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Oregon Counties

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Oregon Counties

There are 36 counties in the state of Oregon. The Oregon Constitution does not explicitly provide for county seats.

Clatsop County, Oregon

Clatsop County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Astoria
Year Organized: 1844
Square Miles: 827

Court House:

800 Exchange Street, Suite 310
County Courthouse
Astoria, OR 97103-0000

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Clatsop County was named for the Clatsop Indians, one of many Chinook tribes living in Oregon.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Oregon's provisional government created Clatsop County out of the northern and western portions of Tuality District on June 22, 1844. Five days later all of Clatsop County north of the Columbia River was used to create Vancouver County, in what is now Washington. The Provisional and Territorial Legislatures further defined Clatsop County's boundaries in 1845 and 1853. The county currently occupies an area of 873 square miles and is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the north by the Columbia River, on the east by Columbia County, and on the south by Tillamook County. Clatsop County was named for the Clatsop Indians, one of many Chinook tribes living in Oregon.

Before 1850 most of Clatsop County's government activity occurred in Lexington. Astoria, Oregon's oldest city, was founded in 1811 and as Astoria grew, activities gradually shifted to that city. Astoria was chosen by electors to be the county seat in 1854 and the first county government sat in Astoria in 1856.

The early sessions of the county court prior to 1855 were held in the homes of county officials and private citizens, first in Lexington and later in Astoria. In 1855 a two-story frame courthouse was completed. The second courthouse was completed in 1908 and is still in use. With state court offices using most of the courthouse, the majority of county offices are now located in administration buildings near the courthouse.

The first county government was organized in the mid-1840s with the election of justices of the peace, clerk, sheriff, assessor, treasurer, and the formation of district courts and the county board of commissioners. In 1964 the county court was replaced by a board of commissioners. The voters of Clatsop County approved a home rule charter in 1988, which called for a board of county commissioners as the policy determining body of the county, and a county administrative officer.

The principle industries of Clatsop County are fishing, lumber, and agriculture. The Port of Astoria, created in 1914, is one of 23 Oregon port districts that support the trade and commerce of Oregon. An increasing number of cruise ships now stop in Astoria as tourists enjoy its shops, history, and nearby attractions. The population of Clatsop County was 35,630 in 2000, a 6.99% increase over 1990.

Neighboring Counties:

Insert Counties Here

Cities and Towns:

- Astoria (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Cannon Beach	city	Incorporated Area
- Gearhart	city	Incorporated Area
- Seaside	city	Incorporated Area
- Warrenton	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."