Port Orford is a unique place to live – an authentic small town with no strip malls, no fast food, no stop lights. Life here feels slower and more relaxed than elsewhere. Partly that is due to our size, with only 1200 people; partly to our natural environment. We still have large undeveloped areas where you can hike and never see another person for hours.
And to us, a traffic jam is two cars waiting to turn left at a stop sign.
People who live here describe Port Orford as:
• Unspoiled
• Openhearted
• Beautiful
• Natural setting
• Isolated
• Close to forest & ocean
• Sense of a real port town
(Source: Looking to the Future, 2006 City of Port Orford Comprehensive Planning Report)
Schools
Public School District: Port Orford-Langlois School District 2J
2CJ School District consists of two schools: Driftwood Elementary School located in Port Orford and Pacific High School located halfway between Port Orford and Langlois.
Financial Institutions
Credit Unions: 1
Taxes
Sales Tax
Oregon has no general sales tax.
Property Tax
Owners of real and business personal property pay taxes according to the assessed value of taxable residential, commercial, farm, industrial, utility and timber property.
Taxes are used to fund the general operating budgets of the taxing districts that provide essential services for our community.
Tax rates are expressed as taxes owed per $1,000 of assessed property value. The Curry County Assessor uses permanent rates set for all taxing districts in fiscal year 1997–98, when taxes were significantly reduced by a citizen’s initiative and the corresponding Measure 50 passed by Oregon’s legislature. Starting in 1997–98, all property was valued by county assessors at 90 percent of July 1, 1995, levels. Since then, assessed values have been limited to a 3 percent annual growth rate. Since July 1, 1995, construction is valued at the average rate of similar properties in the area.
Special exemptions, tax relief programs and deferrals are available. For more information contact the Curry County assessor’s office at 541-247-3294.
Health Care
Our city has two medical clinics:
Coast Community Health and Pharmacy
Larger hospitals are located about 30 miles away in Gold Beach and Bandon.
Curry General Hospital, Gold Beach
Bay Area Hospital is a larger regional hospital in Coos Bay.
Many medical specialists can be found at the North Bend Medical Center.
Recreation Opportunities
Citizens enjoy a wide range of recreation opportunities, including beach walking, bicycle riding, hiking in local state parks, sea kayaking, SCUBA diving, disk frisbee, photography, birding, whale watching, and hunting and fishing.