Astoria has been compared to San Francisco fifty years ago. It is a city of Victorian gingerbread houses and Craftsman bungalows built on a series of hills overlooking the Columbia River and Youngs Bay. Hills, water and mountain views, reminders of history everywhere, and a slower, beach-inspired pace: this could be your dream community. Astoria has a small town atmosphere, but it is not like any small town you have known. As an international seaport, it has links to the whole world, and a corresponding cosmopolitan reality. It is 100 miles from the metropolitan area of Portland with its shopping, medical care, and culture.
Founded in 1811 by fur traders sent by John Jacob Astor to establish a trading post, Astoria is the oldest permanent settlement west of the Mississippi River. It is the county seat of Clatsop County, has the newspaper of record, and is the largest city in the region, with a population of almost 10,000.
Some historic neighborhoods of Astoria are Uniontown, on the west end, where the working docks and canneries were located, and Uppertown on the east side of town, the former location of the Astoria Plywood Mill, now, the coveted Mill Pond housing development. The area down by the water on the east end is Alderbrook, a small community of Victorian houses at water level. Downtown Astoria was destroyed by fire in 1883 and again in 1922, but was rebuilt each time. The downtown has a semi-secret lower level as a result of the fires and the fact the area is built on fill. (If it's flat, it's fill.) The west and south sides of the city are residential areas with Youngs Bay and Coast Range views.
Astoria is all about water. Many buildings on the north side of the hill have water views-- not to mention the ones on the south and west sides. Bridge views from close-ups to distant peek-a-boo sightings are coveted. River traffic from sailboats to huge ships is a constant, ever-varied background to daily life. Almost everyone finds a moment during the day to stop as a ship passes by or to watch the lights on the ships at anchor at night. Every view is beautiful, from a sunny day with sailboats, to fog rolling in over the river with its accompaniment of foghorns and barking seals, to clouds close enough (almost) to touch as they scurry ahead of a storm. In this context rain feels like just another part of the water and the greenery all around. You may be in the city, but the water and the sky bring the contentment of a holiday.
Port of Astoria
Astoria is a deep-water port where ocean-going vessels anchor. It's a real working port with commercial ships hauling cars, grain, logs, and other goods anchoring or passing through every day. It is a port of call for six cruise ship lines. A local radio station gives a daily report on all the ships expected to arrive, depart, or anchor. There is nothing like driving on a busy main street, and suddenly noticing off to the side that a building appears to be moving along with you; at second glance you realize it is a ship on the river, and you are rapidly leaving it behind. If you are lucky, you will be near the Sixth Street Viewing Platform where you can stop to watch from the side of the Columbia River or you will be riding the trolley or walking the River Walk.
Astoria's main industries are logging, fishing, and tourism. Astoria's port, with 7250 ft. of dock space on three piers, is located 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The main port facility is located on the south end of the city. Pier One is the cruise ship port of call and handles general, military, and industrial vessels. Pier 2 is designed to support commercial fishing boats. It has a multi-tenant building, fish off-loading, net haul-out facilities, and three fish processors. Cold storage and canneries are under construction. Pier 2 also has the First Responder, an oil spill response vessel. Pier 3 is for recreational and commercial boaters. It has a haul-out boatyard with amenities for the do-it-yourselfer as well as a marine repair contractor. Terminal space is devoted to water-related commercial and industrial activities. The Port has two marinas for boats up to 100 ft. The Port also operates the Astoria Regional Airport. It has industrial and commercial facilities and houses the United States Coast Guard Group Astoria. If you are looking for a business or investment opportunity that will contribute to the economy of the community, the Port of Astoria has facilities that will diversify your portfolio.
Tongue Point
As you head out of the east side of town on Highway 30, you will pass Tongue Point. It is a 308 ft. high peninsula that projects a mile into the Columbia River. Lewis and Clark called it "Point William", for William Clark, when they camped here in 1805. The name "Tongue Point" was given by Lieutenant William Broughton of the George Vancouver Expedition in 1792. Astoria is to the west, Cathlamet Bay is to the east. A Coast Guard buoy depot is located on the west side.
From the south, the approach to Astoria is over the Youngs Bay Bridge from the Warrenton area (or over the Old Youngs Bay Bridge from Miles Crossing). As you cross the bridge, there is water to the west for as far as you can see because the Columbia River flows into the Pacific Ocean about 10 miles west. Shortly after the roundabout, the street curves, and you are heading east, with the river and Washington coast hills on the north.
If you remember the Columbia River is NORTH, orientation in Astoria is easy.
In 1924, the Tongue Point Naval Station was situated on the site of the Navy direction finding station that provided navigation assistance to commercial vessels, enabling the base to use its communication equipment. A seawall and piers were built, but funding ceased after WWI.
Between 1939 and 1945, the naval base was developed into a seaplane air station, but it was used instead for commissioning escort aircraft carriers, for training air crews, and for anti-submarine patrols.
In 1946 moorage for the Columbia River Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet was built to house mothballed Liberty ships. It held as many as 250 ships until its deactivation in 1962. It was used by the Coast Guard Group/Air Station Astoria from 1962-64.
Today, Tongue Point is growing into an industrial, educational, and shipping site that plays a role in the regional economy. The Tongue Point Jobs Corps Center opened in 1964. It has facilities to prepare 540 students for employment. The Clatsop Community College Marine and Environmental Research and Training Station (MERTS) opened in its new facilities in South Tongue Point in 1996. With support from governmental bodies, industry, and partnership with other institutions of higher education, MERTS is becoming the most comprehensive industrial and marine technology center in the Pacific Northwest.
Education and Medical
The Astoria School District includes three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school.
Clatsop Community College
Oregon State University Seafood Research Laboratory
Duncan Law Seafood Consumer Center
Tongue Point Jobs Corps Center
Columbia Memorial Hospital
Movies Shot in Astoria
Goonies
Kindergarten Cop
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Short Circuit
Come See the Paradise
Free Willy 2
The Adventure Home
Benji the Hunted
The Ring & The Ring Two
Cthulhu
Events
Fisher Poets Gathering
Crab and Seafood Festival
Mother's Day Tea & Scones at the Flavel House
Scandinavian Mid-Summer Festival
Astoria Music Festival
Buoy 10 Brew fest
Fourth of July Riverfront Fireworks
Astoria Regatta Festival
Historic Homes Tour
Clatsop County Fair
FinnFest USA
Great Columbia Crossing
Festival of Lights Santa Lucia
Nutcracker Ballet
Plum Pudding at the Historic Flavel House
Starving Artists Art and Faire
The Arts
Astoria Performing Arts, Inc.
The River Theater
The Astor Street Opry Company
Clatsop Community College Arts & Ideas
Liberty Theater
KMUN (Community Radio)
Museums and History
Clatsop County Historical Society?s Heritage Museum
Captain George Flavel House Museum
Columbia River Maritime Museum
Uppertown Firefighters Museum
Children's Museum
Fort Astoria site
Astoria Column
Astoria Pioneer Cemetery
