Port city is the oldest city in the state of Oregon and was the first American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains

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Overview

Astoria is a port city in Oregon. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state of Oregon and was the first American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corner of Oregon, and Astoria is located on the south shore of the Columbia River, where the river flows into the Pacific Ocean. The city is named for John Jacob Astor, an investor and entrepreneur from New York City, whose American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site and established a monopoly in the fur trade in the early nineteenth century.

Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

The Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1805-1806 at Fort Clatsop, a small log structure southwest of modern-day Astoria. The expedition had hoped a ship would come by that could take them back east, but instead they endured a torturous winter of rain and cold. They later returned overland and by internal rivers, the way they had traveled west. Today the fort has been recreated and is part of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.

Today, tourism, Astoria's growing art scene, and light manufacturing are the main economic activities of the city. Logging and fishing persist, but at a fraction of their former levels. Since 1982 it has been a port of call for cruise ships.

The town's seasonal sport fishing tourism has been active for several decades. Visitors attracted by heritage tourism and the historic elements of the city have supplanted fishing in the economy. Since the early 21st century, the microbrewery/brewpub scene and a weekly street market have helped popularize the area as a destination.

Astoria Column

In addition to the replicated Fort Clatsop, another point of interest is the Astoria Column, a tower 125 feet (38 m) high, built atop Coxcomb Hill above the town. Its inner circular staircase allows visitors to climb to see a panoramic view of the town, the surrounding lands, and the Columbia flowing into the Pacific. The tower was built in 1926. Financing was provided by the Great Northern Railway, seeking to encourage tourists, and Vincent Astor, a great-grandson of John Jacob Astor, in commemoration of the city's role in the family's business history and the region's early history.

In popular culture

The old Clatsop County Jail, used in the first scene of the film The Goonies. The site is now home to the Oregon Film Museum.

In recent popular culture, Astoria is most famous for being the setting of the 1985 film The Goonies, which was filmed on location in the city. Other notable movies filmed in Astoria include Short Circuit, The Black Stallion, Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Benji the Hunted, Come See the Paradise, The Ring Two, Into the Wild, The Guardian and Green Room.

Museums and other points of interest

• The Captain George Flavel House
• Columbia River Maritime Museum
• Astoria Riverfront Trolley
• Clatsop County Historical Society Heritage Museum, located in the Old City Hall
• Astoria Regional Airport
• Clatsop Spit
• CGAS Astoria
• Oregon Film Museum
• Captain George Flavel House Museum
• The Astoria Column (the highest point in Astoria)

This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles "Astoria, Oregon", which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0