A
Little About Our Town of Coos Bay!
Coos Bay has been
synonymous with boat traffic since its beginnings.
In the early days, a mosquito fleet of small boats, ferries, and
sternwheelers
delivered people and services from ocean to inland communities on a
daily
basis. In the 1850's, logging, coal mining, agriculture, and ship
building
began in the region, providing the basis for developing
communities.
What now makes up the central district of Coos Bay
was
called Marshfield
until 1944
when residents voted to change the name to Coos Bay to match the name
of the Bay itself. The City of Marshfield was named after the
Massachusetts
home town of the City's founder, J.C. Tolman, and incorporated in
1874.
The waterfront was the focus of Marshfield, with
Front
Street where
there are now various larger industrial uses and office buildings,
being
a hub of pedestrian and waterfront activity.
While taking the walking tour, you will note that
many
of the buildings
in the central district of Coos Bay were completed near the turn of the
century. This was a time of growth for the community.
The City of Coos Bay is now made up of various
communities that once
surrounded the Bay, the oldest of these being Empire City, which was
once
the Coos County seat. Another community which makes up Coos Bay was
until
recent years the City of Eastside. Both Empire and Eastside are now
districts
of Coos Bay. The prominence of these and other individual communities
and
districts within the City of Coos Bay give it a unique character not
often
found in a small town. Today Coos Bay is known throughout the world as
a major exporter of wood products. It is the largest city on the Oregon
Coast, and it is the professional and financial hub of the region.