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Oregon State...
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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. |
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Lincoln County, Oregon
Lincoln County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Newport
Year Organized: 1893
Square Miles: 980
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Court House: 225 W Olive Street
County Courthouse
Newport, OR 97365-3811
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
The county was named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts:
Census Bureau Quick Facts
History
Lincoln County was created by the
Legislative Assembly on February 20, 1893, from the western portion of Benton
County and Polk County. There were boundary adjustments and annexations in 1923,
1925, 1927, 1931, and 1949. The county is bordered by Tillamook County on the
north, Polk and Benton Counties on the east, Lane County on the south, and the
Pacific Ocean on the west. It covers an area of 992 square miles. The county was
named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln.
When Lincoln County was formed, Toledo was picked as the temporary county seat.
In 1896 it was chosen as the permanent county seat. In 1897 there was agitation
to build a county courthouse and with the growing demand a courthouse was
finally built in 1899. The city jail of Toledo was also made the official county
jail in that same year. In 1913 a new county jail was built. Three elections
were held to determine if the county seat should be moved from Toledo to
Newport. Twice these votes failed in 1928 and 1938. In 1954, however, the vote
went in Newport's favor. While Toledo has remained the industrial hub of Lincoln
County, the city has never regained the position it once had.
Lincoln County was governed by a commissioner's court, which consisted of two
commissioners and a county judge. The court started meeting in April 1893, in a
rented building in Toledo. Appointed officials were the sheriff, stock
inspector, school superintendent, coroner, county court judge, treasurer,
veterinarian, and clerk. The county court was replaced by a three member board
of commissioners in the late 1960s.
The 1900 census measured Lincoln County's population at 3,575. By 2000, it had
grown to 44,479 representing an increase of 14.37% over 1990.
The northern part of Lincoln County includes the Siletz Indian Reservation which
was created by treaty in 1855. The reservation was opened to white settlement in
1895 and closed to white settlement by the federal government in 1925. The
Siletz's tribal status was terminated by the federal government in 1954. In 1977
the Siletz became the first Oregon tribe to have their tribal status reinstated.
The current reservation totals 3,666 acres.
The Coast Highway, completed in 1925, and the Salmon River Highway completed in
1930, improved inland transportation within the county. In 1936 as part of
federally funded construction projects, bridges were constructed across the bays
at Waldport, Newport, and Siletz thus eliminating the ferries that had formerly
traversed these bays. A 1910 election created the ports of Toledo, Newport, and
Alsea.
Principal industries of the county are lumber, fishing, agriculture and tourism.
Newport is Oregon's oceanography research center with Oregon State University's
Marine Science Center, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and its fleet of ocean-going
vessels.
Neighboring Counties:
Cities and Towns:
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- Depoe Bay |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Lincoln City |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Newport
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Siletz |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Toledo |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Waldport |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Yachats |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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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