Alsea, Oregon
{{Short description| Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Alsea, Oregon
|settlement_type = Unincorporated community & census-designated place
|nickname =
|motto =
|image_skyline = Alsea merc.jpg
|imagesize =
|image_caption = Alsea Mercantile
|image_map =
|established_date =
|established_title =
|named_for = Alsea River
|pushpin_map = USA Oregon#USA
|pushpin_label_position =
|pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Oregon
|pushpin_mapsize =
|mapsize =
|map_caption =
|image_map1 =
|mapsize1 =
|map_caption1 =
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = United States
|subdivision_type1 = State
|subdivision_name1 = Oregon
|subdivision_type2 = County
|subdivision_name2 = Benton
|area_total_sq_mi = 0.16
|area_total_km2 = 0.40
|area_land_sq_mi = 0.16
|area_land_km2 = 0.40
|area_water_sq_mi = 0.00
|area_water_km2 = 0.00
|population_estimate_as_of = 2023
|population_estimate_footnotes =
|population_estimate_total = 220
|population_as_of = 2020
|population_total = 220
|population_density_km2 = 407.95
|population_density_sq_mi = 1057.69
|coordinates = {{coord|44|22|53|N|123|35|47|W|region:US-OR|display=inline,title}}
|timezone = PST
|utc_offset = -8
|timezone_DST = PDT
|utc_offset_DST = -7
|elevation_ft = 295
|website =
|postal_code_type = ZIP codes
|postal_code = 97324
|area_code = 541
|blank_name = FIPS code
|blank_info = 41-01800
|blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
|blank1_info = 1137169{{GNIS|1137169}}
|footnotes =
|unit_pref = Imperial
}}
Alsea ({{IPAc-en|'|æ|l|s|i}} {{respell|AL|see}}) is an unincorporated community in Benton County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is on Oregon Route 34 and the Alsea River. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Alsea as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to the local understanding of the area with the same name. As of the 2023 Census population estimates, the population was 220.{{cite web |title=Population and Housing Occupancy Status: 2020 |url=https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?q=alsea+oregon&page=1&stateGeo=none&searchtype=web&cssp=SERP&_charset_=UTF-8 |access-date=November 30, 2022 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
History
File:George E Chamberlain 2.jpg
Alsea was named for the Alsea River, whose name was a corruption of "Alsi" (also spelled "Ulseah" and "Alsiias") the name of a Native American tribe, now known as the Alsea, that lived at the mouth of the river. The Alsea area was settled by Europeans early as 1855, when the name "Alseya Settlement" appeared on the Surveyor general's map. Alsea post office was established in 1871.{{cite book | last = McArthur | first = Lewis A. | author-link = Lewis A. McArthur |author2=Lewis L. McArthur |author2-link=Lewis L. McArthur | title = Oregon Geographic Names | orig-year = 1928 | edition = 7th| year = 2003 | publisher = Oregon Historical Society Press | location = Portland, Oregon| isbn = 0-87595-277-1 | pages = 19–20 }}
In the early 1850s settlers moved from the Willamette Valley into the Alsea area to take up donation land claims.{{cite web |title = Alsea Falls Recreation Site |publisher = Bureau of Land Management, Salem District |url = http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/files/brochures/Alsea_Falls_Rec_Site.pdf |access-date = December 24, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090122050920/http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/files/brochures/Alsea_Falls_Rec_Site.pdf |archive-date = January 22, 2009 |url-status = dead }} While logging was once the primary industry in Alsea, it is now known as a place for fishing on the Alsea River, particularly for steelhead,{{cite news|title = Our Town 2004–2005: Who We Are Today| url = http://www.mvourtown.com/today/index.html | archive-url = https://archive.today/20030602192406/http://www.mvourtown.com/today/index.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = June 2, 2003 | work = Mid-Valley News| publisher = Mid-Valley Online | access-date = December 24, 2009 }} and a favorite stopping point on a well-traveled cycling loop.{{cite web|title=Alsea Falls Loop|publisher = The Travel Oregon Network| year=2011|url=http://rideoregonride.com/road-routes/alsea-falls-loop/|access-date=August 2, 2011}}
Climate
This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above {{convert|71.6|F|C}}. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Alsea has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.{{cite web|title=Alsea, Oregon|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=541053&cityname=Alsea%2C+Oregon%2C+United+States+of+America&units=|work=Weatherbase|year=2016|publisher=CantyMedia|access-date=September 23, 2016}}
{{Weather box |metric first =
|location = Alsea Fish Hatchery
|single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 55
| Feb record high F = 61
| Mar record high F = 65
| Apr record high F = 82
| May record high F = 94
| Jun record high F = 92
| Jul record high F = 95
| Aug record high F = 90
| Sep record high F = 83
| Oct record high F = 68
| Nov record high F = 62
| Dec record high F = 55
| year record high F = 95
| Jan high F = 46.2
| Feb high F = 48.2
| Mar high F = 50.2
| Apr high F = 55
| May high F = 61.7
| Jun high F = 66.1
| Jul high F = 74.5
| Aug high F = 73.9
| Sep high F = 69.2
| Oct high F = 57.3
| Nov high F = 49.2
| Dec high F = 42.2
| year high F = 57.8
| Jan low F = 36.3
| Feb low F = 35.8
| Mar low F = 36.5
| Apr low F = 38.2
| May low F = 42.4
| Jun low F = 47.4
| Jul low F = 49.8
| Aug low F = 50.5
| Sep low F = 47.9
| Oct low F = 43.2
| Nov low F = 39.6
| Dec low F = 33.1
| year low F = 41.7
| Jan record low F = 25
| Feb record low F = 17
| Mar record low F = 26
| Apr record low F = 27
| May record low F = 30
| Jun record low F = 38
| Jul record low F = 40
| Aug record low F = 39
| Sep record low F = 39
| Oct record low F = 30
| Nov record low F = 28
| Dec record low F = 11
| year record low F = 11 | precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 14.85
| Feb precipitation inch = 11.17
| Mar precipitation inch = 11.15
| Apr precipitation inch = 6.9
| May precipitation inch = 4.05
| Jun precipitation inch = 2.38
| Jul precipitation inch = 0.65
| Aug precipitation inch = 1.12
| Sep precipitation inch = 2.85
| Oct precipitation inch = 6.52
| Nov precipitation inch = 13.94
| Dec precipitation inch = 16.3
| year precipitation inch = 91.89
| Jan precipitation days = 20
| Feb precipitation days = 17
| Mar precipitation days = 20
| Apr precipitation days = 17
| May precipitation days = 12
| Jun precipitation days = 9
| Jul precipitation days = 4
| Aug precipitation days = 5
| Sep precipitation days = 8
| Oct precipitation days = 13
| Nov precipitation days = 19
| Dec precipitation days = 20
| Jan snow inch = 1.7
| Feb snow inch = 1.4
| Mar snow inch = 0.5
| Apr snow inch = 0
| May snow inch = 0
| Jun snow inch = 0
| Jul snow inch = 0
| Aug snow inch = 0
| Sep snow inch = 0
| Oct snow inch = 0
| Nov snow inch = 0.1
| Dec snow inch = 1.2
| year snow inch = 4.9
|source 1 = {{cite web
|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?or0145 |title=Alsea F H Fall Creek, OR (350145) |access-date=November 22, 2015 |publisher=Western Regional Climate Center }}
|date=November 2015
}}
Demographics
{{US Census population
|align=left|2010 = 164
| 2020 = 165
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:41&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=Oct 12, 2022}}
}}{{clear left}}
School
Alsea Charter School, including Alsea High School, is a charter school that serves K-12 and has an enrollment of 321 students as of 2024.{{Cite web |title=Alsea Charter School|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/oregon/alsea-charter-school-16388 |website=US News Education|year=2024|access-date=August 24, 2024}}
Covered bridge
Near Alsea is Hayden Bridge, a historic covered bridge listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.{{cite web|url=http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/NATREG/docs/oregon_nr_list.pdf|title=Oregon National Register List|publisher=Oregon Parks and Recreation Department|access-date=December 24, 2009|archive-date=June 9, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609105953/http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/NATREG/docs/oregon_nr_list.pdf|url-status=dead}} The bridge carries Hayden Road over the river from an intersection with Route 34 about {{convert|2|mi|km|0}} west of Alsea.{{cite web|title = Alsea River (Hayden) Covered Bridge | publisher = Oregon Department of Transportation | url = http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/BRIDGE/docs/covbrdg/Descriptions/hayden.pdf|access-date = December 4, 2014}}
Notable people
- Thomas Benton Slate (December 2, 1880 – November 26, 1980) was raised in Alsea. He invented the first commercially viable method of producing dry ice,{{cite web | url= https://offbeatoregon.com/1602b.slate-metal-airship-inventor-part1.378.html | title= Benton County lad became the "Nicola Tesla of Oregon" | last= John | first= Finn J.D. | publisher=Off Beat Oregon | access-date= December 11, 2019}} and later financed the construction of an all-aluminum hulled airship, The City of Glendale, completed in 1929 but never flown.{{cite web|title=Slate Aircraft Corporation City of Glendale Negatives 1928–1929|publisher=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/slate-aircraft-corporation-city-glendale-negatives-1928-1929|access-date=December 12, 2019}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://alsea.k12.or.us/ Alsea School District]
- [http://photos.salemhistory.net/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=all&CISOBOX1=&CISOFIELD1=title&CISOOP2=exact&CISOBOX2=Alsea,%20Oregon&CISOFIELD2=subjec&CISOOP3=any&CISOBOX3=&CISOFIELD3=descri&CISOOP4=none&CISOBOX4=&CISOFIELD4=audiena&CISOROOT=all Historic photos of Alsea from Salem Public Library]
- [http://photos.salemhistory.net/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=all&CISOBOX1=&CISOFIELD1=title&CISOOP2=exact&CISOBOX2=Hayden%20Covered%20Bridge&CISOFIELD2=subjec&CISOOP3=any&CISOBOX3=&CISOFIELD3=descri&CISOOP4=none&CISOBOX4=&CISOFIELD4=audiena&CISOROOT=all Historic photos of Hayden Covered Bridge]
- {{Oregon Encyclopedia|alsea_alcea_|Alsea|Robbins, William}}
{{Benton County, Oregon}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Census-designated places in Benton County, Oregon
Category:Unincorporated communities in Benton County, Oregon
Category:1871 establishments in Oregon
Category:Populated places established in 1871
Category:Census-designated places in Oregon