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COOS BAY, OREGON
The town of Coos Bay is named after the body of water along which it lies. It was formerly known as Marshfield (after the Massachusetts home town of its founder), and was established in 1853, and officially renamed in 1944. The word Coos comes from the name for a local Indian tribe residing in the area when settlers first came to the region. Coos has been translated as meaning “lake” or “place of pines,” which are both apt descriptions of the area, as the locale is heavily wooded and there are several lakes in and around the area. The region saw significant growth in its population from 1910 through the 1930s. However, it was the lumber boom of the late 1960s to early 1970s that nearly doubled the population from just over 7,000 to well over 13,000 residents; the current population of Coos Bay is around 16,000 residents.
The arrival of the Coos Bay Wagon Road in 1872 helped open up the region to the interior of the state (the Umpqua River Valley in Douglas County). However, prior to 1915, the area was relatively isolated, due to the difficulty in fording rivers and crossing the rugged coastal range. For example, it was much easier and faster to get from Coos Bay to San Francisco by ship than by land. In 1916, a rail line was completed that helped connect the area to other towns and settlements, thereby increasing tourism and commercial trade. But, the completion of the McCullough Memorial Bridge and the Roosevelt Highway (Hwy 101) in 1936, succeeded in finally opening the area to the outside world and providing much needed modern transportation connections. Coos Bay has come to encompass many outlying areas incorporated in the mid 20th century, including the Empire, Bunker Hill, Eastside, and Englewood Districts, as well as the fishing village of Charleston.
Several industries originally drew people to the area, including gold speculation, lumber interests, coal mining, fishing, and ship building. Dependence on these industries has fallen off as they have declined, and the area’s more diversified industries now include tourism, retail and service providers (especially health care), and technology. The largest tourism draw to the area is the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Coos Bay is also home to Shore Acres State Park, Sunset Bay State Park, and South Slough National Estuarine Reserve, among many other treasured parks and recreational sites.
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