly for steelhead,[5] and a favorite stopping point on a well-traveled cycling loop.[6]
This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Alsea has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[7]
Alsea High School, home of the Alsea Wolverines, is a charter school that serves k-12 and has a population of 460 students.[8]
Near Alsea is Hayden Bridge, a historic covered bridge listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[9] The bridge carries Hayden Road over the river from an intersection with Route 34 about 2miles west of Alsea.[10]