Charleston Real Estate and Information
Charleston OR Real Estate and Information
Charleston Oregon History
Charleston is an unincorporated community in Coos County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the ocean entrance to Coos Bay. Ancestors of the modern day Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw, and Coquille Indians originally inhabited Coos Bay. The bay is Oregon’s largest coastal estuary and has provided natural resources to locals inhabitants for centuries. The name of Charleston originated with Charles Haskell, an early resident, who is believed to have settled on a claim in 1853 at the mouth of the South Slough. The first store was built in Charleston in 1917 and in 1936 the Hallmark Fisheries Plant opened. With the largest natural harbor between Seattle and San Francisco, Coos Bay is a major shipping and manufacturing center. According to the local chamber of commerce, it is the area's "commercial and sport fishing center", and the community also provides services for the seafood processing and marine support industries. South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (SSNERR) is a 4,770-acre National Estuarine Research Reserve located on Coos Bay Estuary.
Life in Charleston Oregon
Charleston is accessible by land, sea, and air. U.S. Highway 101 is a major highway connecting Charleston to other communities. Recreational fishers prefer the area because of its protected bay and bar area. In addition to the fishing activities, tourists travel to Charleston and marvel at the abundance of bird species, whale watching opportunities, clamming, crabbing, hiking, biking and kayaking.
Charleston has three spectacular state parks. Sunset Bay State Park, located southwest of Charleston, has a small, protected bay surrounded by picturesque cliffs. Swimmers, divers, surfers and boaters enjoy the warm bay waters. Year round camping is available, as well as hiking. Watching the sunset over the ocean from the cliff side trail, which connects the three parks, is a popular activity. The park is near one of the three golf courses in the Bay area.
Shore Acres State Park is the former grand estate of pioneer lumberman and shipbuilder Louis J. Simpson. Simpson built a luxurious summer home on a scenic bluff high above the Pacific Ocean, which was later destroyed by fire in 1921. Currently, the park's attractions include beautiful gardens featuring trees, shrubs and flowering plants from around the world. A fully enclosed observation building offers magnificent views of towering waves, rugged cliffs and glimpses of migrating whales from December through June.
Cape Arago State Park offers wild vistas of the pounding sea, as well as of Oregon's sea stacks. Picnic tables are scattered about the bluffs, and hiking trails lead to numerous tide pools along the beach. This park is also a good place to view marine mammals such as seals, sea lions and whales.
Charleston children attend Coos Bay School District 9 and North Bend School District 13. The South Coast Education Service District provides Coos County with special educational programs and services. Higher education resources available locally include Southwestern Oregon Community College, and the closest four-year college, University of Oregon, is located in Eugene. In Charleston, the University of Oregon’s Institute of Marine Biology conducts research and offers courses in marine biology and related fields.
Charleston Oregon Real Estate
Charleston Oregon Information
