Coos County
Boats along the waterfront in Coos Bay. (Oregon State Archives Photo No. cooD0089)
Contact
County Seat: Courthouse, 250 N Baxter, Coquille 97423
Phone: 541-396-3121 (General); 541-396-3121, ext. 344 or 343 (Court Administrator)
Fax: 541-396-4861
E-mail: coosclerk@co.coos.or.us
Web: www.co.coos.or.us
About
Population (2009): 63,065
Established: Dec. 22, 1853
Elev. at Coquille: 40'
Area: 1,629 sq. mi.
Average Temp.: January 44.2° July 60.9°
Assessed Value: $4,467,848,598
Real Market Value: $6,420,316,157
Annual Precipitation: 56.8"
Economy: Forest products, fishing, agriculture, shipping, recreation and tourism
Related resources
History
Historical
Records Inventory
Scenic
Image
Economic
Information (from OBDD)
"County
Quick Facts" (from U.S.
Census Bureau)
County
Seat Map (from Yahoo!
Maps)
County
Map (from ODOT)
Incorporated cities
Bandon | Coos Bay | Coquille | Lakeside | Myrtle Point | North Bend | Powers
Points of interest
Lumber port, myrtlewood groves, Shore Acres State Park and Botanical Gardens, beaches, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, museums, fishing fleets, boat basins, scenic golf courses
History and general information
Coos County was created by the Territorial Legislature from parts of Umpqua and Jackson Counties in 1853 and included Curry County until 1855. The county seat was Empire City until 1896, when it was moved to Coquille. Although trappers had been in the area a quarter-century earlier, the first permanent settlement in present Coos County was at Empire City, now part of Coos Bay, by members of the Coos Bay Company in 1853. The name “Coos” derives from a Native American Coos Bay tribe and translates to “lake” or “place of pines.”
Forest products, tourism, fishing and agriculture dominate the Coos County economy. Boating, dairy farming, myrtlewood manufacturing, shipbuilding and repair, and agriculture specialty products, including cranberries, also play an important role. The International Port of Coos Bay, considered the best natural harbor between Puget Sound and San Francisco, is the world’s largest forest products shipping port.
County officials
Commissioners—Robert (Bob) Main 2013, Andy Jackson 2015, Nikki Whitty 2015; Dist. Atty. Paul Frasier 2013; Assess. vacant 2013; Clerk Terri Turi 2015; Sheriff Craig Zanni 2015; Surv. Karlas Seidel 2013; Treas. Mary Barton 2013