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Astoria, Oregon

Population: 9,970
Located in Clatsop County

Astoria is for explorers! As the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies, Astoria offers a rich history for your exploration. It was first visited by Captain Robert Gray in 1792, by the Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery in 1805, then adventuresome pioneers by the thousands. Now its your turn to experience the excitement of exploring Astoria. Within a 20 mile radius, one can see dozens of exciting attractions including Fort Clatsop National Memorial, Fort Stevens State Park, Fort Astoria, Heritage Center Museum, Flavel House Museum, Uppertown Fire Fighters Museum, Astoria Column, and the Columbia River Maritime Museum, home to one of the nation's finest displays of model ships and nautical artifacts.

Astoria offers other fun discoveries, such as historic Victorian homes, the beautiful 4.1 mile long Astoria Bridge, cruise ships, and fishing charters offering the thrill of landing your own salmon, sturgeon, or crab. A walk to explore the city's waterfront should include stops at the 6th Street Viewing Dock, the 14th Street Riverpark with its interpretive panels of river activity, and the 17th Street Pier where there's a chance to tour visiting ships. Discover the bustling business district with its many unique shops and galleries.

For the kids, there's nothing like a trip to the Uppertown Firefighters Museum at 30th and Marine Drive. It is full of fire fighting memorabilia from 1877 to 1963. The collection includes motorized, hand-pulled and horse-drawn fire engines, as well as a large photographic collection of some of Astoria's spectacular fires.

Astoria celebrates its Scandinavian heritage with the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival, held in mid-June. Local Icelanders, Finns, Danes, Norwegians and Swedes join together to celebrate their heritage. Come celebrate and enjoy the costumed local townspeople dance the midsummer pole dance, see the bonfire burn to destroy evil spirits, and the tugs-of-war pitting Scandinavian nationalities against each other. The festival features authentic Scandinavian musicians, a smorgasbord of old world delicacies, ethnic entertainment, dancing, crafts and a parade.

Come to Astoria - and experience the thrill of modern day exploration. The coastal environment of Oregon and Washington is different in many ways from other portions of the United States. Heavy precipitation falls over the Coast Ranges, which support a temperate rain forest, and winter is the wet season. At the interface between a great river and the ocean, the lower Columbia River estuary is a focus today for transportation and industry, particularly at Portland, Oregon as well as Vancouver and Longview, Washington. The Also known as the Astoria-Megler Bridge, the Columbia River (Astoria) Bridge is just over four miles long (21,474 feet), and is the longest bridge in Oregon. The main span is a 2,468-foot steel cantilever through truss, and is flanked by five steel deck trusses, one hundred forty 80-foot concrete deck girder spans, and, at the Washington end of the bridge, seven 350-foot steel through truss spans. The bridge was designed jointly by the Oregon and Washington state highway departments. Construction was begun in 1962, and completed in 1966.

Moderate temperature normally prevails throughout the year, which favors fruit and grain agriculture. Conifer forests are the basis for a significant wood-products industry. So-called "high-tech" industries have grown quickly in recent years, and a reputation for a "clean environment" has spurred rapidly increasing population. The attractions of mountains, forests and aquatic sports are the basis for a large tourist trade today.

The Columbia River Maritime Museum
The Columbia River Maritime Museum was founded in 1962 when Rolf Klep, a native of Astoria, returned to his birthplace after retirement as a successful graphic artist on the east coast. Upon returning, Klep (a long-time collector of marine artifacts) and a group of his colleagues sought to establish a museum to preserve the rich maritime heritage of the entire Columbia River region - a museum of national distinction. Today the Columbia River Maritime Museum's national reputation for the quality of its exhibits and the scope of its collections makes it one of the finest maritime museums in the nation. It is also the first museum in Oregon to meet national accreditation standards, and has been designated the official state maritime museum for Oregon. The Columbia River Maritime Museum celebrated its 40th anniversary and $6 million remodeling and expansion on May 11, 2002. The Museum renovation began in October 2000 and increased exhibit space to 44,200 square feet. The new space houses interactive exhibits that combine history with cutting-edge technology and numerous Museum acquisitions. Visitors of all ages will experience what it is like to pilot a tugboat, participate in a Coast Guard rescue on the Columbia River Bar, and live in Astoria during the height of salmon fishing. Huge windows make the Columbia River a living backdrop for exhibits that are interactive and touchable, many accompanied by interviews with people involved in the events depicted.

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