Bandon, Oregon, United States of America

Bandon is a city located in Coos County, Oregon, on the south side of the mouth of the Coquille River. It was named by George Bennet, an Irish peer, who settled nearby in 1873 and named the town after Bandon, Ireland, his native home. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,833.

Bandon Economy

Like many towns on the Oregon coast, Bandon had significant fishing and timber industries which came to an end by the 1980s. Currently Bandon is a center of cranberry production. This crop was introduced in 1855 by Charles McFarlin, for whom the MacFarlin hybrid is named. Today however, Bandon's economy revolves around the golfing and tourism industries. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, located just north of the town of Bandon, employed more than 450 in the summer of 2005 and, because of the "walking only" experience, more than 300 caddies. All of the resort's three course are ranked in the top 100 in the world and top 50 in the United States by Golf Magazine (September 2005 edition) — the only resort in the U.S. with this claim to fame. Bandon Dunes was the first course to open at the resort. Opened on May, 19, 1999 Bandon Dunes was designed by Scotsman David McLay Kidd. Instantly garnering high praise the course features gorse lined fairways and numerous pot bunkers. The resort's second 18 hole course, Pacific Dunes, opened on July 1st, 2001. Pacific Dunes was designed by Michigan architesct, Tom Doak and sculpted by his design firm, Renaissance Design, Inc. Pacific Dunes also opened to glowing reviews and quickly surpassed Bandon Dunes as the highest rated course on the property. The resort's third course, Bandon Trails was designed by the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Bandon Trails opened on June 1st 2005. Bandon Trails depaarts from its siblings in that no hole are routed along the Pacific Ocean. The course meanders through dunes, meadows, and forest land. Along with being one of Coos County's major employer, Bandon Dunes is affecting nearby North Bend Municipal Airport, 25 miles north of the golf resort. The commercial airport recently received funding to expand the terminal facilities.

Bandon History

Bandon was founded by the Irish peer George Bennet, who also introduced gorse (Ulex europaeus) into the local area, which in the following decades went wild and could be found flourishing in both the town and in the neighboring countryside.

On September 26, 1936, embers blown from a nearby slash fire of a logging crew enflamed gorse growing inside Bandon, and ignited a fire inside the city, causing massive destruction. Bandon's entire commercial district was destroyed. The total loss stated at the time was three million dollars, with 11 fatalities. Stewart Holbrook vividly described this conflagration in his essay "The Gorse of Bandon."

Bandon Geography

Bandon is located at 43°7'8" North, 124°24'43" West (43.118976, -124.411993).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.0 km² (3.1 mi²). 7.1 km² (2.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 10.97% water.

Bandon Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 2,833 people, 1,287 households, and 736 families residing in the city. The population density is 397.8/km² (1,029.4/mi²). There are 1,535 housing units at an average density of 215.5/km² (557.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 92.48% White, 0.25% African American, 1.94% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.95% from other races, and 3.67% from two or more races. 2.75% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 1,287 households out of which 21.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% are married couples living together, 10.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 42.8% are non-families. 36.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 19.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.09 and the average family size is 2.71.

In the city the population is spread out with 19.1% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 19.4% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 29.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 49 years. For every 100 females there are 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $29,492, and the median income for a family is $37,188. Males have a median income of $28,636 versus $22,722 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,051. 16.0% of the population and 11.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 34.1% of those under the age of 18 and 6.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bandon,_Oregon".