Bandon

History

Before 1850, the Coquille Indians lived in the area. Then in 1851, gold was discovered at nearby Whiskey Run Beach by French Canadian trappers, though the gold rush did not have much of an impact on the area. In 1852, Henry Baldwin, from County Cork, Ireland, was shipwrecked on the Coos Bay bar and walked into this area. The first permanent European settlers came in 1853 and established the present town site. In 1856, conflicts in the area arose and Indigenous Americans were sent to the Siletz Reservation. In 1859, the boat Twin Sisters sailed into the Coquille River and opened the outlet for all inland produce and resources. Bandon was founded by the Irish peer George Bennett in 1873. George Bennett, his sons Joseph and George, and George Sealey came from Bandon, Ireland. The following year the town's previous name of Averille was changed to Bandon after the town of the same name in Ireland. The next year, Joseph Williams and his three sons arrived, also from Bandon, Ireland. In 1877, the post office was established. In 1880, cheese making began. That same year, Congress appropriated money to build the jetty. In 1883, the first sawmill, school house, and Catholic church were built. In 1884, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction on the jetty. George Bennett also introduced gorse (Ulex europaeus) into the local area, which in the following decades went wild and became a nuisance in both the town and in the neighboring countryside. Gorse, a spiny plant, grows so thickly a person cannot walk through it. It is also a very oily plant, which easily catches fire. Cranberries have been grown in Bandon since 1885, when Charles McFarlin planted vines he brought from Massachusetts. McFarlin had originally come to pan for gold in California. He did not make his…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. Located at the northern end of the Brookings banana belt, Bandon has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb), making it drier, sunnier and warmer than most other locations on the Oregon coast. Rain and overcast conditions are common in the winter months, while during the summer it is mostly dry. Snow can occur during the winter, however, this is not very common and usually occurs about once or twice a season. Below freezing temperatures are rare in the city, usually occurring about once or twice a winter. Extreme temperatures of or colder are extremely rare, usually happening about once every five years. Summers are dry and cool with an average July high temperature of about while lows are generally in the 50s °F. High temperatures in the mid-70s °F to the low 90s °F occur on average about once or twice every summer. Bandon's highest reading of occurred on September 21, 1990. The lowest reading of was observed only three months later on December 21, 1990.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  5,242
• Western Gull

  Larus occidentalis Audubon, 1839 · Aves
  4,048
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  3,543
• White-crowned Sparrow

  Zonotrichia leucophrys (J.R.Forster, 1772) · Aves
  3,260
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,834
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,688
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,571
• Steller's Jay

  Cyanocitta stelleri (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  2,467

Largest nearby schools

• Ocean Crest Elementary School
  Elementary · Bandon · 259 students · 19.9:1 ratio
• Harbor Lights Middle School
  Middle · Bandon · 207 students · 18.8:1 ratio
• Bandon Senior High School
  High · Bandon · 205 students · 13.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-06-09
  46 km W of Port Orford, Oregon
• M 2.95 — 2026-05-23
  6 km E of Pistol River, Oregon
• M 2.57 — 2026-05-19
  10 km NW of Langlois, Oregon
• M 2.63 — 2026-01-27
  11 km SSE of Port Orford, Oregon
• M 3.0500000000000003 — 2026-01-27
  12 km SSE of Port Orford, Oregon
• M 2.97 — 2025-02-27
  6 km E of Pistol River, Oregon