Astoria, the really old American West

I've been invited to attend the umpteenth annual banquet of the Astoria-Warrenton Chamber of Commerce later this month. It's been about ten years since I went to one of these affairs. The last one was something like the 125th annual. I remember being very impressed that someone was running an annual dinner for more years than Florence had been in existence. Astoria is the oldest American city west of the Mississippi.

Astoria got its start when the Astor fur company opened a post around 1810. I don't recall the exact year, but it was a bit after Lewis and Clark. It was lost to the British during the War of 1812 and eventually came back, but it declined as a fur outpost as the fur trade itself declined.

Eventually, people in Astoria began to make big bucks guiding ships across the Columbia River Bar. Captain George Flavel, who built the famous Flavel Mansion overlooking downtown Astoria, could watch the ship traffic from his abode. Astoria is still important due to its location at the mouth of the river, but there are now plenty of other aspects. Tourism is strong and it's also getting known as a great place to retire.