Coos County

Boats along the waterfront in Coos Bay. (Oregon State Archives Photo No. cooD0089)

Boats along the waterfront in Coos Bay. (Oregon State Archives Photo No. cooD0089)

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Contact
County Seat: Courthouse, 250 N Baxter, Coquille 97423
Phone: 541-396-3121 (General); 541-396-3121, ext. 344 or 343 (Court Administrator)
Fax: 541-396-4861
E-mail: coosclerk@co.coos.or.us
Web: www.co.coos.or.us

About
Population: 63,050
Established: Dec. 22, 1853
Elev. at Coquille: 40'
Area: 1,629 sq. mi.
Average Temp.: January 44.2° July 60.9°
Assessed Value: $4,037,357,786
Real Market Value: $8,169,780,442
Annual Precipitation: 56.8"
Economy: Forest products, fishing, agriculture, shipping, recreation and tourism

Coos County map

Related resources
History
Historical Records Inventory
Scenic Image
Economic Information (from OECDD)
"County Quick Facts" (from U.S. Census Bureau)
County Seat Map (from Yahoo! Maps)
County Map (from ODOT)

Incorporated cities
Bandon | Coos Bay | Coquille | Lakeside | Myrtle Point | North Bend | Powers

Points of interest
Lumber port, myrtlewood groves, Shore Acres State Park and Botanical Gardens, beaches, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, museums, fishing fleets, boat basins, scenic golf courses.

History and general information
Coos County was created by the Territorial Legislature from parts of Umpqua and Jackson Counties in 1853 and included Curry County until 1855. The county seat was Empire City until 1896, when it was moved to Coquille. Although trappers had been in the area a quarter-century earlier, the first permanent settlement in present Coos County was at Empire City, now part of Coos Bay, by members of the Coos Bay Company in 1853. The name “Coos” derives from a Native American Coos Bay tribe and translates to “lake” or “place of pines.”

Forest products, tourism, fishing and agriculture dominate the Coos County economy. Boating, dairy farming, myrtlewood manufacturing, shipbuilding and repair, and agriculture specialty products, including cranberries, also play an important role. The International Port of Coos Bay, considered the best natural harbor between Puget Sound and San Francisco, is the world’s largest forest products shipping port.

County officials
Commissioners—Robert (Bob) Main (R) 2013, Kevin Stufflebean (R) 2011, Nikki Whitty (D) 2011; Dist. Atty. Paul Frasier (NP) 2013; Assess. Adam Colby (D) 2013; Clerk Terri Turi (NP) 2011; Sheriff Andy Jackson (NP) 2011; Surv. Karlas Seidel (D) 2013; Treas. Mary Barton (D) 2013.

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Directory and Fact Book compiled by the Oregon State Archives - Copyright © 2009