Welcome to Astoria...
Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and the Corps of Discovery spent the winter of 1805-1806 at Fort Clatsop which they built in the area that is today known as Astoria. The Fort Clatsop National Memorial replica of the fort, built in the 1950’s, ironically burned down just before the bicentennial anniversary of its construction and there is today, rising from the ashes, a new Fort Clatsop along with an expanded Lewis and Clark National Historical Park which encompasses important historical sites on both sides of the Columbia River.
In 1811 American investor John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company founded Fort Astoria near the mouth of the Columbia, on the river’s southern bank. It was the primary fur-trading post in the Northwest and, as the first permanent U.S. settlement on the Pacific coast, it was extremely important in the American exploration of the continent because it helped to establish American claims to the land. In the mid-1840’s American pioneers following the Oregon Trail began settling in this area and in 1847 the first US Post Office west of the Rockies was established here. Astoria is also the site of the first US Customs House west of the Rockies. The settlement grew into a bustling port and immigrants from China, Scandinavia and Finland added to the area’s cultural diversity as well as to its economy which was based on fishing, canneries, lumber and shipping. Today, tourism (including a port of call for tour ships), Astoria's growing art scene, and light manufacturing are the main economic activities of the city.
Astoria has the second highest number of Victorian houses (second only to San Francisco) and many are on the National Register of Historic Places. A genuine antique trolley car provides service along the waterfront. The 125 foot Astoria Column, built by the Astor family in 1926 atop the hill above the town to commemorate the region's early history, has an inner circular staircase that allows visitors to climb 164 steps to the top and see a breathtaking view of the town, the surrounding lands, and the mighty Columbia flowing into the Pacific. Painted on the outside of the column, spiraling from the bottom to the top is a magnificent mural that depicts the area’s history.
Astoria has a Fisher Poets Gathering each February and celebrates its Scandinavian Midsummer Festival each June, and in August, residents commemorate their maritime past and present with the Regatta Festival. Other maritime places of interest are the Columbia River Maritime Museum, the local Coast Guard Station and the wreck of the Peter Iredale. The Astoria-Megler Bridge spans the Columbia River and is the world's longest 3-span truss bridge. It was the final section of Highway 101 to be completed. And if you time your visit for the “Great Columbia Crossing” 10-K Walk/Run and make the proper arrangements then you can cross the bridge on the only day of the year that it’s open to pedestrians.
Visitor Information
Elevation: 18 feet
Population: 9,800 people
County: Clatsop
Zip Code: 97103
