Coos Bay, Oregon
| Coos Bay, Oregon | |
|---|---|
| City | |
_(cooDA0004).jpg)
Tioga Building
|
|
 Location in Oregon |
|
| Coordinates: 43°22′35″N 124°14′14″W / 43.37639°N 124.23722°WCoordinates: 43°22′35″N 124°14′14″W / 43.37639°N 124.23722°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Coos |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Joe Benetti |
| Area | |
| • Total | 15.90 sq mi (41.18 km2) |
| • Land | 10.60 sq mi (27.45 km2) |
| • Water | 5.30 sq mi (13.73 km2) |
| Elevation | 23 ft (7 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 15,967 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 15,857 |
| • Density | 1,506.3/sq mi (581.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | Pacific (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 97420 |
| Area code(s) | 458 and 541 |
| FIPS code | 41-15250 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1166633 |
| Website | www.coosbay.org |
Coos Bay (Coos language: Atsixiis) is a city located in Coos County, Oregon, United States, where the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The city borders the city of North Bend, and together they are often referred to as one entity called either Coos Bay-North Bend or the Bay Area. Coos Bay's population as of the 2010 census was 15,967 residents, making it the largest city on the Oregon Coast.
Prior to Europeans first visiting the Oregon coast, Native American tribes claimed the Coos Bay region as their homeland for thousands of years. Members of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw and Coquille tribes lived, fished, hunted and gathered along Coos Bay and its estuaries, along rivers, and in meadows and forests. Approximately 400 years ago, British and Spanish explorers first approached the South Coast. In 1579 Sir Francis Drake is purported to have sought shelter for his ship, the Golden Hinde, around Cape Arago. Trader and explorer Jedediah Smith was in the region seeking furs and the Hudson's Bay Company sent Alexander McLeod to search for an inland passage.
The earliest settlement of European Americans in the area was in January 1852 when survivors of the Captain Lincoln shipwreck established Camp Castaway until they and their cargo could be fully rescued. There has been a permanent settlement on Coos Bay since 1853, when the town of Marshfield was founded there and named after the Massachusetts hometown of its founder, J. C. Tolman. The first Methodist church in the area was established in 1857. By 1866 the inhabitants, who were reliant on the sea for their income, had built the Cape Arago Light. The setting up of a post office in 1871 and the arrival of the Coos Bay Wagon Road in the town a year later connected Coos County with the Umpqua River valley in neighbouring Douglas County, on the other side of the Coast Range of mountains. This wagon road, although long gone in its original form, is still partially in existence since the route of Oregon Route 42 roughly follows the original right of way.
...
Wikipedia