Tillamook, Oregon

History

The city is named for the Tillamook people, a Native American tribe speaking a Salishan language who lived in this area until the early 19th century. Anthropologist Franz Boas identifies the Tillamook Native Americans as the southernmost branch of the Coast Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest. This group was separated geographically from the northern branch by tribes of Chinookan peoples who occupied territory between them. The name Tillamook, he says, is of Chinook origin, and refers to the people of a locality known as Elim or Kelim. They spoke Tillamook, a combination of two dialects. Tillamook culture differed from that of the northern Coast Salish, Boas says, and might have been influenced by tribal cultures to the south, in what is now Northern California.

Captain Robert Gray first anchored in Tillamook Bay in 1788, marking the first recorded European landing on the Oregon coast. Settlers began arriving in the early 1850s, and Tillamook County was created by the Territorial legislature in 1853. In 1862, the town itself was laid out, and the first post office was opened in 1866. The town was voted to be the county seat in 1873.

Tillamook was officially incorporated as a city in 1891. Its first mayor was George Cohn, a merchant and community leader who served in 1891. Cohn's was president Cohn and Company, a local mercantile

The first church in Tillamook was the Methodist Episcopal Church, established in 1861 by early settlers. Services were initially held in homes and schoolhouses, with the first dedicated building constructed in the 1870s. The Sacred Heart Catholic Church followed in 1896.

A series of devastating forest fires, Tillamook Burn starting with the 1933 fire that burned 240,000 acres in 6 days, destroying $442 million in timber (equivalent to $12 billion today). Subsequent fires in 1939, 1945, and 1951 totaled 355,000 acres, the largest in Oregon history.

During World War II, the United States Navy operated a blimp patrol station near the town at Naval Air Station Tillamook. The station was decommissioned in 1948, and the remaining facility now houses Tillamook Air Museum.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.7 sqmi, all of it land. The Tillamook area is also home to five rivers, the Tillamook, Trask, Wilson, Kilchis, and the Miami just north of the city.

Climate

Tillamook has a climate that lies between the cool-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) and the oceanic climate (Cfb). The city has a mild and wet climate with very little seasonal temperature variation due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean. From November through April, daytime high temperatures range from the high 40s to the high 50s with abundant rainfall - including more than 13 in per month in November, December, and January. Snowfall is very rare, but winter floods are a common occurrence. Between April and October, the precipitation in Tillamook is comparatively lighter than other coastal cities, but still remains much wetter than the population centers in the Willamette Valley. Tillamook's annual precipitation averages about 88 in compared to only 36 in in Portland. Summers in Tillamook are brief and mild with average daytime temperatures in the upper 60s, although daytime temperatures can occasionally soar into the 80s and 90s for days at a time. Summer is by far the driest season in Tillamook with only 1.35 inches and 1.33 inches of rain (34 mm in either case) falling in July and August, respectively.

|Jan record high F = 70 |Feb record high F = 78 |Mar record high F = 78 |Apr record high F = 86 |May record high F = 88 |Jun record high F = 87 |Jul record high F = 88 |Aug record high F = 89 |Sep record high F = 97 |Oct record high F = 92 |Nov record high F = 80 |Dec record high F = 69 |year record high F = |Jan avg record high F = 62.1 |Feb avg record high F = 64.7 |Mar avg record high F = 67.8 |Apr avg record high F = 71.5 |May avg record high F = 76.5 |Jun avg record high F = 76.0 |Jul avg record high F = 78.1 |Aug avg record high F = 79.8 |Sep avg record high F = 81.7 |Oct avg record high F = 76.1 |Nov avg record high F = 65.2 |Dec avg record high F = 60.1 |year avg record high F = 85.9 |Jan avg record low F = 25.2 |Feb avg record low F = 25.0 |Mar avg record low F = 27.2 |Apr avg record low F = 31.1 |May avg record low F = 33.9 |Jun avg record low F = 38.1 |Jul avg record low F = 41.5 |Aug avg record low F = 40.9 |Sep avg record low F = 36.1 |Oct avg record low F = 30.8 |Nov avg record low F = 26.8 |Dec avg record low F = 23.9 |year avg record low F = 20.7 |Jan record low F = 1 |Feb record low F = 5 |Mar record low F = 18 |Apr record low F = 23 |May record low F = 25 |Jun record low F = 31 |Jul record low F = 34 |Aug record low F = 33 |Sep record low F = 27 |Oct record low F = 19 |Nov record low F = 14 |Dec record low F = 4 |year record low F = |access-date = December 30, 2022

Demographics

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Tillamook had a population of 5,204. The median age was 36.0 years. 25.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.8 males age 18 and over.

99.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,137 households in Tillamook, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 33.7% were married-couple households, 21.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,295 housing units, of which 6.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 43.2% were owner-occupied and 56.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,935 people, 2,037 households, and 1,192 families living in the city. The population density was 2902.9 PD/sqmi. There were 2,248 housing units at an average density of 1322.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 86.5% White, 0.2% African American, 1.5% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, 6.9% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.2% of the population.

There were 2,037 households, of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.5% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.11.

The median age in the city was 33.7 years. 27% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.2% were from 25 to 44; 23% were from 45 to 64; and 14% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,352 people, 1,758 households, and 1,105 families living in the city. The population density was 2,818.8 PD/sqmi. There were 1,898 housing units at an average density of 1,229.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 92.56% White, 0.16% African American, 1.22% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 3.42% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.12% of the population.

There were 1,758 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city, the population dispersal was 29.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,875, and the median income for a family was $36,351. Males had a median income of $28,458 versus $20,801 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,160. About 11.8% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Historically, the Tillamook economy has been based primarily on dairy farms. The farmland surrounding the city is used for grazing the milk cattle that supply the Tillamook County Creamery Association's production of cheese, particularly cheddar, gourmet ice cream and yogurt, and other dairy products. Approximately one million people visit the cheese factory (located north of Tillamook on Highway 101) each year.

The lumber industry also is experiencing a comeback from the replanting that followed the Tillamook Burn forest fires of the mid-20th century. The burned remains of some of the trees can still be found in the forests surrounding Tillamook.

Tillamook also serves tourists on their way to the ocean beaches and as a location for second homes.

Arts and culture

Museums and other points of interest

The Tillamook Air Museum, which features over 15 aircraft, an Exhibit Hall with rare wartime and aviation-themed artifacts, is located just south of the city. It is housed in a wooden WWII blimp hangar that was once a part of Naval Air Station Tillamook. In 1991, illusionist David Copperfield filmed a train car disappearance illusion for a TV special in Hangar B. Its sister hangar (Hangar A) was destroyed by a fire in 1992. The hangars were built with old-growth trees and one can see the huge seamless beams inside the buildings.

The Tillamook Cheese Factory is the Tillamook County Creamery Association's original cheese production facility. The Tillamook Cheese Factory also serves as a Visitor Center and hosts over 1 million tourists each year. Visitors can learn about the cheese-making process, cheese-packaging process, and the ice cream-making process from a viewing gallery over the main production floor. Tours are self-guided and self-paced, and are augmented by video presentations and interactive kiosks.{{cite web

The Tillamook County Fair is world-famous for the annual Pig-N-Ford race where contestants have to catch a pig and race stripped Model T Fords around an oval track with the pig under one arm.

Education

Tillamook is served by the Tillamook School District. The city is home to seven schools and one college. Tillamook High School, Tillamook Junior High School, Wilson River School (Alternate Education), Trask River High School, East Elementary School, South Prairie Elementary School, Liberty Elementary School, and it contains the Tillamook Bay Community College.

Tillamook High School (home of the Cheesemakers) won the OSAA 4A State Football Championship in 1993, the OSAA 4A State Men's Championship in 1980, and the OSAA 4A State Women's Championship in 1980.

Media

Tillamook's weekly newspaper is the Headlight-Herald. The city has three radio stations. KTIL-FM is a local radio station playing country. With a unique morning show and an interview section from 9:30–10:00 titled "Tillamook Today", which interviews local officials, business owners, and other individuals discussing what is currently going on within the county. KTIL (AM) broadcasts oldies. Originally, it operated as a talk radio station. In addition to the oldies, sporting events are broadcast. KDEP-FM used to broadcast classic rock, but has since transitioned to modern music. Several media personalities got their starts on KTIL. The most notable was nationally syndicated conservative talk host Lars Larson, who received his first job at the age of 16 on the station.

Trivia

American technology company Intel named one of their notebook processor modules after Tillamook.

Transportation

• Tillamook Airport
• Tillamook County Transportation District
• Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad

Notable people

· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability. · The biographical article must mention how they are associated with Tillamook, whether born, raised, or residing. · The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited, unless it is well-known. · Alphabetical by last name please · All others will be deleted without further explanation

• Peggy Caserta (1940–2024), businesswoman and memoirist
• Jerry Kilgore (born 1964), country singer
• Lars Larson (born 1959), conservative talk radio show host
• Elaine Hopson (born 1939), State representative
• Bridget Marquardt (born 1973), actress and model
• Jacob Young (born 1979), soap opera actor

References

References

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7. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau.
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9. "Tillamook city, Oregon Files". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau.
11. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
12. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
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15. (March 2003). "Oregon Travel News". Oregon Tourism Commission.
16. "Hangar B History".
17. Tillamook. "Error Page".
18. "KTIL 95.9FM | Tillamook Radio".
19. "Home".
20. "KDEP 105.5FM | Tillamook Radio".
21. "About Lars".
22. Evans, Greg. (2024-11-25). "Peggy Caserta Dies: Janis Joplin’s Lover Whose Groundbreaking 1973 Tell-All Memoir Presented Rock Icon Through Queer Gaze Was 84".
23. Moser, Sayde. (September 13, 2013). "Country music singer/songwriter Jerry Kilgore returns to his hometown Sept. 21".
24. "About Lars". LarsLarson.com.
25. "LegislatorsChronological - NA".
26. "Biography". BridgetMarquardt .com.
27. Ho, Sally. (July 13, 2008). "Babies stole the show at county fair". [[Statesman Journal]].