Brookings, Oregon
Brookings is a city located in Curry County, Oregon. It was named after John E. Brookings, president of the Brookings Lumber and Box Company, which founded the city in 1908. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,447.
Due to its location Brookings is the warmest part of Oregon, where temperatures can reach 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 27 degrees Celsius) throughout the year. This is due in part to the marine influences from its location on the Pacific Ocean, but mostly from its situation at the foot of the Klamath Mountains, whose winds compress and warm the area flowing onto Brookings.
History
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 Exposition to lay out the plat of the townsite.
Since the 1980s, Brookings has attracted retirees from California who have come to form a sizeable minority of the population. Their political influence is felt in routinely voting against new taxes. It is also home for a number of people who commute to jobs in California.
Geography
Brookings is located at 42°3'27" North, 124°17'11" West (42.057474, -124.286415)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.3 km² (2.8 mi²). 7.2 km² (2.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.06% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 5,447 people, 2,309 households, and 1,484 families residing in the city. The population density is 753.8/km² (1,951.6/mi²). There are 2,614 housing units at an average density of 361.7/km² (936.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 90.55% White, 0.20% African American, 2.40% Native American, 1.29% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 4.00% from two or more races. 4.74% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,309 households out of which 27.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% are married couples living together, 9.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% are non-families. 30.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 16.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.83.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 43 years. For every 100 females there are 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $31,656, and the median income for a family is $36,846. Males have a median income of $33,073 versus $22,591 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,010. 11.5% of the population and 9.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.1% of those under the age of 18 and 9.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.