Astoria: the Land of Better Living: 10/18/24

Astoria: the Land of Better Living by the Astoria Chamber of Commerce (1925) is a 52 page invitation to move to the recently revitalized city at the mouth of the Columbia River. A hundred years ago Astoria Oregon had it's second major fire which destroyed most of the commercial center. Astoria rebuilt and then advertised themselves via this booklet.

The book wasn't a cheap mimeographed deal either. Although I read a PDF the descriptions of the book in various catalogs is of a blue cloth bound hardcover or in some cases a leather bound hardcover. The leather bound ones might have been rebounded editions sometime between publication and now.

What caught my attention is how recognizable 1925 Astoria is to 2024 Astoria. First and foremost, the city was then already a tourist destination (and it wasn't because of The Goonies (1985). It was the beaches, the weather, and the golf courses.

Not wanting to burn down again, Astoria dumped a ton of engineering effort into their sewer and water system. Pages are devoted to describing how the streets were redone. The other thing Astoria did that blows my mind is they put all of their electrical lines underground. I live in a place that is prone to wild fires, including devastating ones on similar scale to Astoria's, that still has above ground electrical, telephone, and cable lines.

Although the book is a fascinating look at a city in recovery from a major disaster, it's also a celebration of white supremacy. The Clatsop people are mentioned because they are the reason for the county's name. But they are waved away as "no longer being there." They are still there and even have a website.

Nor is their any appeal to anyone who might not be a WASP. Astoria as of the last census has shrunk in size to 10,200 people approximately and non-white residents number in the hundreds.

Four stars

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