A sign in the Florence Old Town area denoting distances to other cities named "Florence" in North America
Florence is a coastal city in Lane County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It lies at the mouth of the Siuslaw River on the Pacific Ocean and about midway between Newport to the north and Coos Bay to the south along U.S. Route 101. As of August 14, 2023, the city had a total population of 9,553.[6][7]
History
The Florence area was originally inhabited by the Siuslaw tribe of Native Americans. Some claim that the city was named after state senator A. B. Florence, who represented Lane County from 1858 to 1860; another claim is that Florence was named after a French vessel that was wrecked at the mouth of the Siuslaw River on February 17, 1875.[8]
Exploding whale
On November 12, 1970, Florence was the site of a famous scene when the Oregon Department of Transportation used 20 cases of explosives to try to blow up a dead beached whale, with unintended consequences. The explosion was supposed to send pieces of whale flying towards the ocean, but many pieces were blown in the opposite direction, crushing a car over 0.25 miles (0.40km) away and covering bystanders in small bits of whale.[9][unreliable source?][10][11][12] In 2020, residents voted to name a new park Exploding Whale Memorial Park.[13]
Accidental ban on sex
The Florence City Council brought national attention to Florence after it approved a poorly-worded ordinance at its regular meeting on November 26, 1977. Intending to prevent people from having sexual intercourse in view of bystanders, the council approved a measure that made it illegal to have sex "while in or in view of a public or private place." Days later, a re-reading of the ordinance showed that it applied to sex in private. According to the United Press International report that followed days later, "City officials said they would not enforce the new ordinance until it could be amended."[14]
To the south of Florence, the unincorporated community of Glenada lies just across the Siuslaw River on U.S. Route 101; the city of Yachats is 23 miles (37km) to the north.[16]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.87 square miles (15.20km2), of which 5.30 square miles (13.73km2) is land and 0.57 square miles (1.48km2) is water.[17]
Climate
Like most of Western Oregon, Florence has a Mediterranean climate (KöppenCsb) though cooler and wetter than usual for the type. The cooling effect of the Pacific makes summers as much as 9.4°F or 5.2°C cooler than Eugene by daily mean and 15.4°F or 8.6°C cooler by afternoon high. Outside of the short dry season in July and August, rainfall in Florence is generally frequent and heavy, totalling almost twice as much as in the Willamette Valley.
Climate data for Florence, Oregon, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 2006–2020
As of the 2020 census, Florence had a population of 9,396. The median age was 61.8 years. 12.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 44.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.7 males.[20]
99.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.7% lived in rural areas.[21]
There were 4,623 households in Florence, of which 15.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.0% were married-couple households, 17.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 25.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[20]
There were 5,310 housing units, of which 12.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 65.5% were owner-occupied and 34.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%.[20]
As of the census[23] of 2010, there were 8,466 people, 4,226 households, and 2,374 families living in the city. The population density was 1,597.4 inhabitants per square mile (616.8/km2). There were 5,103 housing units at an average density of 962.8 per square mile (371.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.5% White, 1.4% Pacific Islander, 1.3% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.3% African American, 0.3%, Pacific Islander, 1.4% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.4% of the population.
There were 4,226 households, of which 15.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.8% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.98 and the average family size was 2.51.
The median age in the city was 57 years. 13.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.5% were from 25 to 44; 28.4% were from 45 to 64; and 36.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.4% male and 53.6% female.
Per the census[5] of 2000, there were 7,263 people, 3,564 households, and 2,145 families living in the city. The population density was 1,476.3 peopleper square mile (570.0 people/km2). There were 4,174 housing units at an average density of 848.4 per square mile (327.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.88% White, 0.28% African American, 0.92% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. 2.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 3,564 households, out of which 16.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.52.
Florence Waterfront
In the city, the population dispersal was 16.8% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 16.0% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 38.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,505, and the median income for a family was $36,784. Males had a median income of $30,962 versus $23,878 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,008. 14.4% of the population and 10.0% of families were below the poverty line. 25.9% of those under the age of 18 and 8.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Florence has held an annual Rhododendron festival, flower and garden show since 1908.[24]
Florence has also hosted The Power of Florence, an annual volunteer event, since 2013. According to the group's Facebook page, the event is a "proclaimed city-wide day dedicated to volunteering and giving back".
Old Town Florence is located on the Siuslaw riverfront. The Port of Siuslaw marina is to the east, and the Art Deco 1936 Siuslaw River Bridge is to the west. The boardwalk promenade was built along the marina to improve the area.[30] Many businesses are on US101 itself, which runs through the town, north to south.
KXCR, 90.7 FM, is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, non-commercial, community radio station.
Locally owned and operated radio stations KCST-FM and KCFM (AM) provide music, news, local and regional sports, and emergency public service programming 24 hours a day.
Radio translator K211BP rebroadcasts KRVM-FM from Eugene.
Non-profit organization West Lane Translator, Inc. maintains licenses and transmission facilities for five High Definition television translators, as well as 6 FM radio translators providing free over-the-air programming to the Florence area.
↑Mikkelson, Barbara; Mikkelson, David P. (March 19, 2000). "Thar She Blows!". Critter Country. snopes.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
↑"Son of Blubber". Oregon Department of Transportation employee newspaper, TranScript. July 1994. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
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