Astoria, OR 1 of 18 Active Retirement Communities Location

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Ivan Gillis

Active Retirement Communities

State: Oregon

City: Astoria

The city of Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor (and first millionaire) John Jacob Astor. His fur trading company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1810. Astoria was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on October 20, 1876.

Located on the south shore of the Columbia, the city is served by the Port of Astoria with a deep-water port. Transportation includes the Astoria Regional Airport with U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 101 as the main highways, and the 4.2 mile Astoria -- Megler Bridge connecting to neighboring Washington across the river. The population was 9,813 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the state estimate raised it to 10,045 residents.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1805-1806 at Fort Clatsop, a small log structure south and west of modern day Astoria. The expedition had hoped a ship would come by to take them back east, but instead endured a torturous winter of rain and cold, then returned east the way they came. Today the fort has been recreated and is now a national monument.

In 1810, John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company sent the Astor Expedition that founded Fort Astoria as its primary fur-trading post in the Northwest, and in fact the first permanent U.S. settlement on the Pacific coast. It was an extremely important post for American exploration of the continent and was influential in establishing American claims to the land. As the Oregon Territory grew and became increasingly more settled, Astoria likewise grew as a port city at the mouth of the great river that provided the easiest access to the interior. The first U.S. Post Office west of the Rocky Mountains was established in Astoria in 1847. In 1876, the community was incorporated by the state.

Astoria has served as a port of entry for over a century and remains the trading center for the lower Columbia basin, although it has long since been eclipsed by Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington as an economic hub on the coast of the Pacific Northwest

Today, tourism, Astoria's growing art scene, and light manufacturing are the main economic activities of the city. It is a port of call for cruise ships since 1982, after $10 million in pier improvements to accommodate cruise ships. To avoid Mexican ports of call during the Swine Flu outbreak of 2009, many cruises were re-routed to include Astoria. The residential community The World visited Astoria in June 2009.

Astoria attracted a host of immigrants beginning in the late-nineteenth century: Scandinavian settlers, primarily Finns, and Chinese soon became significant parts of the population. The Finns mostly lived in Uniontown, near the present-day end of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, and took fishing jobs; the Chinese tended to do cannery work, and usually lived either downtown or in bunkhouses near the canneries.

Astoria is also the western terminus of the TransAmerica Trail, a bicycle touring route created by the American Cycling Association.

Astoria lies within the Marine west coast climate zone, with very mild temperatures year-round, some of the most consistent in the continental United States; normal winters are mild for Astoria's latitude, generally above freezing, and wet. Summers are cool, although short heat waves can occur. Rainfall is most abundant in late fall and winter, and lightest in late summer. Snowfall is relatively rare but does accumulate in small amounts in winter.

At America's elite helicopter rescue academy, Coast Guard professionals are put to the test by ocean cliffs, sea caves and a treacherous stretch of coastline known as the Graveyard of the Pacific.

Income & Housing Costs Numbers:

Estimated median household income in 2008: $40,352 (it was $33,011 in 2000)

Astoria:	$40,352
Oregon:	$50,169

Estimated per capita income in 2008: $23,631

Astoria city income, earnings, and wages data

Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $241,389 (it was $130,000 in 2000)

Astoria:	$241,389
Oregon:	$273,300

Mean prices in 2008: All housing units: $270,755; Detached houses: $272,699; Townhouses or other attached units: $209,887; In 2-unit structures: $225,253; In 3-to-4-unit structures: $274,406; In 5-or-more-unit structures: $309,483; Mobile homes: $62,422; Occupied boats, RVs, vans, etc.: $5,000

Dec. 2009 cost of living index in Astoria: 94.1 (less than average, U.S. average is 100)

In-Depth Facts and Figures as listed below, plus other information:

· Climate Charts

1. Average Temperature

2. Precipitation (Rain)

3. Humidity

4. Wind Speed (MPH)

5. Snowfall

6. Sunshine

7. Cloudy Days

· Tornado Activity History

· Hospitals & Medical

· Airports

· Colleges/Universities