Port Orford, Oregon

Port Orford (Tolowa: tr’ee-ghi~’- ’an’ ) is a city in Curry County on the southern coast of Oregon, United States. The population was 1,133 at the 2010 census.

The city takes its name from George Vancouver's original name for nearby Cape Blanco, which he named for George, Earl of Orford, "a much-respected friend."

Port Orford is the westernmost settlement in the state of Oregon.

History

Before the arrival of European settlers, the Port Orford area was inhabited by Tututni peoples. The Tututni languages were a part of the Pacific Coast Athabaskan language family.

In October 1941, then-mayor Gilbert Gable, frustrated with the poor condition of the state roads around Port Orford, which hampered economic development, suggested that a number of counties along the Oregon and California state border should secede and create the State of Jefferson. This movement came to an end with U.S. involvement in World War II.

Geography

Port Orford is located on U.S. Route 101 between the Pacific Ocean and the Siskiyou National Forest, 28 miles (45 km) north of Gold Beach and 27 miles (43 km) south of Bandon. At 124 degrees, 29 minutes, 53 seconds west longitude, it is the westernmost city in the contiguous United States, though in Clallam County, Washington, there are three unincorporated communities that are farther west than Port Orford: Neah Bay, La Push, and Ozette. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.61 square miles (4.17 km²), of which 1.56 square miles (4.04 km²) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km²) is water.