Date of visit: September 4, 2011
Population: 4,989 (2010 Census)
Warrenton sits on land that was originally occupied by the Clatsop Indians, but in 1851 they ceded 90% of their land to the U.S. Government. They were the only Oregon tribe that wasn’t moved to a reservation after giving up their land.
Daniel Knight Warren, who emigrated to Oregon from New York via the Oregon Trail in 1852, bought 160 acres here in 1870 and started recruiting people to come settle the area. He built a dike along the Skipanon River to protect against flooding and laid out a town with tree-lined streets. He offered bonuses and free lots to people who built houses in his new town. Warren built his own house here in 1885, a beautiful house that is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today Warrenton is a quiet bedroom community of Astoria and serves as the gateway to nearby Fort Stevens State Park.