Brookings, Oregon#Climate

File:Crew looking out of camp building windows, Brookings Timber and Lumber Company, Brookings, ca 1919 (KINSEY 2158).jpeg

In 1906, the Brookings Timber Company hired William James Ward, a graduate in civil engineering and forestry, to come to the southern Oregon Coast and survey its lumbering potential. After timber cruising the Chetco and Pistol River areas for several years, he recommended that the Brookings people begin extensive lumbering operations here and secure a townsite for a mill and shipping center.{{cite news|title=Brookings, a Live Community, Marks Once Bleak Spot of Dreary Desolation|date=April 14, 2001|orig-year=May 3, 1914|newspaper=Oregon Sunday Journal|location=Portland, Oregon|url=http://www.currypilot.com/Community/History-of-Brookings/Brookings-A-new-town-across-the-Chetco|access-date=June 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523081505/http://www.currypilot.com/Community/History-of-Brookings/Brookings-A-new-town-across-the-Chetco|archive-date=May 23, 2016|url-status=dead}} Republished by the Curry Coastal Pilot (Brookings).

While John E. Brookings was responsible for the founding of Brookings as a company town, it was his cousin, Robert S. Brookings, who was responsible for its actual design. The latter Brookings hired Bernard Maybeck, an architect based in San Francisco who was later involved in the Panama–Pacific International Exposition, to lay out the plat of the townsite.{{cite book | last =McCoy | first =Esther | author-link =Esther McCoy | title =Five California Architects | publisher =Reinhold Publishing Corporation | year =1960 | location =New York | page =46}}

{{Main|Lookout Air Raids}}

On September 9, 1942, Mount Emily near Brookings became the only site in the mainland United States and the second in the continental territory after the bombing of Dutch Harbor to suffer aerial bombardment during World War II. A Japanese floatplane piloted by Nobuo Fujita was launched from submarine I-25. The plane was armed with two incendiary bombs on a mission intended to start massive fires in the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest.{{Cite web|url=https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/exhibits/ww2/Pages/threats-bombs.aspx|title=State of Oregon: World War II - Bombs Fall on Oregon: Japanese Attacks on the State|website=sos.oregon.gov}}{{Cite web |last=Goyer |first=Norm |title=The Day a Japanese Plane Bombed Oregon |url=https://eugeneleeslover.com/Japanese_bomb_Oregon.html |website=eugeneleeslover.com}}

Fujita was invited to Brookings in 1962 and, as a token of friendship, gifted the city his 400-year-old family katana. Fujita later sponsored a trip to Japan for Brookings high school students and returned to the city three more times in the early 1990s. In 1997, Fujita was made an honorary citizen of Brookings by the city council.{{cite news |last=Rosman |first=John |date=7 December 2016 |title=The unlikely bond between an Oregon town and the man who bombed it |url=https://www.opb.org/artsandlife/series/history/nobuo-fujita-brookings-oregon-world-war-2/ |work=OPB}}

The current marketing "brand" for the community, through the Brookings-Harbor Chamber of Commerce,{{Cite web|url=http://ww12.brookingsor.com/|title=brookingsor.com|website=ww12.brookingsor.com}} is "The Pulse of America's Wild Rivers Coast". America's Wild Rivers Coast is a regional marketing brand for Curry County, Oregon, and Del Norte County, California.{{Cite web|url=http://www.wildriverscoast.com/|title=AWRC Home|date=June 2, 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020602115157/http://www.wildriverscoast.com/ |archive-date=2002-06-02 }}

The Port of Brookings Harbor was damaged by tidal surges from a tsunami on March 11, 2011.{{cite news |last=Manning|first=Jeff |author2=Brettman, Allan |title=Brookings port destruction by tsunami is a blow Curry County cannot afford |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/03/brookings_port_destruction_by_tsunami_is_a_blow_curry_county_cannot_afford.html |newspaper= The Oregonian|location=Portland, Oregon|access-date=March 13, 2011 |date=March 12, 2011}} The largest surge was estimated to be nearly {{convert|8|ft}}. Boats were damaged, sunk, set adrift, and swept out to sea after many docks were torn away and pilings broken.{{cite news |last=Rice|first=Arwyn|author2=Graves, Scott

|title=Tidal surges pummel port, sink boats |url=http://www.currypilot.com/News/Local-News/Tidal-surges-pummel-port-sink-boats |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102041723/http://www.currypilot.com/News/Local-News/Tidal-surges-pummel-port-sink-boats |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 2, 2013 |access-date=June 19, 2013|date=March 12, 2011 |newspaper=Curry Coastal Pilot}}{{cite news |last=Rasmussen |first=Randy L. |title=Southern Oregon tsunami damage |url=http://photos.oregonlive.com/oregonian/2011/03/southern_oregon_tsunami_damage_2.html |access-date=March 13, 2011 |date=March 11, 2011 |newspaper=The Oregonian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060706/http://photos.oregonlive.com/oregonian/2011/03/southern_oregon_tsunami_damage_2.html |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead }} The tsunami was caused by the 9.0 M_W[https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2011/usc0001xgp/neic_c0001xgp_wmt.php "USGS analysis as of 2011-03-12"]. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved March 13, 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314185317/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2011/usc0001xgp/neic_c0001xgp_wmt.php |date=March 14, 2011 }} Tōhoku earthquake offshore of the east coast of Honshu Island, Japan. The damage was estimated at $25 million to $30 million.

File:Oregon coast taken from Highway 101 near Brookings, Oregon (3388091714).jpg]]

Brookings is located along the southern Oregon coast at the mouth of the Chetco River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|3.94|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|3.87|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.07|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=2012-12-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=2012-07-02 |url-status=dead }}

File:Larger palm trees starting to appear around Brookings, OR. (21943259411).jpgs can grow there.{{cite web|url=https://1859oregonmagazine.com/explore-oregon/recreation/oregon-travel-brookings/|title=Trip Planner: Brookings|author=Husk, Lee Lewis|date=March 1, 2016|publisher=1859 Magazine|accessdate=September 9, 2022}}]]

Brookings has a mild Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csb).{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=725973&cityname=Harbor%2C+Oregon%2C+United+States+of+America&units=|title=Harbor Oregon Climate Summary|publisher=Weatherbase|access-date=17 December 2016}} According to the Trewartha climate classification, Brookings has a subtropical climate (Cs) since eight months are above {{convert|50|°F|°C|abbr=on}}.

A weather phenomenon known as the "Chetco Effect" or the "Brookings Effect" can cause the temperature in Brookings near the Chetco River mouth to be much higher than the surrounding area. Adiabatic heating increases the temperature and reduces relative humidity as katabatic wind, driven by high pressure on the Great Basin, descend across the west slopes of the Cascade Range and Oregon Coast Range.{{cite journal|last=Schreiber|first=Daniel|title=A Study of the Chetco Effect in the City of Brookings, Oregon and Surrounding Areas|journal=Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University|date=22 April 2012}} The heart of Brookings, with its orientation, is protected from sea breezes coming from the northwest and the warm, dry, down-sloping winds that are funneled down the Coastal Range into the deep Chetco River gorge can reach the coast uninfluenced by the effects of the Pacific.{{cite journal |last=Mass |first=Clifford F. |title=The "Banana Belt" of the Coastal Regions of Southern Oregon and Northern California |journal=Weather and Forecasting |date=March 30, 1987 | volume=2 |issue=3 | pages=253–258 |doi=10.1175/1520-0434(1987)002<0253:tbotcr>2.0.co;2|bibcode = 1987WtFor...2..253M |doi-access=free }} This can result in large temperature gradients; when Brookings recorded its all-time record high on July 8, 2008 of {{convert|108|°F|°C}}, Crescent City, around {{convert|30|mi|km}} south of Brookings, recorded a high temperature of just {{convert|68|°F|°C}}.

{{Weather box

|location = Brookings, Oregon, 1991−2020 normals, extremes 1913−present{{efn|Records maintained at the Brookings COOP ({{coord|42.0463|N|124.2877|W|type:landmark_region:US-OR|format=dms}}) since May 2002, and at the Brookings 2 SE COOP ({{coord|42.03|N|124.2453|W|type:landmark_region:US-OR|format=dms}}) before then.{{Cite web|url=http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/|title=Threaded Extremes|website=threadex.rcc-acis.org}}}}

|single line = Y

|width = 50%

|collapsed = Y

|Jan record high F = 80

|Feb record high F = 85

|Mar record high F = 88

|Apr record high F = 92

|May record high F = 99

|Jun record high F = 100

|Jul record high F = 108

|Aug record high F = 101

|Sep record high F = 103

|Oct record high F = 100

|Nov record high F = 88

|Dec record high F = 79

|Jan high F = 53.7

|Feb high F = 54.7

|Mar high F = 55.4

|Apr high F = 57.9

|May high F = 61.7

|Jun high F = 64.6

|Jul high F = 66.6

|Aug high F = 66.4

|Sep high F = 66.9

|Oct high F = 62.7

|Nov high F = 57.3

|Dec high F = 53.0

|year high F = 60.1

|Jan mean F = 48.6

|Feb mean F = 48.9

|Mar mean F = 49.4

|Apr mean F = 51.4

|May mean F = 54.9

|Jun mean F = 58.1

|Jul mean F = 60.0

|Aug mean F = 60.1

|Sep mean F = 59.6

|Oct mean F = 56.0

|Nov mean F = 51.6

|Dec mean F = 47.9

|Jan low F = 43.6

|Feb low F = 43.2

|Mar low F = 43.4

|Apr low F = 45.0

|May low F = 48.0

|Jun low F = 51.4

|Jul low F = 53.4

|Aug low F = 53.8

|Sep low F = 52.3

|Oct low F = 49.2

|Nov low F = 45.8

|Dec low F = 42.7

|year low F= 47.7

|Jan record low F = 21

|Feb record low F = 24

|Mar record low F = 29

|Apr record low F = 28

|May record low F = 32

|Jun record low F = 34

|Jul record low F = 39

|Aug record low F = 37

|Sep record low F = 34

|Oct record low F = 30

|Nov record low F = 28

|Dec record low F = 17

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 12.57

|Feb precipitation inch = 9.91

|Mar precipitation inch = 9.89

|Apr precipitation inch = 7.09

|May precipitation inch = 3.37

|Jun precipitation inch = 2.06

|Jul precipitation inch = 0.39

|Aug precipitation inch = 0.67

|Sep precipitation inch = 1.46

|Oct precipitation inch = 4.98

|Nov precipitation inch = 11.12

|Dec precipitation inch = 14.10

|year precipitation inch= 77.61

|Jul snow inch = 0

|Aug snow inch = 0

|Sep snow inch = 0

|Oct snow inch = 0

|Nov snow inch = 0

|Dec snow inch = 0.1

|Jan snow inch = 0.2

|Feb snow inch = 0.3

|Mar snow inch = 0.1

|Apr snow inch = 0

|May snow inch = 0

|Jun snow inch = 0

|year snow inch= 0.7

|unit precipitation days = 0.05 in

|Jan precipitation days = 17.7

|Feb precipitation days = 16.1

|Mar precipitation days = 17.9

|Apr precipitation days = 14.4

|May precipitation days = 9.8

|Jun precipitation days = 6.0

|Jul precipitation days = 3.4

|Aug precipitation days = 3.9

|Sep precipitation days = 4.9

|Oct precipitation days = 10.3

|Nov precipitation days = 17.9

|Dec precipitation days = 18.5

|unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jul snow days = 0

|Aug snow days = 0

|Sep snow days = 0

|Oct snow days = 0

|Nov snow days = 0

|Dec snow days = 0.1

|Jan snow days = 0

|Feb snow days = 0.1

|Mar snow days = 0

|Apr snow days = 0

|May snow days = 0

|Jun snow days = 0

|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/us-climate-normals/#dataset=normals-monthly&timeframe=30&station=USC00351058|title = NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date = 2021-10-07}}

}}

;Notes:

{{notelist}}

{{US Census population

|1920= 515

|1930= 250

|1940= 500

|1950= 1000

|1960= 2637

|1970= 2720

|1980= 3384

|1990= 4400

|2000= 5447

|2010= 6336

|2020= 6744

|footnote=source:{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|url=https://www.census.gov|access-date=June 19, 2013}}{{cite book|last=Moffatt|first=Riley Moore|title=Population History of Western U.S. Cities and Towns, 1850–1990|location=Lanham, Maryland|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=1996|page=207|isbn=978-0-8108-3033-2}}{{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}}

}}

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,336 people, 2,717 households, and 1,689 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1637.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 3,183 housing units at an average density of {{convert|822.5|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. The racial makeup of the city was 92.2% White, 0.3% African American, 1.8% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.6% of the population.

There were 2,717 households, of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.8% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.81.

The median age in the city was 46.9 years. 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.8% were from 25 to 44; 28% were from 45 to 64; and 24.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

File:BrookingsHarbor2.jpg

Azalea Park is located at 640 Old County Road. It has picnic areas, bandshell, snackshack, gazebo, Kidtown playground, disc golf course, softball and soccer fields, and the Capella by the Sea. Several cultural events in the town are held at Azalea Park.{{Cite web |title=Azalea Park |url=https://brookings.or.us/facilities/facility/details/Azalea-Park-5 |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=Brookings, OR |language=en}}

File:Harris Beach overlook July 2009.jpg]]Harris Beach State Park is located on Highway 101 at the north end of Brookings. It includes {{convert|173|acre|ha|abbr=off}} of coastal access as well as RV and tent camping facilities and a rest area.{{Cite web |title=Harris Beach State Park - Oregon State Parks |url=https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=58 |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=stateparks.oregon.gov |language=en}}

Principal photography for the 2024 film Bad Fish took place in Brookings in 2022. The film featured local landmarks such as Brookings Harbor and Harris Beach State Park.{{cite news |title=Movie filmed and set on the Oregon Coast "Bad Fish" in theaters August 9th |url=https://kobi5.com/news/sunrise/movie-filmed-and-set-on-the-oregon-coast-bad-fish-in-theaters-august-9th-244327/ |access-date=19 February 2025 |work=KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2 |date=8 August 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Levi J. |title=Oregon-produced "Bad Fish" to host Sneak Previews in January |url=https://oregonconfluence.com/2024/01/16/oregon-produced-bad-fish-to-host-sneak-previews-in-january/ |access-date=19 February 2025 |work=The Confluence |date=16 January 2024}}

Each year, the town hosts the "Pirates of the Pacific" festival.{{Cite web|url=https://www.whattodoinsouthernoregon.com/summer-festivals/dnzsnjfrkg9kz9pj6klt7t76y7aygf|title=PIRATES OF THE PACIFIC FESTIVAL IN BROOKINGS 2019|website=What to do in Southern Oregon|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-01}}

One major event in the town is the Azalea Festival, which includes the Azalea Parade and live music. It is held every year on Memorial Day Weekend.{{Cite web |title=Time-honored tradition on the Southern Oregon Coast |url=http://azaleafestivalbrookings.com/ |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=82nd Annual Azalea Festival |language=en-US}}

Another very popular event in Brookings is the Nature's Coastal Holiday light display which is open each evening from Thanksgiving weekend through Christmas in Azalea Park.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title="The BEST Holiday Light Show on the Oregon Coast" |url=https://naturescoastalholiday.com/ |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=Nature's Coastal Holiday |language=en-US}}

After a long history of feeding the homeless, the City Council moved against St. Timothy's Episcopal Church for operating a soup kitchen. This was fueled by a feeling within the town that the soup kitchen was drawing "the wrong kind of people" to the area. After a long, drawn-out legal battle, starting in 2021 and culminating in 2024, St. Timothy's Episcopal Church was granted permission by a Federal court to continue to operate the soup kitchen.{{Cite web |title=Episcopal Church Wins Legal Battle |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=www.oregonlive.com |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2024/03/episcopal-church-wins-legal-challenge-against-city-of-brookings-attempt-to-limit-its-free-meal-services.html}}

• KURY-FM
• KSEP-FM (Brookings Seventh-day Adventist Church){{Cite web|url=https://www.brookingssda.org/|title=Brookings - home|website=www.brookingssda.org}}
• KCIW 100.7 FM Curry Coast Community Radio{{Cite web |title=About KCIW |url=https://kciw.org/about-kciw/ |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=kciw.org}}{{Cite web |last=Cejnar Andrews |first=Jessica |date=July 28, 2023 |title=KCIW Gets Go-Ahead For Full-Power Radio Station, Needs To Raise $125,000 Before FCC Window Closes |url=https://wildrivers.lostcoastoutpost.com/2023/jul/28/kciw-gets-go-ahead-full-power-radio-station-needs/ |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=Wild Rivers Outpost |language=en}}

• Ethan Allen (1904–1993) – professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB)
• Dom Callicrate (1885–1979) – college football player
• Ray "Crash" Corrigan (1902–1976) – actor
• Max Steineke (1898–1952) – petroleum geologist
• Elmo Williams (1913–2015) – film and television director and producer

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Wikivoyage|Brookings-Harbor}}

{{Commons category|Brookings, Oregon}}

• [https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Pages/local/cities/a-d/brookings.aspx Entry for Brookings] in the Oregon Blue Book
• {{Oregon Encyclopedia|brookings|Brookings}}
• {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20120724182106/http://www.brookingsharborchamber.com/ Brookings Chamber of Commerce]}}
• [http://www.opb.org/artsandlife/series/history/nobuo-fujita-brookings-oregon-world-war-2/ The Unlikely Bond Between An Oregon Town And The Man Who Bombed It] Produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting

{{Curry County, Oregon}}

{{Oregon}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Cities in Oregon

Category:Populated coastal places in Oregon

Category:Company towns in Oregon

Category:Cities in Curry County, Oregon

Category:Micropolitan areas of Oregon

Category:Port cities in Oregon

Category:Populated places established in 1908

Category:1908 establishments in Oregon