[1] Although it is considered a ghost town, it is still classified as a populated place by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

[2][3] The community was named after pioneer John Hobson, who was one of the founders of the local salmon cannery.

[4] Hobsonville once had an economy based on lumber and the salmon cannery–the Tillamook Packing Company–which began operating in 1884.

[4] According to Oregon: End of the Trail, nearby Hobsonville Point that extends into Tillamook Bay was named Talapus Cradle by the local Native Americans because of its resemblance to a cradleboard.

[9] By 1930, Hobsonville was the home of several elderly Tillamook and Nehalem women, who talked with May Edel, an assistant to anthropologist Franz Boas.