Gold Beach, Oregon
Gold Beach, Oregon | |
|---|---|
 Bridge over Rogue River in Gold Beach | |
 Location in Oregon | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Curry |
| Incorporated | 1945 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jim Wernicke |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.5 sq mi (6.5 km2) |
| • Land | 2.3 sq mi (6.0 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) |
| Elevation | 50 ft (15.2 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 1,897 |
| • Density | 813.7/sq mi (314.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (Pacific) |
| ZIP code | 97444 |
| Area code | 541 |
| FIPS code | 41-29900Template:GR |
| GNIS feature ID | 1142804Template:GR |
| Website | www.goldbeach.org |
Gold Beach is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, Oregon, United States,Template:GR on the Oregon Coast. The population was 1,897 at the 2000 census.
History
The community was originally named Ellensburg in the 1850s, but later took the name Gold Beach after a beach near the mouth of the Rogue River where hundreds of placer mines extracted gold.[1] An Ellensburgh post office was established in 1863, changed to Ellensburg in 1877, and changed to Gold Beach in 1890.[1]
Mailboats based in Gold Beach have been delivering mail upstream to Agness since 1895, one of only two rural mailboat routes remaining in the U.S. The population was 1,897 at the 2000 census.
Although Gold Beach had been a community since the middle of the 19th century, and the county seat since 1859, its current incorporation charter only dates to 1945.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2), of which 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (7.54%) is water.
Gold Beach is bordered to the north by the Rogue River and Barley Beach, also known as Bailey Beach.
Climate
Gold Beach has cool, very wet winters and mild, relatively dry summers. Average January temperatures are a maximum of 54.0 °F (12.2 °C) and a minimum of 40.6 °F (4.8 °C). Average July temperatures are a maximum of 67.7 °F (19.8 °C) and a minimum of 51.2 °F (10.7 °C). Annually, there are high temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C) on an average of only 0.1 days and there are low temperatures of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower on an average of 9.2 days. The record high temperature was 102 °F (39 °C) on September 10, 1973. The record low temperature was 12 °F (−11 °C) on January 21, 1962.
The average annual precipitation is 79.09 inches (2,009 mm). Measurable precipitation occurs on an average of 132 days. The wettest year was 1953 with 119.26 inches (3,029 mm) and the driest year was 1976 with 38.57 inches (980 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 34.48 inches (876 mm) in November 1973. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 7.94 inches (202 mm) on December 3, 1987. Snow is very rare in Gold Beach, averaging only 0.2 inches (5.1 mm) annually. The most snow in one year was 9.0 inches (230 mm) in 1972, including 6.5 inches (170 mm) in January and 2.5 inches (64 mm) in December.[2]
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 1,897 people, 829 households, and 509 families residing in the city. The population density was 813.7 people per square mile (314.4/km²). There were 987 housing units at an average density of 423.4 per square mile (163.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.09% White, 0.26% African American, 2.21% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.16% from other races, and 2.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.69% of the population.
There were 829 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.75.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.0% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,243, and the median income for a family was $37,634. Males had a median income of $31,083 versus $23,512 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,717. About 8.8% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Gold Beach is served by the Central Curry School District. The schools, Riley Creek School and Gold Beach High School, are located in Gold Beach.
Notable people
- Gregory Harrison - actor[3]
- Travis Rush - country singer
- Bridgette Wilson - actress
Transportation
See also
References
- ^ a b McArthur, Lewis A. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon,: Oregon Historical Society Press. pp. 409–10. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?or3356
- ^ "Hollywood actor speaks to area rotarians". KCBY CBS 11. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
External links
Municipalities and communities of Curry County, Oregon, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |