Tillamook County, Oregon
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Map_of_Oregon_highlighting_Tillamook_County.png
Image:Map of Oregon highlighting Tillamook County.png
Tillamook County is a county located in the state of Oregon. The county was named for the Native American people, the Tillamooks, who lived in this area in the early 19th century. As of 2000, the population is 24,262. Its county seat is Tillamook6.
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Economy
Agriculture
Dairy farms dominate the county's fertile valleys, and it is the home of the Tillamook Cheese Factory, the county's largest business and private employer. Tillamook dairy products are available throughout the west and the rest of the country.
Timber
The state of Oregon owns 44% of the land inside the county boundaries, mostly as part of the Tillamook State Forest. The State Forest was created as a result of the 355,000 acre Tillamook Burn. The reforested burn is rapidly maturing, and there is local expectation that it will assist in the recovery of the local timber industry. Three lumber mills currently operate in Tillamook County, one at Garibaldi, one in Tillamook, and one south of Tillamook at the former Naval Air Station.
Tourism
The County's scenic coastline, which includes four bays and nine rivers, helps the tourist industry. U.S. Route 101, traveling the length of the Oregon Coast, brings many travelers through the county by car and bike. The coast also provides locations for vacation homes for inhabitants of nearby Portland, Oregon and the Willamette Valley.
Tillamook County is the first in the continental United States to be declared ready for a tsunami (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunami). This, after the county paid $15,000 for 27 warning sirens and an emergency radio system. The tsunami-ready designation is given to communities by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Oceanic_and_Atmospheric_Administration).
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,452 km² (1,333 mi²). 2,855 km² (1,102 mi²) of it is land and 597 km² (231 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 17.30% water.
Adjacent Counties
- Clatsop County, Oregon - (north)
- Lincoln County, Oregon - (south)
- Washington County, Oregon - (east 1)
- Yamhill County, Oregon - (east 2)
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 24,262 people, 10,200 households, and 6,793 families residing in the county. The population density is 8/km² (22/mi²). There are 15,906 housing units at an average density of 6/km² (14/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 93.86% White, 0.22% Black or African American, 1.19% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 1.89% from other races, and 1.98% from two or more races. 5.13% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 10,200 households out of which 24.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.80% are married couples living together, 7.70% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.40% are non-families. 27.90% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.60% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.33 and the average family size is 2.82.
In the county, the population is spread out with 22.20% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 23.50% from 25 to 44, 28.00% from 45 to 64, and 19.80% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 44 years. For every 100 females there are 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 98.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $34,269, and the median income for a family is $40,197. Males have a median income of $31,509 versus $21,555 for females. The per capita income for the county is $19,052. 11.40% of the population and 8.10% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.40% of those under the age of 18 and 8.10% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
Tillamook County, the twelfth county in Oregon to be organized, was established on December 15, 1853, when the Territorial Legislature approved an act to create the new county out of an area previously included in Clatsop, Yamhill and Polk Counties. Boundary changes were enacted with Clatsop County (1855, 1870, and 1893), with Lincoln County in 1893, Washington County (1893, 1898), and with Yamhill County in 1887.
The Coast Range behind Tillamook was the scene of a repeated series of forest fires called the Tillamook Burn between 1933 and 1951. In 1948, a state ballot approved the sale of bonds to buy the burned-over areas and have the state rehabilitate the lands. The state lands were renamed the Tillamook State Forest by governor Tom McCall on July 18, 1973. By the end of the twentieth century, the replanted growth was considered mature enough to be commercially harvested.
The Tillamook airbase for blimps was commissioned on December 1, 1942, as a U.S. Naval Air Station. The two hangers were closed after World War II and sold. One of the hangers was destroyed by a fire and only two posts now remain. The surviving blimp hangar is a local landmark and aircraft museum.
Development along Highway 101 to the north of Tillamook during the last part of the 20th century has blocked part of the flood plain of the Wilson River, contributing to repeated winter flooding in the city.
Cities and towns
Incorporated Cities
Unincorporated Communities
- Barview/Watseco/Twin Rocks
- Beaver
- Cloverdale
- Hebo
- Idaville
- Mohler
- Neahkahnie
- Neskowin
- Netarts
- Oceanside
- Pacific City/Woods
- Siskeyille
Other Settlements
- Cape Falcon
- Cape Meares
- Hemlock
- Lee's Camp
- Oretown
- Pleasant Valley
- Sandlake
- South Prairie
- Tierra Del Mar
| State of Oregon | 
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| Regions Columbia River Gorge and Plateau | Eastern Oregon | Inland Empire | Mt. Hood Corridor | Oregon Coast | Western Oregon | Willamette Valley | |||
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