Fast Facts

Coos County is a four hour drive from Portland, with a population under 65,000. The local economy is based on forestry, tourism, fishing and agriculture. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and The Mill Casino bring considerable tourism to the area and most local restaurants remain locally owned and operated.

Curry County is in the far southwest corner of Oregon, with a five hour drive from Portland and a population under 23,000. With four wilderness areas and five designated national wild and scenic rivers, outdoor enthusiasts enjoy fishing, hiking, paddle boarding, mountain biking, and more. Port Orford is the oldest coastal city in Oregon, and has only one of two US “dolly docks” where boats are lifted in and out of the water every day.

The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians and the Coquille Tribe occupied the region with diverse language and culture. In 1856 many were forcibly relocated to Fort Umpqua, and later to a reservation on the Yachats River. The Western Oregon Termination Act was passed in 1954, in which the US government withdrew recognition of 61 Oregon tribes. Sovereignty was not again recognized until 1984.