From Inadvertent Hip to Current Coastal Cool, Astoria, Oregon's Rise Over the Years

Published 08/24/25 at 8:05 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Astoria, Oregon) - Astoria is one mammoth, crazy surprise after another. It’s not the beach, per se, but it doesn’t have to be to wow you. This absolute end of the Oregon coastline is brimming with rustic charm that will mow you over as you enter from the south, via the waterfront views of Marine Drive, then finding yourself amid a cluttered cluster of buildings that range from curious to stately. Some of the older ones appear almost shaky, and often the town looks somewhat lost in this century – but gleefully so. (Astoria in 2003 - Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

In fact, you really don't want it any other way. That's why there is this photo essay.

It's typefied by steep hills, an abundance of Victorian homes and a long-standing maritime tradition - all situated where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. From at least the early '90s, Astoria had vibes somewhere between San Francisco and Portland back in the sixties. Until about 2015, when a tourism boom had caused a refurbishing renaissance, it looked this way more often than not. There was always a weatherbeaten allure – and certainly an inadvertent hip 'n cool edge. It was grime with grace, as if Astoria's elder constructs were dragged kicking and screaming into the later 20th century, even more reluctantly into the early 21st.

To give you an idea about how it's changed, however: back in 1997 some of those old Victorians reportedly went for as little as $10,000 at times.

Courtesy Angi D Wildt Gallery

For those in the '90s and early 2000s that dug the whole Cocktail Nation movement or just ruddy dive bars, the place was heaven. After all, this was a town where being shanghaied was a major worry once, way back in the 19th century. Its historic roots not only go back to just after Lewis and Clark but it was a gnarly port for sailing and steam ships since early on. You could hit one of the bars and suddenly find yourself waking up on a ship at sea. There were some tunnels here for that.

It’s a place that the British and the Americans fought over for a brief period. It was also the first town in Oregon, and the first city established west of the Rockies. Astoria History Timeline: 200 of Years At the Top of Oregon Coast

Yet even now, with its rebuilds and redos, Astoria is a place where the past seems to imperceptibly smack into the present, blending in a way that makes a thick atmosphere of history often indistinguishable from the modern aspects of the town. And it’s a curious mix of cutting edges and and holding onto its past, somehow achieving both simultaneously in some spots.

This building burned 15 years ago, changing the view forever (Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

North Oregon coast residents have a bold sense of creativity sometimes – like celebrating the darker maritime traditions with the yearly musical “Shanghaied in Astoria.”

The downtown area still clings to older architecture like the rest of the city can, though some of it has moved on and spiffed up for an upscale demo. For many decades the JC Penney in town looked the same as it had in the '30s. When that folded last decade, the exterior was modernized. Still, you can walk down that main downtown drag and wander through different time periods: some facades have the intricacy of the '30s and '40s, others may seem straight from the '70s - or that famed '80s decade when Goonies, Kindergarten Cop or Short Circuit were put on celluloid here.

Astoria in 2003: part of the ruddy charm of this town then. Seen from the 6th Street platform

Another dreamy chunk of Astoria was the viewing tower at the 6th Street Pier. That burned in 2010. It took several years but it's back, a kind of story not atypical of Astoria. Wandering the Waterfront of Astoria

Indeed, parts of the town are built on the ashes of the old: there's remnants of a whole underground city beneath Astoria (and thus the Underground Tours). The second big fire to hit town was in the 1920s and it really leveled large portions because so much of it was built on wooden piers. There's essentially no hint of that now unless you know where to look.

There's more to Astoria than its downtown and lovely waterfront. Make sure to head up those steep hills and simply drive aimlessly for awhile to just look around at those old Victorians and other wonders. This zen-like wandering will serve you well here. Astoria's Pigeon Steps a Quirky but Scenic Walk of Oregon Coast History

Hotels in Astoria - Where to eat - Astoria Maps and Virtual Tours

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