Northwest Oregon Explained

Northwest Oregon is a geographic and cultural region of the U.S. state of Oregon, composed of Clatsop, Columbia, and Tillamook counties.[1] The region encompasses the northernmost parts of the state along the lowerColumbia River.

History

The region was inhabited for thousands of years by the Chinook and Salish peoples.

In May 1792, American explorer Robert Gray became the first European American to navigate the Columbia River, trading with the native tribes and exploring up to 15 miles upriver.[2] Gray created a chart of the lower river, a copy of which was acquired by British explorer George Vancouver. Vancouver conducted a more thorough expedition of the river, traveling as far up as Mount Hood.[3]

The Lewis and Clark Expedition, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, sighted the Pacific Ocean for the first time on November 7, 1805, arriving two weeks later.[4] [5] The expedition faced its second bitter winter camped on the north side of the Columbia River, in a storm-wracked area.[4] Lack of food was a major factor. The elk, the party's main source of food, had retreated from their usual haunts into the mountains, and the party was now too poor to purchase enough food from neighboring tribes.[6] On November 24, 1805, the party voted to move their camp to the south side of the Columbia River near modern Astoria, Oregon. Sacagawea, and Clark's slave York, were both allowed to participate in the vote, so this may have been the first time in American history where a woman and a slave were allowed to vote in an election run by European immigrants. Indigenous people had included women previously.[7]

On the south side of the Columbia River, 2miles upstream on the west side of the Netul River (now Lewis and Clark River), they constructed Fort Clatsop.[4] They did this not just for shelter and protection, but also to officially establish the American presence there, with the American flag flying over the fort.[8] [9] During the winter at Fort Clatsop, Lewis committed himself to writing. He filled many pages of his journals with valuable knowledge, mostly about botany, because of the abundant growth and forests that covered that part of the continent.[10] The health of the men also became a problem, with many suffering from colds and influenza.[6]

In 1811, British explorer David Thompson, the first person known to have navigated the entire length of the Columbia River, reached the partially constructed Fort Astoria near the mouth of the river. He arrived just two months after the Pacific Fur Company's ship, the Tonquin.[11] The fort constructed by the Tonquin party established Astoria as a U.S., rather than a British, settlement.[12] It became a vital post for American exploration of the continent and was later used as an American claim in the Oregon boundary dispute with European nations. Astoria is the oldest permanently inhabited settlement established by Americans on the Pacific coast.

In 1848, the area became part of the Oregon Territory, and became part of the state of Oregon following Oregon's admission to the Union in 1859.

Geography

Northwest Oregon is bounded on the north and much of the east by the Columbia River which separates it from the state of Washington, on the west by the Pacific Ocean, and on the southeast by the rest of Oregon. The Willamette meridian marks the southeast corner.[13] Saddle Mountain, at an elevation of 3,288 feet, is the highest mountain in the region.[14] It is part of the Oregon Coast Range, which takes up most of the interior of the region.

Counties

Generally, the following three counties are considered to be part of Northwest Oregon. Sometimes, parts of Washington County are included as well.

The total population of the region is 113,084.[15]

Cities

CityCountyPopulation (2015)
St. HelensColumbia13,158
AstoriaClatsop9,626
ScappooseColumbia6,954
SeasideClatsop6,540
WarrentonClatsop5,282
TillamookTillamook4,997
VernoniaColumbia2,143
Columbia CityColumbia1,958
RainierColumbia1,920
ClatskanieColumbia1,759
Cannon BeachClatsop1,702
GearhartClatsop1,524
Rockaway BeachTillamook1,347
Bay CityTillamook1,332
GaribaldiTillamook783
ManzanitaTillamook622
WheelerTillamook419
NehalemTillamook278
PrescottColumbia49
  1. Web site: Northwest Oregon. January 24, 2017.
  2. Book: Brown, J. Henry. Political History of Oregon: Provisional Government. The Lewis & Dryden Printing Co.: Portland. 1892.
  3. Book: Etulain, Richard W.. Western Lives: A Biographical History Of The American West. 2004. UNM Press. 978-0-8263-3472-5. 97–101.
  4. http://www.nps.gov/lewi/historyculture/index.htm History & Culture - Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)
  5. Web site: Lewis and Clark, Journey Leg 13, 'Ocian in View!', October 08-December 07, 1805 . . 1996 . October 22, 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160927025708/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/journey_leg_13.html . September 27, 2016 .
  6. [#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]
  7. [#Clark|Clark & Edmonds, 1983]
  8. [#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]
  9. [#Harris|Harris, Buckley, 2012]
  10. [#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]
  11. Book: Meinig, D.W.. D.W. Meinig. The Great Columbia Plain. Weyerhaeuser Environmental Classic. 1968. 1995. University of Washington Press. 978-0-295-97485-9. 37–38, 50 .
  12. Book: Meinig, D.W. . D.W. Meinig . The Great Columbia Plain . 1968 . Weyerhaeuser Environmental Classic . 1995 . University of Washington Press . Seattle, Washington . 0-295-97485-0 . 37–38, 50.
  13. Web site: Stroud. Kathy. Research Guides: General Land Office (GLO) Records: Start. 2022-06-27.
  14. RD1964 . Saddle Mountain 3 Reset . 2008-11-02.
  15. Web site: County Totals Dataset: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015. July 2, 2016. dead. https://archive.today/20160708144914/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/counties/totals/2015/CO-EST2015-alldata.html. July 8, 2016.

Politics

Presidential election results[16]
YearDemocraticRepublicanOthers
202047.7% 34,81748.9% 35,7223.4% 2,480
201641.9% 25,18746.4% 27,89311.7% 7,005
201251.9% 28,15843.7% 23,7054.3% 2,349
200855.0% 31,16341.3% 23,3623.7% 2,088
200451.2% 29,77447.1% 27,3741.8% 1,029
200048.7% 24,38944.1% 22,0947.1% 3,562
199650.4% 22,78234.1% 15,42315.5% 7,008
199244.1% 21,03827.8% 13,26928.1% 13,391
198856.2% 22,58641.5% 16,6772.3% 929
198450.0% 20,73249.6% 20,6000.4% 166
198044.9% 18,12741.8% 16,87013.3% 5,370
197652.7% 19,15142.5% 15,4374.8% 1,754
197247.1% 15,55846.9% 15,4665.9% 1,951
196851.2% 15,91642.7% 13,2796.1% 1,881
196470.6% 21,34529.1% 8,8300.2% 79
196052.5% 16,17447.3% 14,5770.2% 67
Politically, Northwest Oregon is divided. Clatsop County leans Democratic, having not voted for a Republican in a presidential election since 1956. Columbia County is traditionally Democratic, although in 2016 it voted for a Republican (Donald Trump) for the first time since 1928. Tillamook County is more of a swing county, voting Democratic 15 times and Republican seven times since 1932. Since 1920 it has also acted as somewhat of a bellwether, voting for the national winner all but three times since then.

Northwest Oregon is represented congressionally by Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (Clatsop and Columbia) and Kurt Schrader (Tillamook), both Democrats. Most of the region is represented in the Oregon State Senate by Betsy Johnson, a Democrat; it is represented in the Oregon House of Representatives by Brad Witt and Deborah Boone, also Democrats. Southern Tillamook County is served by Senator Arnie Roblan and Representative David Gomberg, also Democrats.

See also