| Official Name: | Yachats, Oregon |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Nickname: | Home of the World's Largest Ocean |
| Motto: | Gem of the Oregon Coast[1] |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Coordinates: | 44.3111°N -124.1047°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name1: | Oregon |
| Subdivision Name2: | Lincoln |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Established Date: | 1967 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Craig Berdie[2] |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
| Area Total Km2: | 2.39 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 0.92 |
| Area Land Km2: | 2.36 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 0.91 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.03 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.01 |
| Elevation M: | 13.7 |
| Elevation Ft: | 45 |
| Population Total: | 994 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Density Km2: | 421.43 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1091.11 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Demonym |
| Population Blank1: | Yachatian |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 97498 |
| Area Code: | 541 |
| Website: | http://www.yachatsoregon.org |
| Timezone: | Pacific |
| Utc Offset: | -8 |
| Timezone Dst: | Pacific |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -7 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 41-84200[4] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1152681[5] |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Yachats is a small coastal city in the southernmost area of Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. According to Oregon Geographic Names, the name comes from the Siletz language and means "dark water at the foot of the mountain". There is a range of differing etymologies.[6] William Bright says the name comes from the Alsea placename yáx̣ayky (IPA: pronounced as //ˈjaχajkʲ//).[7] At the 2020 census, the city's population was 994.
Archeological studies have shown that the Yachats area has been inhabited for at least 1,500 years. Remains of a pit-house in Yachats have been radiocarbon dated at approximately 570 AD.[8] Yachats is built on seashell middens and numerous graves left by its past inhabitants. Excavations for construction of buildings and U.S. Route 101 uncovered a great many skeletons and artifacts. Most of these became part of the fill dirt forming the base of the current highway and city.[9]
For many centuries the Native Americans in this area were hunter-gatherers who migrated between summer camps and winter residences. The Alsea Tribe had as many as 20 permanent villages (used on an annually rotating basis) on the Alsea River and the central Oregon coast. Archeological and linguistic evidence support the existence of a southern Alsea village known as the Yahuch band, located on the coast at the Yachats River. By 1860, the Yahuch band was extinct, many having succumbed to European diseases such as smallpox and tuberculosis.[10]
In order to open up land in the Coos Bay area for homesteading in the early 1860s, the U.S. Army forcibly marched the Coos and Lower Umpqua Indians 80miles north over rugged terrain to the Alsea Sub-Agency reservation in Yachats where the peaceful Indians, treated by the Army as though they were prisoners of war, were incarcerated.[11] Amanda's Trail, named for a blind Indian woman who suffered greatly on the march, was dedicated on July 19, 2009.[12] The trail climbs 800feet from downtown Yachats to the summit of Cape Perpetua where it links with the extensive trail system of the Siuslaw National Forest.[13]
In Yachats the hunter-gatherer tribes were forced to learn to make a living by agriculture. Crops planted near the ocean failed, resulting in many deaths from starvation. Approximately 300 Indians died in just 10 years. Twelve years after the Alsea Sub-Agency had opened, the Indians were allowed to establish a trail and develop agricultural plots up the Yachats River Valley, where they were able to grow potatoes, oats, wheat, and corn. They were also allowed to return to hunting. Once the Indians had built a new life there, the U.S. government opened up the area for homesteading in 1875, and once again, forced the Indians to move—some returned to their ancestral homelands, others went 40miles north to the Siletz Reservation. Many of the Indians died during this relocation.[14]
Homesteaders used the Indian farms and trails to develop the Yachats area. In 1892 the first post office was established in Yachats (called Oceanview until it was renamed Yachats in 1917). Until Yachats could be reached by a macadam road, rains made it impossible for the mail to be carried by car. The Roosevelt Memorial Highway (now Highway 101), carved out of the rock of Cape Perpetua in 1931, changed all this by opening up a route from the town of Florence. Despite the early difficulties of reaching Yachats, the tourist industry began in 1905 with the conversion of a chittum bark warehouse into the first hotel. Today tourism is the city's main industry.[15]
Yachats was part of the war effort in both World Wars I and II. Spruce was needed for airplanes during World War I, and in 1918 the U.S. Army Signal Corps under the Spruce Production Division wanted to commence logging of the Blodgett Tract area, an area about 2miles north of Yachats. A 23.5 mile long logging railroad, the Alsea Southern Railroad, needed for transporting logs to the Yaquina River was completed by the Spruce Production Division from South Beach, Oregon (near Newport, Oregon) to Yachats on Nov. 8, 1918, just three days before the war ended. Logs could then be floated on the river to the mill in Toledo, Oregon. A private company, the Pacific Spruce Corporation under its Manary Logging Company subsidiary, purchased the railroad and completed in Sept. 1922 a large centralized logging facility called "Camp 1", north of Yachats. "Camp 1" contained a machine shop, locomotive shed, bunkhouses, bungalows, mess hall, school, and commissary. Manary Logging and its successors continued the logging operations in the area until 1937.[16] [17] [18]
Early in World War II the West Shelter built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) near the top of Cape Perpetua was used as an observation site and radar station for the detection of enemy submarines and aircraft. In Yachats, foxholes and gun emplacements were installed along the ocean drive. Military personnel were housed in a local skating rink and the Ladies Club was rented for recreation. After the war, the U.S. Coast Guard discovered Japanese mines that had floated onto the beaches. These were hauled out to sea and destroyed.[19]
The Little Log Church is a historical museum displaying many artifacts relating to Yachats's past. The church, built in 1926, was designed in the shape of a cross. Sir Robert Perks, who owned most of Yachats at the time, provided the property; the logs were donated as well and the work was contributed by local citizens. The museum is now owned by the city.[20]
Of city residents age 25 or older in 2000, 94.0% achieved a high school education or higher, compared to the national average of 80.4%, and 40.3% held a bachelor's degree or higher compared to 24.4% nationally.
As of the United States Census[21] of 2010, there were 690 people, 400 households, and 198 families residing in the city. The population density was 758.2PD/sqmi. There were 807 housing units at an average density of 886.8/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 95.2% White, 0.1% African American, 1.7% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 4.8% of the population.
There were 400 households, of which 5.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 50.5% were non-families. 42.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.72 and the average family size was 2.22.
The median age in the city was 62.3 years. 4.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 10.8% were from 25 to 44; 39.5% were from 45 to 64; and 41.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.
As of the census of 2000, there were 617 people, 333 households, and 185 families residing in the city. The population density was 693.1sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 619 housing units at an average density of 695.3sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 96.27% White, 0.16% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.81% Asian, and 2.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.76% of the population.
There were 333 households, out of which 10.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.85 and the average family size was 2.34.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 11.7% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 13.0% from 25 to 44, 39.4% from 45 to 64, and 32.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,308, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $36,875 versus $31,806 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,143. About 12.8% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
The principal industries of Lincoln County are lumber, fishing, tourism and recreation, and food products manufacturing.[22] Tourism is Yachats's main industry.[15] [22]
Yachats is the southernmost city in Lincoln County. It is bounded by the Central Oregon Coast Range on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west. To the south is a rugged portion of highway around and just south of Cape Perpetua, connecting the city to Lane County on U.S. Route 101. Yachats is almost exactly halfway between the 2 most populous coastal cities in Lincoln and Lane Counties respectively, being 23miles north of Florence,[23] 8miles south of Waldport,[24] and 23miles south of Newport.[25] The city straddles the Yachats River and estuary. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.92sqmi, of which, 0.91sqmi is land and 0.01sqmi is water.[26]
The climate of Yachats is relatively mild throughout the year because of the moderating effects of the ocean currents. Temperatures rarely drop below 30F in the winter or rise above 75F in the summer. The highest recorded temperature, however, was 100F in July 1961 and the record low was 1F in December 1972. Snow is uncommon and only occurs in rare offshore flow events with deformation banding in Arctic fronts and overrunning low pressure systems that move inland to the south, but rainfall is quite heavy through the winter months and several storms come out of the Gulf of Alaska each winter.[27]
The Yachats la de da Parade is held each July 4 at noon.[28] It features anyone in town who wants to participate. Some of the regular entries include the Yachats Umbrella Drill Team, a belly dancing troupe, and a Yachats Fire Department truck accompanied by Dalmatian miniature goats. Starting in 2012, the Oregon Central Coast PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) have also marched in the parade. For the past several years, the Yachats Youth and Family Activities Program (YYFAP) has run a (rubber) duck race in the Yachats estuary shortly following the parade. Then, in the evening, an extensive fireworks display is launched out over the ocean.
The Yachats Music Festival brings 20 to 30 of the world's major classical musicians for four concerts throughout a weekend in July.[29] The Yachats event is the summer festival for Four Seasons Arts, an organization that presents annual recitals at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center. This music festival has graced Yachats annually since 1981.
Each October, Yachats is the site of the Yachats Village Mushroom Festival.[30] Some of the world's leading experts in mycology provide exhibits, give talks, and guide forest walks. There is also a culinary mushroom-growing workshop. Restaurants in Yachats participate in a Fungi Feast with wild mushroom cuisine. Mushroom-inspired art and music can be found at a number of venues around the town.[31]
During the first weekend of November, the city hosts the Yachats Celtic Music Festival, with performances at several venues, including the auditorium of the Yachats Commons.[32] Many of the world's finest Celtic musicians perform there, traveling from Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and various regions of the U.S. to participate. Workshops are held for teaching dances and the playing of instruments such as the bodhran and the tin whistle.
At the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, the visitor center hosts Whale Watching Weeks in winter and in spring.[33] About 400 gray whales feed along the coasts of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia in the summer. Generally, whales are in the Cape Perpetua area from July through mid-November. These whales can be seen close to shore while feeding. The visitor center also sponsors a Tidepool Discovery Days program each summer and provides guided tidepool walks.[34] The Heceta Head Lighthouse, located 13miles south of Yachats, holds a Victorian Christmas Open House each December. Besides the usual guided tours of the historic lighthouse, the Queen Anne style keeper's house is thoroughly decorated in a Victorian manner. Visitors are entertained with holiday musical performances and treats.
The Little Log Church and Museum, built in 1926, originally served as an Evangelical Church and later as a Presbyterian Church. Today it is owned and managed by the City of Yachats and houses a large collection of local historical artifacts.[35] It is also a popular venue for weddings, memorials, concerts, and fine arts exhibits. Each Valentine's Day, a wedding vow renewal ceremony, open to any couple, is held there.
The North Fork of the Yachats Bridge is a covered bridge in the Yachats River Valley, about 9miles east of Yachats.[36] It was completed, at a cost of $1,500, in 1938 and was the last bridge of veteran bridge builder Otis Hamer. A replica was constructed on the site in 1989, and again a replica was completely reconstructed in 2014 at a cost of over $750,000 from approximately 2/3 federal and 1/3 local tax dollars in the public interest of tourism. It features the queen-post truss style found in few covered bridges today and has ribbon openings under the roof to provide light to the bridge's center. Its span is 42feet long, making it one of the shortest covered bridges in the Pacific Northwest.[37] Parking and turnaround past the bridge remains obstructed by an adjacent resident, due to ongoing protest of road legalization which established that area NW of the bridge as the current terminus of County Rd. 805.[38] [39]
At one time, the Yachats 804 Trail was part of the major "thoroughfare" running between Yachats and Alsea Bay in Waldport, 8miles to the north.[40] For many centuries it was used by Native Americans traveling between the bay and the Yachats River (but only during low tide).[41] Later it was called County Road 804 when it was used for carriage and buggy traffic from the late 19th century until U.S. Highway 101 was built in the 1930s.[42] The historic trail is a footpath that provides views of crashing surf, tidal pools, and native vegetation. Part of the Oregon Coast Trail system, it is maintained by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.[43]