Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains.

[7] The present area of Astoria was inhabited by a large, prehistoric Native American trade system of the Columbia Plateau.

[8][9] The Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1805–1806 at Fort Clatsop, a small log structure southwest of modern-day Astoria.

[12] The fort constructed by the Tonquin party established Astoria as a U.S., rather than a British, settlement[12] and became a vital post for American exploration of the continent.

The fur trade remained under British control until U.S. pioneers following the Oregon Trail began filtering into the town in the mid-1840s.

[14][15] Washington Irving, a prominent American writer with a European reputation, was approached by John Jacob Astor to mythologize the three-year reign of his Pacific Fur Company.

[16] In Irving's words, the fur traders were "Sinbads of the wilderness", and their venture was a staging point for the spread of American economic power into both the continental interior and outward in Pacific trade.

[17] In 1846, the Oregon Treaty divided the mainland at the 49th parallel north, making Astoria officially part of the United States.

[1] Astoria attracted a host of immigrants beginning in the late 19th century: Nordic settlers, primarily Swedes, Swedish-speaking Finns, and Chinese soon became larger parts of the population.

[24][25] Astoria has served as a port of entry for over a century and remains the trading center for the lower Columbia basin.

[26] It has long since been eclipsed in importance by Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, as economic hubs on the coast of the Pacific Northwest.

In the early 20th century, the North Pacific Brewing Company contributed substantially to the economic well-being of the town.

The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway discontinued service to Astoria in 1996, as it did not provide a large enough market.

The bridge completed U.S. Route 101 and linked Astoria with Washington on the opposite shore of the Columbia, replacing the ferry service.

[33] Today, tourism, Astoria's growing art scene, and light manufacturing are the main economic activities of the city.

[35] To avoid Mexican ports of call during the swine flu outbreak of 2009, many cruises were rerouted to include Astoria.

In addition to the replicated Fort Clatsop, another point of interest is the Astoria Column, a tower 125 feet (38 m) high, built atop Coxcomb Hill above the town.

Its inner circular staircase allows visitors to climb to see a panoramic view of the town, the surrounding lands, and the Columbia flowing into the Pacific.

The tower was built in 1926. Financing was provided by the Great Northern Railway, seeking to encourage tourists, and Vincent Astor, a great-grandson of John Jacob Astor, in commemoration of the city's role in the family's business history and the region's early history.

Now Fort George Brewery hosts the event, which draws hundreds of visitors and tour buses from Seattle.

[46] At least two United States Coast Guard cutters: the David Duren and Elm, are homeported in Astoria.

[49] Astoria lies within the Mediterranean climate zone (Köppen Csb), with cool winters and mild summers, although short heat waves can occur.

Rainfall is most abundant in late fall and winter and is lightest in July and August, averaging about 67 inches (1,700 mm) of rain each year.

It, along with The Astorian, is part of the EO Media Group (formerly the East Oregonian Publishing Company) family of Oregon and Washington newspapers.

The early 1960s television series Route 66 filmed the episode entitled "One Tiger to a Hill"[71] in Astoria; it was broadcast on September 21, 1962.

Other notable movies filmed in Astoria include Short Circuit, The Black Stallion, Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Benji the Hunted, Come See the Paradise, The Ring Two, Into the Wild, The Guardian and Green Room.

[93] The fourth album of the pop punk band The Ataris was titled So Long, Astoria as an allusion to The Goonies.

The album's back cover features news clippings from Astoria, including a picture of the port's water tower from a 2002 article on its demolition.

The former was lost in the Pacific Ocean in combat at the Battle of Savo Island in August 1942, during World War II,[97] and the latter was scrapped in 1971 after being removed from active duty in 1949.