Brookings, Oregon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brookings, Oregon
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An aerial view of Brookings, Oregon, and its coastline
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Location in Oregon
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 Brookings, Oregon
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States | |
| State | Oregon | |
| County | Curry | |
| Incorporated | 1951 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Mayor-Council government | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 4.16 sq mi (10.76 km2) | |
| • Land | 4.15 sq mi (10.74 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) | |
| Elevation | 220 ft (70 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 6,744 | |
| • Density | 1,626.24/sq mi (627.84/km2) | |
| U.S. Census | ||
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (Pacific) | |
| ZIP code |
97415
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| Area code(s) | 458 and 541 | |
| FIPS code | 41-08650 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 2409916 | |
| Website | www.brookings.or.us | |
Brookings is a city in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It was named after John E. Brookings, who started the city in 1908. He was the president of the Brookings Lumber and Box Company. In 2020, about 6,744 people lived there.
Contents
History of Brookings
How Brookings Started
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In 1906, the Brookings Timber Company hired William James Ward. He was an expert in civil engineering and forestry. His job was to explore the southern Oregon Coast for good lumber. After looking at the Chetco and Pistol River areas, he suggested starting a large lumber business there. He also recommended finding a spot for a mill and a shipping center.
John E. Brookings founded Brookings as a company town. This means the town was built by a company for its workers. His cousin, Robert S. Brookings, designed the town. Robert hired Bernard Maybeck, a famous architect from San Francisco. Maybeck helped plan the layout of the entire town.
Brookings During World War II
On September 9, 1942, Mount Emily near Brookings was attacked from the air. This was the only time the mainland United States was bombed during World War II. A Japanese floatplane flew from a submarine called I-25. The pilot, Nobuo Fujita, dropped two bombs. He wanted to start big fires in the thick forests.
Years later, in 1962, Fujita was invited to Brookings. He gave the city his family's 400-year-old katana (a Japanese sword) as a gift. Fujita also helped Brookings high school students visit Japan. He came back to Brookings three more times in the early 1990s. In 1997, the city council made Fujita an honorary citizen of Brookings.
Brookings in the 21st Century
Today, Brookings is known as "The Pulse of America's Wild Rivers Coast." This is part of a plan to attract visitors to the area. This marketing idea covers Curry County, Oregon, and Del Norte County, California.
The 2011 Tsunami
On March 11, 2011, the Port of Brookings Harbor was hit by tidal surges from a tsunami. A tsunami is a series of very large ocean waves. The biggest wave was almost 8 feet high. Many boats were damaged, sunk, or swept out to sea. Docks were also torn apart.
This tsunami was caused by a huge earthquake in Japan. The damage in Brookings was estimated to be about $25 million to $30 million.
Geography of Brookings
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Brookings is on the southern coast of Oregon. It sits at the mouth of the Chetco River. The city covers about 3.94 square miles. Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.
Climate in Brookings
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Brookings has a mild Mediterranean climate. This means it has warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. It's so mild that palm trees can grow there!
A special weather event called the "Chetco Effect" happens in Brookings. This can make the temperature much higher near the Chetco River mouth. Strong winds blow down from the mountains. As they go down, the air gets warmer and drier. Brookings is protected from sea breezes, so these warm, dry winds can reach the coast. This can cause big temperature differences. For example, on July 8, 2008, Brookings reached 108°F. But Crescent City, California, only 30 miles south, was just 68°F!
| Climate data for Brookings, Oregon, 1991−2020 normals, extremes 1913−present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) |
85 (29) |
88 (31) |
92 (33) |
99 (37) |
100 (38) |
108 (42) |
101 (38) |
103 (39) |
100 (38) |
88 (31) |
79 (26) |
108 (42) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 53.7 (12.1) |
54.7 (12.6) |
55.4 (13.0) |
57.9 (14.4) |
61.7 (16.5) |
64.6 (18.1) |
66.6 (19.2) |
66.4 (19.1) |
66.9 (19.4) |
62.7 (17.1) |
57.3 (14.1) |
53.0 (11.7) |
60.1 (15.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 48.6 (9.2) |
48.9 (9.4) |
49.4 (9.7) |
51.4 (10.8) |
54.9 (12.7) |
58.1 (14.5) |
60.0 (15.6) |
60.1 (15.6) |
59.6 (15.3) |
56.0 (13.3) |
51.6 (10.9) |
47.9 (8.8) |
53.9 (12.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 43.6 (6.4) |
43.2 (6.2) |
43.4 (6.3) |
45.0 (7.2) |
48.0 (8.9) |
51.4 (10.8) |
53.4 (11.9) |
53.8 (12.1) |
52.3 (11.3) |
49.2 (9.6) |
45.8 (7.7) |
42.7 (5.9) |
47.7 (8.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 21 (−6) |
24 (−4) |
29 (−2) |
28 (−2) |
32 (0) |
34 (1) |
39 (4) |
37 (3) |
34 (1) |
30 (−1) |
28 (−2) |
17 (−8) |
17 (−8) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 12.57 (319) |
9.91 (252) |
9.89 (251) |
7.09 (180) |
3.37 (86) |
2.06 (52) |
0.39 (9.9) |
0.67 (17) |
1.46 (37) |
4.98 (126) |
11.12 (282) |
14.10 (358) |
77.61 (1,971) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.2 (0.51) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.7 (1.8) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.05 in) | 17.7 | 16.1 | 17.9 | 14.4 | 9.8 | 6.0 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 10.3 | 17.9 | 18.5 | 140.8 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
- Notes
People in Brookings
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1920 | 515 | — | |
| 1930 | 250 | −51.5% | |
| 1940 | 500 | 100.0% | |
| 1950 | 1,000 | 100.0% | |
| 1960 | 2,637 | 163.7% | |
| 1970 | 2,720 | 3.1% | |
| 1980 | 3,384 | 24.4% | |
| 1990 | 4,400 | 30.0% | |
| 2000 | 5,447 | 23.8% | |
| 2010 | 6,336 | 16.3% | |
| 2020 | 6,744 | 6.4% | |
| source: | |||
2010 Census Information
In 2010, Brookings had 6,336 people living in 2,717 homes. About 1,689 of these were families. Most people (92.2%) were White. There were also people of other backgrounds, including Native American and Asian. About 6.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
In the homes, about 26.7% had children under 18. Many homes (46.7%) were married couples. About 31.3% of homes had just one person living there. Many people (15.4%) living alone were 65 or older. The average home had 2.26 people.
The average age in Brookings was 46.9 years old. About 21.1% of people were under 18. And 24.2% were 65 or older. The city had slightly more females (52.3%) than males (47.7%).
Parks and Fun in Brookings
Azalea Park
Azalea Park is a great place to visit. It has picnic areas and a bandshell for concerts. There's a snack shack and a gazebo. Kids can play at the Kidtown playground. The park also has a disc golf course, softball fields, and soccer fields. Many local events happen here.
Harris Beach State Park
Harris Beach State Park is just north of Brookings. It has 173 acres of coastline that you can explore. You can also find places to camp with RVs or tents. It's a beautiful spot to enjoy the ocean.
Arts and Culture in Brookings
Yearly Events
Every year, Brookings hosts fun events. One is the "Pirates of the Pacific" festival.
A big event is the Azalea Festival. It includes a parade and live music. This festival happens every year during Memorial Day Weekend.
Another popular event is Nature's Coastal Holiday. This is a beautiful light display in Azalea Park. It's open every evening from Thanksgiving weekend through Christmas.
Community Support
St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Brookings has a long history of helping people. They operate a soup kitchen, which provides meals to those in need in the community.
Media in Brookings
Radio Stations
- KURY-FM
- KSEP-FM (Brookings Seventh-day Adventist Church)
- KCIW 100.7 FM Curry Coast Community Radio
Famous People from Brookings
- Ethan Allen (1904–1993) – a professional baseball player
- Dom Callicrate (1885–1979) – a college football player
- Ray "Crash" Corrigan (1902–1976) – an actor
- Paul Harrell (1966–2024) – a Marine Corps veteran and firearms instructor
- Max Steineke (1898–1952) – a petroleum geologist
- Elmo Williams (1913–2015) – a film and television director and producer
See also
In Spanish: Brookings (Oregón) para niños
