Curry County, Oregon

Curry County is a county in Oregon, United States, on the state’s South Coast facing the Pacific, its westernmost tip at Cape Blanco — the westernmost point in Oregon. It had a population of 23,446 at the 2020 census and covers 1,988 square miles (5,150 km2) — 1,627 square miles of land and 361 square miles of water — centred near 42°28′N 124°08′W.

Gold Beach is the county seat; its postal code is 97444. The county has three incorporated cities, five census-designated places and ten unincorporated communities. Curry County observes Pacific Time and has no civil townships.

Towns & Villages in Curry County

Eighteen named places appear on the map of Curry County: three incorporated cities (Brookings, Gold Beach and Port Orford), five CDPs (Harbor, Langlois, Nesika Beach, Pistol River and Wedderburn) and ten unincorporated communities. “CDP” below marks a Census Bureau-defined place with no city government; “Unincorp.” marks a place with neither incorporation nor CDP status.

Harbor sits directly across the Chetco River from Brookings and is often treated as one community with it, but the Census Bureau tracks the two separately — Harbor as an unincorporated CDP, Brookings as its own city.

ZIP Codes

• 97415 — Brookings (also serves Harbor)
• 97444 — Gold Beach (also serves Nesika Beach and Pistol River)
• 97465 — Port Orford
• 97450 — Langlois
• 97406 — Agness
• 97476 — Sixes
• 97464 — Ophir (PO Box only)
• 97491 — Wedderburn (PO Box only)

Bagnell Ferry, Carpenterville, Denmark, Hunter Creek, Illahe, Marial and Plum Trees have no ZIP code of their own and are served by the nearest post office town above.

Geography

Curry County runs about 60 miles along the Pacific coast between the California line and the Coquille River drainage, with a rugged, mostly forested interior rising into the Klamath Mountains. Most of the county lies within the Siskiyou National Forest, and the Rogue and Chetco rivers cut west to the ocean through steep, sparsely settled canyons; the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge protects rocky sea stacks off the coast. The county borders Coos County to the north, Josephine County to the northeast, and Del Norte County, California to the south; the Pacific Ocean forms its entire western edge.

Demographics

Curry County had 23,446 residents at the 2020 census, a majority rural population spread along a narrow coastal strip. Brookings, the largest city, and Gold Beach, the county seat, together account for most of the incorporated population; median age countywide is notably high at 57.5 years. Median household income runs well below the Oregon median of $80,160, reflecting the county’s reliance on tourism, fishing and forestry rather than higher-wage urban industries. Population density is light, at roughly 14 people per square mile of land.

Economy & Local Life

Curry County’s economy grew out of 19th-century gold mining along its beaches and rivers, then shifted to timber, commercial fishing and dairy farming. Today tourism along Highway 101, sport and charter fishing out of Gold Beach and Brookings, and forest products remain central, alongside an unusual specialty crop: most of the Easter lilies grown commercially in the United States come from bulb fields around Brookings and the nearby California border, an area marketed as the “Easter Lily Capital of the World.”

History

Curry County was organised on December 18, 1855, carved from part of Coos County, and named for George Law Curry, who served twice as governor of Oregon Territory. Its early economy centred on beach and river gold mining in the 1850s and 1860s, and its remote southern coastline later became a lumber and fishing hub once Highway 101 connected the region to the rest of the state in the 20th century.

Getting There

US Highway 101 runs the length of the county along the coast, with US Highway 199 linking the Brookings area inland toward Grants Pass; Highway 42S connects Gold Beach and Port Orford to the interior via Coos County.

• Coos Bay, Oregon — about 55 miles north
• Grants Pass, Oregon — about 55 miles northeast
• Crescent City, California — about 30 miles south
• Medford, Oregon — about 90 miles east

The nearest commercial airport is Southwest Oregon Regional Airport (OTH) in North Bend, north of the county; a smaller general-aviation field, Brookings Airport, serves the south end of the county directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Curry County, Oregon?
It occupies the southwestern corner of Oregon’s Pacific coast, bordering California to the south.

What is the population of Curry County?
23,446 people, per the 2020 census.

How big is Curry County?
1,988 square miles (5,150 km2) in total, of which 361 square miles is water.

What is the county seat of Curry County?
Gold Beach is the county seat.

How many towns are in Curry County?
Three incorporated cities — Brookings, Gold Beach and Port Orford — plus five CDPs and ten unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Curry County?
97415 (Brookings), 97444 (Gold Beach), 97465 (Port Orford), 97450 (Langlois), 97406 (Agness), 97476 (Sixes), plus PO-Box-only codes 97464 (Ophir) and 97491 (Wedderburn).

Why is Curry County known for Easter lilies?
The coastal soil and mild climate around Brookings support most of the commercial Easter lily bulb production in the United States, a niche industry that has operated there for decades.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Oregon.