Astoria sits at the mouth of the Columbia River in the far northwest corner of Oregon, where the river meets the Pacific. It is the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies, established as a fur trading post by John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company in 1811.
The town climbs steep hills above the river, with Victorian houses and a working waterfront that has been partly converted to restaurants, breweries, and small shops. The Astoria Column on Coxcomb Hill offers sweeping views of the river, the ocean, and the surrounding forests. The Columbia River Maritime Museum, one of the best maritime museums on the West Coast, documents the treacherous Columbia River Bar — known as the "Graveyard of the Pacific."
Astoria is also the filming location of The Goonies (1985). The Flavel House Museum appeared in the film, and the Oregon Film Museum is housed in the jail from the opening scene. Fort Clatsop, where Lewis and Clark spent the miserable winter of 1805–06, is a short drive south.