Florence, Oregon
Florence is a city located in Lane County, Oregon. One tradition states the city was named for state senator A.B. Florence, who represented Lane County from 1858-1860; another is that Florence was named for a French vessel that was wrecked at the mouth of the Siuslaw River February 17, 1875. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 7,263.
History
Following the 1987 United States Supreme Court ruling in California v. Cabazon band of Mission Indians, which opened the door for Native American-owned casinos, the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Suislaw Indians sought to build one to improve their economic resources, and in 1998 purchased a 98-acre lot one mile to the east of Florence as the site of their casino. At first the U.S. Department of the Interior ruled that this land was not tribal property, which would prohibit the construction of the casino, but a subsequent court ruling overturned that decision. Then for a number of years, the state of Oregon fought the construction of casino. A local group, People Against a Casino Town (PACT), announced that they would file a lawsuit on September 15, 2003 to block the construction of the casino. PACT draws its support from the retirees who have settled in Florence over the last two decades.
Despite this opposition, the casino opened on June 19, 2004. Due to lack of local support, the casino has had to build its own sewer and water system, and provide its own police protection. While most Oregon cities that have worked with Native American groups in the planning and construction of their casinos (e.g. Lincoln City and North Bend) have shared in the revenues, no such agreement currently exists between the Confederated Tribes and Florence.
Many of the ideas in Frank Herbert's Dune series came to him during a trip to Florence to write a magazine article about a US Department of Agriculture project there.
Florence is also known as the site of the exploding whale, an incident when the Oregon State Highway Division tried to remove a beached whale by dynamite - with unintended results.
Geography
Florence is located at 43°59'3" North, 124°6'11" West (43.984298, -124.102962)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.3 km² (5.5 mi²). 12.7 km² (4.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 10.71% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 7,263 people, 3,564 households, and 2,145 families residing in the city. The population density is 570.0/km² (1,476.3/mi²). There are 4,174 housing units at an average density of 327.6/km² (848.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 95.88% White, 0.28% African American, 0.92% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. 2.37% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 3,564 households out of which 16.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% are married couples living together, 9.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% are non-families. 34.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 21.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.02 and the average family size is 2.52.
In the city the population is spread out with 16.8% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 16.0% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 38.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 56 years. For every 100 females there are 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 82.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $30,505, and the median income for a family is $36,784. Males have a median income of $30,962 versus $23,878 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,008. 14.4% of the population and 10.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 25.9% are under the age of 18 and 8.3% are 65 or older.