Bandon, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Economy
Like many communities on the Oregon coast, Bandon had significant fishing and timber industries, which were greatly diminished by the 1980s, though some remnants still exist. Bandon's current economy revolves around wood products, fishing, tourism, and agriculture. The five largest employers in the area include Bandon Dunes Golf Course, Southern Coos Health District, School District #54C, Oregon Overseas Timber, and Hardin Optical.Tourism
In tourism literature the city is often referred to as Bandon-by-the-Sea.One popular tourist activity is storm watching
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...
.
West Coast Game Park Safari
West Coast Game Park Safari
The West Coast Game Park Safari is a walk-through safari park in Bandon, Oregon. It opened in 1968, and includes snow leopards, lions, Bengal tigers, emu, capybara, and cougars....
is located just south of Bandon.
Cranberry industry
Currently, Bandon is a center of cranberryCranberry
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...
production. More than 100 growers harvest about 1600 acres (6.5 km²) around Bandon, raising 95 percent of Oregon's cranberries, and about 5% of the national crop. Production averages about 30 million pounds of berries. Harvest is in the fall. In 1994, 304000 barrels (48,332.1 m³) were harvested—a record for Bandon. Some berries are trucked to Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
and Albany
Albany, Oregon
Albany is the eleventh largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon, and is the county seat of Linn County. It is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is...
. Others are taken to an Ocean Spray
Ocean Spray (cooperative)
Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative of growers of cranberries and grapefruit headquartered in Lakeville/Middleborough, Massachusetts. It currently has over 600 member growers . The cooperative employs about 2,000 people, with sales of $1.4 billion in fiscal year 2005...
facility in Prosser, Washington
Prosser, Washington
Prosser is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Washington, United States, along the Yakima River with only one zip code 99350. The population was 5,714 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, to be concentrated. This crop was introduced in 1855 by Charles McFarlin, for whom the McFarlin hybrid is named.
Cranberry Festival
The Annual Cranberry Festival takes place in the second weekend of September to celebrate the Cranberry harvest. The event draws tourists and participants from all areas of the Oregon coast, Washington and California. Begun in 1946, to honor the cranberry industry, 2010 will mark the 64th year of the event. Bandon has long been known as the "Cranberry Capital of Oregon".Bandon cheese
In the past, dairy production and cheese making were an integral part of Bandon's economy. There is no longer a cheese production facility in Bandon, but the Bandon Cheese name lives on through the Tillamook County Creamery AssociationTillamook County Creamery Association
The Tillamook County Creamery Association is a dairy co-operative headquartered in Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The association's main facility is the Tillamook Cheese Factory located two miles north of the city of Tillamook on U.S. Route 101.The Tillamook factory hosts over a million...
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Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is a complex of four golf courses located just north of the city of Bandon.2000 Census data
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,833 people, 1,287 households, and 736 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,029.4 people per square mile (397.8/km²). There were 1,535 housing units at an average density of 557.8 per square mile (215.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.48% White, 0.25% African American, 1.94% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.95% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.75% of the population.
There were 1,287 households out of which 21.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.8% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.71.
In the city the population dispersal was 19.1% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 19.4% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 29.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,492, and the median income for a family was $37,188. Males had a median income of $28,636 versus $22,722 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $20,051. About 11.9% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.1% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Points of interest
- Bandon is known for its beaches and rock formations, including Face Rock.
- The Coquille River LightCoquille River LightCoquille River Light is a lighthouse located near Bandon, Oregon, United States. It is currently maintained by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department as a part of Bullards Beach State Park.-History:...
house is on Coquille RiverCoquille RiverThe Coquille River is a stream long, in southwestern Oregon in the United States. It drains a mountainous area of of the Southern Oregon Coast Range into the Pacific Ocean. Its watershed is located between that of the Coos River to the north and the Rogue River to the south.-Geography:The river,...
's north jetty at Bullards Beach State ParkBullards Beach State ParkBullards Beach State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department....
. - The Bandon Cranberry Festival is celebrated every fall as the cranberry harvest begins.
- Bandon State AirportBandon State AirportBandon State Airport , is a public airport located two miles Southeast of the city of Bandon in Coos County, Oregon, USA....
Notable people
- Bill BradburyBill BradburyBill Bradbury is an American politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Illinois, he grew up in Chicago and Pennsylvania before moving to the West Coast where he worked in broadcast journalism before running for public office. Democrat, he served as Oregon Secretary of State from 1999...
, Oregon Secretary of State - Randal O'TooleRandal O'TooleRandal O'Toole is an American public policy analyst. Although O'Toole studied economics at the University of Oregon, he did not receive a degree in economics...
, economist - James V. ScottiJames V. ScottiJames Vernon Scotti is an American astronomer. He was born in Bandon, Oregon and graduated from Woodway Senior High in Edmonds, Washington in 1978. He received his B.Sc. in Astronomy from the University of Arizona in Tucson in 1983. Ever since that time, he has worked on the Spacewatch project,...
, astronomer - Timothy ZahnTimothy ZahnTimothy Zahn is a writer of science fiction short stories and novels. His novella Cascade Point won the 1984 Hugo award. He is the author of nine Star Wars Expanded Universe novels, including seven novels featuring Grand Admiral Thrawn: the Thrawn Trilogy, the Hand of Thrawn duology, Outbound...
, Author