Oregon State...
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Oregon Counties
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Clatsop County, Oregon
Clatsop County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat:
Year Organized:
Square Miles:
MSA: |
Court House:
749 Commercial
Astoria, OR 97103
Clerk: (503) 325-8511
Courts: (503) 325-8536
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Named: Clatsop County was named for the Clatsop Indians, one of many
Chinook tribes living in Oregon.
State & County QuickFacts:
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:
Cities:
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we’ve given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the “characteristic features of
our 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.” |
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Penn Foster High School
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