Pacific City, OR is an unincorporated town in Tillamook County. Population 1027 with a median income of $33,250 and a median age of 53. In 1845, a Mr Johnson, a cook from an English ship traveling the Columbia river, deserted and headed south to the Willamette Valley. He started clearing the land of brush and started a fire to burn off debris when the fire got out of control and spread eastward. A shift in winds sent the fire westward towards the coastal mountain range. It burned for weeks and destroyed 1.5 million acres. It is still the largest area destroyed by a single fire in the U.S. today. In 1854 settlers began coming to the area where Pacific City is currently located. They arrived by steamers from the sea and wagon trains from the mountains. The Nestucca bay was rich with fish and salmon was the most popular. Fishing became a prime source for the economy with around 12,000 cans of salmon a year along with logging and dairy farming. Ocean Park was established in 1893 as a tourist area along with the fishing industry. In 1909 it's name was changed to Pacific City so it would not get confused with Ocean Park, WA. By 1926 the area was over fished and gill netting had been stopped. Surf launched dories became the new way of fishing but tourism continued as the main economy until the depression. An airport was built during that time to attract barnstormers and aviators. Today, Pacific City is still a tourism town and it main attraction is Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area.
Pacific City is a neat coastal town with some nice inns, restaurants and the beach. It has some beautiful homes and a great place to play in the surf, climb on some rocks or climb up a sand hill.
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