Brookings Oregon
and
Harbor Oregon
Brookings
and
Harbor
Brookings and Harbor from the Harbor Hills .
Chetco River:
Fishing and Swimming
Kalmiopsis Wilderness:
Hiking and Rafting
Brookings and Harbor are the southernmost communities on the Oregon Coast.
Harbor runs from the Chetco River's south bank to the Winchuck River on the California border. Brookings is on the Chetco's north bank.
They are unusual in a number of ways- They are on the highly populated Pacific coast, yet are quite isolated, by the Kalmiopsis wilderness area, Redwood National Park, a multitude of clear-flowing rivers (the Chetco, Winchuck, Smith, Pistol, Rogue, Elk, Klamath and many smaller streams) and miles of rarely touched beaches. It 100 miles to any big town-- Coos Bay is 100 miles north, Grants Pass 100 Miles East, and Eureka California is 100 miles south.
The nearest small towns are Crescent City, 20 minutes south, and Gold Beach, 40 minutes north. San Francisco is a seven hour drive, Portland a little more. Uniquely among Oregon's coastal towns, Brookings Harbor seems, to some of us, to be oriented more to San Francisco to than Portland or Eugene.
There are several daily airline flights from Crescent City to San Francisco, Sacramento, and Eureka.
Perhaps most unusual is the climate. Brookings and Harbor are in an anomalous pocket of warm weather. It is believed to be due, in part, to a coastline the runs east-west, like Santa Barbara's, rather than north-south.
Whatever the cause, the result is weather warmer than not only the rest of Oregon coast, but also the northern California coast. Nonetheless it is usually still balmy when temperatures inland become uncomfortably hot.
A result of this is rivers that are warm enough for swimming throughout the summer and well into the fall. You can explore some pools on the upper Chetco in virtual reality by following the links below.
Virtual Reality:
This page allows you to explore a small part of the upper Chetco, near where the above picture was taken, in 3-d virtual reality. Pools of the Chetco
Beaches
Bernard Maybeck and Brookings
Little known is that Brookings was originally designed by Bernard Maybeck, perhaps the greatest of the western architects. It is the only town he designed. The design was not fully realized but the history is interesting, and the drawings beautiful. We've obtained and posted here copies of the original, never-published plans. We plan to use his long-neglected work in our Harbor Hills project.
Curry County Historical Society Pages
A fine collection of information and stories put together by Bill Wallace
Yesterdays
Getting In:
Air Connections
Climate:
Means and extremes 1961-1990
Dining: Brookings-Area Restaurants
Our Suggestions
Fishing
South Coast Fisherrmen
Crime
The Brookings Police Log
Has someone broken in and stolen her teeth again? Is the dog still barking on Easy Street? High drama in a small town. Yes, there are occasionally real crimes- but not often. However this report, courtesey of the Curry Coastal Pilot (our newspaper) is usually a great read.
Select property available near Brookings and Harbor
South: In the Harbor Hills
New: The Harbor Hills Master Plan
North: Over Cape Ferrelo
The Chetco River Watershed:
Coastal Resources:
Coast Land Mailing List
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