Coos County, Oregon

Coos County was created by the Territorial Legislature from parts of Umpqua and Jackson Counties in 1853 and included Curry County until 1855. The county seat was Empire City until 1896, when it was moved to Coquille. Although trappers had been in the area a quarter-century earlier, the first permanent settlement in present Coos County was at Empire City, now part of Coos Bay, by members of the Coos Bay Company in 1853. Forest products, tourism, fishing and agriculture dominate the Coos County economy. Boating, dairy farming, myrtle wood manufacturing, shipbuilding and repair, and agriculture specialty products including cranberries, also play an important role. The International Port of Coos Bay, considered the best natural harbor between Puget Sound and San Francisco, is the world's largest forest products shipping port. The name “Coos” derives from a native Coos Bay Indian tribe and translates to “lake” or “place of pines.”